The saying “American as Apple Pie” is a classic one that harkens back to American culture, to the days of home-baked pies and gingham picnic blankets. But apples, of course, are much older than the United States, and the humble pie has a history much longer than the nation.
During the civil war, the manufacture of powder and explosives was often handled by the most vulnerable, young women and children, whose labor was needed when so many men had been sent off to war. On March 13, 1863, the confederacy experienced a munitions disaster, in the confederate capitol of Richmond.