“It’s one thing to read about the terror of battle, but a very different thing to live through it.”

THE DEADLIEST CONFLICT in U.S. history is being reimagined for the 21^st Century, thanks to VR technology and the American Battlefield Trust.

The charity’s new four-part, online digital series, Civil War 1864: A Virtual Reality Experience, lets users travel back in time to see what it was really like to be a foot soldier in both the Union and Confederate armies.

Watchable in a variety of formats, from computer and handheld devices to VR headsets, the short, live-action videos take viewers inside a Rebel sniper’s outpost, into a Federal trench, out on a patrol with Northern troops and inside an army field hospital.

Each life-like, 4K episode puts audiences in the thick of the action with a fully immersive, 360-degree field-of-view. Costumed re-enactors play the soldiers, while pop-up captions appear all around providing facts and details about the story as it unfolds.

Audiences using a VR headset, or even those with simple cardboard viewers for their phones, can take advantage of the series’ directional sound, while handheld mobile devices enable viewers to pinch-and-zoom in on minute details.

The results are truly impressive.

“We constantly strive to bring people closer to historical events in hopes that they can better understand or even feel them” said Garry Adelman, the organization’s chief historian. “The immersive nature of virtual reality can help us approximate the personal experience of Civil War soldiers like nothing else has before.”

The Kansas City, Mo.–based media group Wide Awake Films helped bring the idea to life.

“Our goal was to produce shorts that approximated everyday life for Civil War soldiers and civilians,” said the company’s founder Shane Seley. “It’s one thing to read about the terror of battle or the drudgery of camp life, but a very different thing to live through it. We wanted to offer a real glimpse into the past that can’t be captured in books or standard documentaries.”

Already, the Civil War 1864: A Virtual Reality Experience is taking the Web by storm. In its first two weeks online, the series attracted 300,000 views, making the episodes the most popular videos in American Battlefield Trust history.

“What a life-changing experience,” commented one viewer. “The Civil War was instantly redefined for me as soon as this was over.”

“You’ve just revolutionized history storytelling,” declared another.

To try the Civil War 1864: A Virtual Reality Experience for yourself, visit www.battlefields.org/virtualreality, or explore the Trust’s entire collection — more than 500 videos in all — on its YouTube channel.

(With files from Mary Koik, American Battlefield Trust)