A Reminder of How Tobacco Was Used During the Civil War

Tobacco use was embraced by folks living in the mid-1800s.  It was smoked in cigars & pipes and chewed in plug form.  Both men and women used tobacco, and in those days children began smoking at a shockingly early age.  Tobacco use also varied among economic and social factions. 

Cigars: Most well-to-do gentleman would take delight in puffing on fine cigars.  Indeed, fine cigars were considered to be quite a status symbol, and the conspicuous consumption of them was any gentlemen’s right and in fact his due.  Cigars were often stored in boxes and humidors of fine craftsmanship, fashioned of  precious metals or rare woods.

A “lady of quality” would never consider smoking, as it just was not done.

The Victorians even had “drawing rooms”, originally the withdrawing rooms, where ladies would go after dinner to socialize, while the men lingered over the dining table with their brandies and cigars.  The men would discuss topics unfit for feminine ears, while drinking and making as much smoky odor as they pleased.  Sounds good to me!

Considered a manly pleasure, it should be noted that the few rebellious and reckless women who smoked cigars fully intended to raise eyebrows.  Others were of the “fallen” type, who had no status to lose by doing as they pleased.

Pipes: Tobacco smoked in pipes spanned the social order, and only the quality of the tobaccos and pipes set the classes apart.

Wealthy gentlemen consumed finely flavored tobaccos in pipes of superb craftsmanship.  These pipes were fashioned of cunningly carved stone, rare wood, or painted and glazed porcelain.  Stems could be short or long, straight or curved.  A gentlemen might have an extensive collection of pipes, displayed with pride in his domicile.  Humidors would be crafted of fine materials.

The middle class gentleman would likely have a favorite pipe of fine wood, figured clay, or carved stone.  He would procure the best tobaccos he could afford, kept in a nice tobacco tin for freshness.  A few middle class women smoked pipes, but many tried to imitate their betters by avoiding such un-lady-like behavior.

The lower classes used corn cob pipes, or home carved wood.  Men and women enjoyed their pipes with great gusto.  The tobacco was not usually of the better quality.

Chewing Tobacco: This was the most widely used method to enjoy tobacco during the 1860’s.

“Chawin” tobacco is not chewed, it is placed in the mouth between the cheek and gum and allowed to settle in.  The nicotine juice was absorbed through the gums and swallowed, then the spent wad was spit out.  Workmen usually adopted this method because they were too busy to fiddle with pipes and such.  It was widely practiced and most establishments featured a spittoon to preserve their flooring.

Most of the tobacco processed and sold in the US was plug tobacco, intended for chewing.  The US and CS military supplied its officers and soldiers with plug tobacco, so soldiers had to acquire cigars and pipe tobacco on their own.

Cigarettes: Although these items were indeed around during the Civil War, they were not really considered manly and did not enjoy widespread use until mass manufacture began in 1864.  Two brands of cigarettes made in the US before 1864 were Century and Durham.  Cigarettes had been manufactured in England since 1856, but their use was not widespread within the states.

Cigarettes were manufactured exclusively in Northern factories and would have been a scarce item for Southerners.  As American cigarettes were relatively expensive and not widely available, it seems reasonable to accept that only a small fraction of tobacco consumed was cigarettes.

Snuff:   This usage had fallen out of favor in the US, and was only rarely snorted by the youth of the leisure classes for the nicotine “jolt” it provided.  It tended to cause profuse sneezing and was considered vulgar.

Written by Eric Cigar Reviews and Related Topics www.tophatcigar.com