I don't know. I really don't know. They were both great. Lewis Smith did a great job in portraying Charles in the first two miniseries. And Kyle Chandler was superb in portraying Charles' post-war angst.. So . . . I don't know.

I find Kyle Chandler too much boyish in looks for an older, more mature Charles. I think he would have been great as a teenager/Academy Charles in the earlier episodes while Lewis Smith was superb as a Civil War Charles and would have been real good for a postbellum Charles.

Charles was described as very handsome in compare to the other major male characters. This description adheres more closely to Chandler's looks than Smith's.

Otherwise, both actors did a great job.