The real Civil War Museum to focus on contributions of blacks

RICHMOND, Va. It was here, in a foundry along the banks of theJames River, that black slaves and white workmen forged the heavyartillery that powered the army of the Confederacy during the WarBetween the States.

Now, within the same walls of the old Tredegar Iron Works,Virginia officials are planning a Civil War museum to tell all sidesof the story, including one the ironworkers knew all too well: thatblacks played a significant role on both sides of the conflict.

"Here's an idea whose time has come," says H. Alexander Wise Jr.,director of Virginia's Department of Historic Resources. "The CivilWar is such a huge story, and it needs to be told well."

The $37 …