At the American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar, two floors of exhibits will take you on a journey from the very beginning of the Civil War to Reconstruction and beyond. Located in downtown Richmond on the historic James River, the museum sits on the site of the Tredegar Iron Works. Cannons made at Tredegar fired the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter. The thick armor plating that protected the ironclad CSS Virginia (Merrimack) during its fight with the Monitor was rolled at Tredegar. More than half of the cannons used by the Confederate army were cast here.