History isn't made by men who play it safe. It’s made by men who can sit in the middle of a literal hurricane of lead and smoke, keep their pulse at a steady resting rate, and focus on the task at hand. For Ulysses S. Grant, that focus was often fueled by a leaf of tobacco.
Most people know Grant as the heavy-drinking, hard-fighting general who finally broke the back of the Confederacy. But if you really want to understand the man, you have to look at the cigar. It wasn't just a habit; it was his trademark, his psychological armor, and: at the height of the war: his constant companion to the tune of twenty sticks a day.
At 1689 Cigar Co., we don't just sell tobacco. We sell the kind of grit that Grant carried from the mud of Tennessee to the halls of the White House. We appreciate a man who knows that a good smoke isn't a distraction: it's an essential tool for clarity when the world is going to hell around you.
The Fort Donelson Pivot: From Casual to Legend
Before the Civil War really kicked into high gear, Grant was a pipe smoker who dabbled in cigars. That changed at Fort Donelson in 1862. During the heat of the battle, Grant was seen on the field carrying an unlit cigar. A journalist caught the detail, the story hit the Northern papers, and suddenly, the "Unconditional Surrender" general was the face of the cigar industry.
The public didn’t just read the story; they reacted. In one of the most aggressive displays of fan mail in American history, Grant was flooded with gifts. We’re talking about 10,000 cigars sent to his headquarters.
Grant, being a practical man, didn't let them go to waste. As he noted in his memoirs, he gave away what he could, but with that kind of inventory, his personal consumption skyrocketed. This wasn't a choice made out of boredom. It was a habit born of abundance and the absolute crushing weight of command. When you have a thousand decisions to make that will determine the lives of thousands of men, you don’t reach for a stick of gum. You reach for something with some damn backbone.
Stoicism Under Fire: The Wilderness and Vicksburg
If you want to see what real leadership looks like, look at Grant during the Battle of the Wilderness. It was a nightmare landscape: thick woods, fire, and a casualty list that would make a modern politician resign in a heartbeat. Grant sat on a stump, whittling wood and smoking cigar after cigar.
His staff noted that he went through nearly twenty that day. He wasn't nervous; he was processing. The cigar became a visual signal to his men: The General is calm. The General is thinking. We aren't retreating.
This is the same energy we put into our London and Westminster blends. These aren't "light and airy" smokes for people who are afraid of flavor. They are built for the man who wants a consistent, bold experience: a smoke that stands up to the pressure of the day. When Grant was staring down the fortifications at Vicksburg, he wasn't looking for a "quick puff." He needed something that would last as long as the siege.
The Final Chapter: Grit, Grace, and the Memoirs
The end of Grant’s life is perhaps his most impressive feat of endurance. Broke and dying of throat cancer: a brutal irony given his history: he spent his final months racing to finish his memoirs to provide for his family. He sat on his porch at Mt. McGregor, wrapped in blankets, in immense pain, and wrote one of the greatest pieces of military literature in history.
Even then, the image of the cigar remained. While he had to cut back significantly due to his illness, the cigar was the symbol of the life he had lived: a life of "unconditional" commitment to his duty.
There is a certain theology of tobacco here. It’s about common grace. It’s about the fact that God gave us things like the tobacco leaf to enjoy, to help us think, and to facilitate fellowship. Grant understood this implicitly. He didn't apologize for his smoking, and he didn't apologize for his victories.
Why 1689? Because Quality Matters
Grant didn't have the luxury of a humidor stocked with handcrafted premium cigars. He smoked what was sent to him, which was a gamble. You don't have to take that risk.
At 1689 Cigar Co., we’ve taken that same historical grit and applied it to our blending process. Whether you’re looking for the refined complexity of our Savoy or the straightforward, commanding presence of our Westminster, you’re getting a product that respects the tradition Grant lived.
We get asked all the time: "Why do you guys focus so much on the history and the theology?" It’s simple. We believe that if you’re going to do something, you do it with conviction. You don't just "smoke a cigar." You participate in a tradition that spans generations of thinkers, warriors, and preachers.
Grant didn't win the war despite the twenty cigars a day; he won it, in part, because he had the temperament to handle that kind of intake while moving armies across a continent. He was a man of focused, smoky determination.
Join the Ranks
You don't need to lead an army to appreciate a premium smoke. You just need to appreciate quality tobacco and the history behind it. If you're tired of generic brands that have no soul, it’s time to try something with a bit more heritage.
Grab a box of our signature 1689 blends. Whether you prefer a Connecticut, Habano, or a rich Maduro, we’ve got something that would make even General Grant nod in approval.
Stop settling for mediocrity. Smoke something that stands for something.
Looking for more history? Check out our review of the Charles Spurgeon series or dive into our guide on unique blends.
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