JAMES CITY — A Hampton historian and author on Thursday filed a lawsuit to halt the deletion of a controversial passage from a fourth-grade history textbook that scholars say mischaracterized the role of African-American soldiers in the South during the Civil War.

Veronica Davis, author of "Here I Lay My Burdens Down," a study of black cemeteries in and around Richmond, filed the injunction against the book's publisher, Five Ponds Press, as well as the state Board of Education and Williamsburg-James City County Schools.

Shortly after the offending passage was brought to light last week by a College of William and Mary history professor, the Connecticut-based publishing company announced it would provide blank stickers to cover the assertion that "thousands" of black soldiers fought for the south, including two battalions under Stonewall Jackson....