Original Civil War soldier’s tobacco twist, found in haversack at Stones River

Being offered is a rare and unusual Civil War item, it is an original twist of tobacco, ‘measuring 5” x 1 ½” and still has the original string. It was found inside of a Union soldier’s haversack which was lost or discarded just prior to or during the Battle of Stone’s River, Tennessee. The haversack was picked up shortly after the battle and placed inside of a barn in Murfreesboro where it remained undisturbed for over 100 years.

The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee. It was the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Of the major battles of the war, Stones River had the highest percentage of casualties on both sides.

The battle ended in a Union victory after the Confederate army's withdrawal on January 3, largely due to a series of tactical miscalculations by Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, but the victory was costly for the Union army.

Nevertheless, it was an important victory for the Union because it provided a much-needed boost in morale after the Union's recent defeat at Fredericksburg and also reinforced President Abraham Lincoln's foundation for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, which ultimately discouraged European powers from intervening on the Confederacy's behalf.

There are examples of this tobacco in The Civil War National Museum and The Civil War Medical Museum (see pictures). I have a similar piece in my private collection which came out of the Dr. Francis Lord collection and is pictured in his book “The Collector’s Encyclopedia of the Civil War”. It was part of the personal effects of Captain John Macomber, who was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864 (see pictures).

Tobacco was extremely important to the Civil War soldier, and I go into more detail in my book “The Civil War Soldier – His Personal Items” (see pictures). This is a rare opportunity to own one of these unique pieces which also has some neat history behind it. It comes in the glass top display case pictured.