Many things we now take for granted now date back to the Civil War era, an expert on the conflict said Saturday night in Bassett.
Fought between 1861 and 1865, the war was "the biggest thing that ever happened to this nation," and its impact lingers, said James I. Robertson Jr., director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech.
He spoke at EMI Imaging (the former John D. Bassett High School) during a fundraiser for a Bassett Historical Center expansion project.
For instance, standard time was created during the Civil War era, Robertson said. Railroads needed a consistent time throughout the places they traveled in order to meet shipping timetables, he explained.
Clothing sizes were developed during that era after one-size-fits-all military uniforms did not fit many soldiers well and made them look bad, he said.
Shoes for left and right feet were developed as a result of soldiers having bloody, blistered feet and needing better footwear, said Robertson. Before then, both shoes were identical, he indicated.
Before the Civil War, people had to go to their local post office to get their mail. But during the war, many found out through the mail that relatives had died in combat, and post offices became very somber places, Robertson said. That led the U.S. Postal Service to institute home mail delivery, he said.
Memorial Day, which will be celebrated Monday, traces its roots to the Civil War when women decorated the graves of fallen soldiers, said Robertson.
The image people have of Santa Claus now was created during the Civil War era, he said, by a newspaper editorial cartoonist wanting to personify the jolly Saint Nicholas portrayed in the Clement C. Moore story "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."
Dehydrated vegetables and canned foods also were developed in the Civil War era, Robertson said.
"If you want a true Civil War meal, you can get it today" at a supermarket, he said, explaining that soldiers were rationed canned ham and cans of pork and beans.
Robertson, a Danville, Va., native who is the Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia Tech, said the main cause of the Civil War was disputes between the North and South over slavery.
"We were the only enlightened nation on earth that still practiced slavery in the 1800s," he said. "It had to go."
Arrogance among certain Southerners stemming from success with a cash crop, coupled with a lack of involvement by the federal government, added fuel to the fire, he indicated.
"The South, with its King Cotton, had grown away from the rest of the country," and there was "no help from Washington" in resolving disputes between the two sides, said Robertson.
Approximately 700,000 soldiers died during the Civil War, Robertson said.
With Memorial Day approaching, he encouraged people to think about the sacrifices that soldiers--particularly those in the Civil War--made which caused America to retain its freedom and be the nation we know today.
"This is your country," he said, "but never forget who gave it to you."
About 150 people attended Robertson's speech, enabling the historical center to raise about $5,000, officials said.
