How much civil war can you handle? The history and the statistics are gruesome. Yet, every American needs to know about it and learn from this period in our country’s history.

The American Civil War Museum is located next to the old Tredegar Iron Works building and remains.

The Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond grew from a 1830s industrial venture into the largest ironworks in the American South and one of the most strategically important sites of the Civil War. Its story intertwines industrial ambition, enslaved labor, Confederate military production, and later preservation as a major public history site. Tredegar operated until 1958 even after a fire in 1952 destroyed a major portion and the owner decided to sell. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and part of the National Park Civil War visitor center in 2000. In 2013, other museums were merged with this site to become the American Civil War Museum.

Two floors in this museum tell the story of the Civil War through displays and multi-media – videos and audio throughout. When you arrive you are told to start upstairs which is the pre-civil war history and then downstairs the actual war history, year by year. There are more words in this museum than there are physical displays as compared with The National Museum of Civil War Soldiers that we visited earlier this week.

Here are some photos from the displays upstairs.

The exhibits downstairs include more multi-media to help immerse you in the year by year actions.

There are exhibits with artifacts of significance. Like these items of Robert E. Lee. The displays are well labeled.

Of course, weapons are part of many of the exhibits.

And at the end, it is the worst war ever for casualties. The last room has the 13, 14, and 15 Amendments to the Constitution displayed on the wall; all enacted after this war.

One final Civil War historic site to visit, Appomattox. I will then officially be called a Civil War heritage tourist!