59
About
Two families, abolitionist Northerners the Stonemans and Southern landowners the Camerons, intertwine. When Confederate colonel Ben Cameron is captured in battle, nurse Elsie Stoneman petitions for his pardon. In Reconstruction-era South Carolina, Cameron founds the Ku Klux Klan, battling Elsie's congressman father and his African-American protégé, Silas Lynch.
Theatrical
Mar 21, 1915
Box Office
$100.0M
Budget
$100K
Return
1,000.0x
DVD / Blu-ray
Nov 17, 1998
Director
Writer
Producers
Music
Jon Mirsalis
Studio
Epoch Film Co., D.W. Griffith Productions, Epoch Productions
Where to Watch
Region
Amazon Video
Rent from
HD
$2.99
Amazon Video
Buy from
HD
$9.99
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Prices last updated September 30, 2026. Pricing and availability may vary by region.
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Cast
Full credits →L
Lillian Gish
Stoneman's Daughter Elsie
M
Mae Marsh
Flora Cameron
H
Henry B. Walthall
Col. Ben Cameron
M
Miriam Cooper
Margaret Cameron
M
Mary Alden
Stoneman's Housekeeper Lydia
R
Ralph Lewis
Leader of the House Hon. Austin Stoneman
G
George Siegmann
Lieut. Governor Silas Lynch
W
Walter Long
Gus
R
Robert Harron
Tod
W
Wallace Reid
Jeff, the Blacksmith
J
Joseph Henabery
Abraham Lincoln
E
Elmer Clifton
Stoneman's Elder Son Phil
J
Josephine Crowell
Mrs. Cameron
S
Spottiswoode Aitken
Dr. Cameron
G
George Beranger
Wade Cameron
M
Maxfield Stanley
Duke Cameron
J
Jennie Lee
Mammy
D
Donald Crisp
Gen. U.S. Grant
H
Howard Gaye
Gen. Robert E. Lee
S
Sam De Grasse
Senator Charles Sumner (uncredited)
The Life of a Nation Collection
Two epics portraying fictional events within the context of America's history.
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