Archives abroad: National Archives release Civil War records online

With the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War now just days away, the National Archives is trying to make it easier for amateur historians to learn more about the War Between the States - and to make it more personal.

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns relied heavily on records housed in the Archives during research for his epic PBS series, "The Civil War."

The Archives has teamed with Ancestry.com to release millions of documents from the era online, including Civil War draft registration records from 1863-65 and the censuses of 1860 and 1870.

Ancestry.com is making the Archives' Civil War records, as well as its own collection of documents from the era, available for free from April 7-14. After that, the access will be paid.