Grant "An Old Soldier"

John Hartwell

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An 1874 advertising card for Thomas Houseworth & Co., San Francisco:
nypl.digitalcollections.50291740-2289-0132-008b-58d385a7bbd0.001.w.jpg

[From The New York Public Library]
The reverse bears a list of Houseworth's "Photographs of Works of Art."
nypl.digitalcollections.f7669f80-2289-0132-5b80-58d385a7b928.002.r.jpg
 
I read a newspaper article that claimed the cigar pictured was not even Grant's. Those kind of things certainly did not stop the photographer and others from making a pretty penny off of the intense fascination over Grant's smoking habit. There were reports of people following Grant through the streets hoping to snag one of his butts as a souvenir. I guess celebrity worship hasn't changed, Elvis sweat in a bottle anyone ;-)

I don't want to hijack this thread but I have just completed a blog post which is a study of U.S. Grant's "Legendary" Smoking Habit. I actually used the cigar image in the post.

Thread Here: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/champion-of-the-weed-the-smoking-habit-of-u-s-grant.154865/

This U.S. Grant Cigar on display at the Texas Civil War Museum has some provenance:

Grants-cigar.jpg
 
It's only a guess

invalid, worn out , seasoned but still useful in need = an old soldier
This is what instantely came to my mind - never heard or saw the term or a similar term in any other language before
 
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Do you really think the phrase "old soldier" is not a euphemism for Grant?
The fact that Grant was an old soldier, too, is just a coincidence?
Did this term only come into use in relation to General Grant and his cigar smoking? Then I'd say it definitely had something to do with Grant. I thought it was a term in more general use before that, but I like that it may be connected to him in some way.
 
Did this term only come into use in relation to General Grant and his cigar smoking? Then I'd say it definitely had something to do with Grant. I thought it was a term in more general use before that, but I like that it may be connected to him in some way.
Well, I don't think it was in general use, or else we should have heard it somewhere. And, if Grant had not been an old soldier, I think it very doubtful that they would have thought of calling his cigar one. But, all things are possible ... we only speculate.
 
When I was in the Army, we referred to empty beer bottles as “another dead soldier”.
So yes, I would go with @2/241 ’s find.

It's only a guess


invalid, worn out , seasoned but still useful in need = an old soldier
This is what instantely came to my mind - never heard or saw the term or a similar term in any other language before

actually my first guess was much inspired from the fact that the disposed rest was nearly half a cigar. I never ever saw people dispose more than 1/3 of a cigar this was extraordinary.

1/4 to 1/5 was dandyish

1/6 to 1/8 was normal

anything else is greedy & idiotic

I normaly disposed the last 1/5

but from what I'v figured by now Grand's "old soldiers" were still alive, normal "old soldiers" are simply gone

but I did call it a guess

where is @Jimklag when You need him? maybe editing typos into my posts (@WJC that is an ini You mustn't edit it)
 
Grant originally smoked a pipe but according to a great biography he ended up smoking cigars because these were available to officers. He was quoted as saying he smoked them because they were there to be smoked. I’ll have to look up the exact quote but he was a heavy smoker as you know when in battle planning mode. Dozens of cigars each night would not have been uncommon.
 
When I was in the Army, we referred to empty beer bottles as “another dead soldier”.

we referred to unopened beer bottles as 24 mm Glasmantelgeschoß (=full glass jacket 24 mm)

and oc there always had to be stored at least 60 on the APC

also some panzerbrechende Munition (=armourpiercing ammo = bottles of real booze)

never ever had a name for the empty ones.
 
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we referred to unopened beer bottles as 24 mm Glasmantelgeschoß (=full glass jacket 24 mm)

and oc there always had to be stored at least 60 on the APC

also some panzerbrechende Munition (=armourpiercing ammo = bottles of real booze)

never ever had a name for the emty ones.

Das war Bundeswehr? Oder?
panzerbrechende Munition”..... I really like that (not the hard booze, just the term)!
I’ll stick to the 24 mm Glasmantelgeschoß .
:yellowcarded:
 
Grant originally smoked a pipe but according to a great biography he ended up smoking cigars because these were available to officers. He was quoted as saying he smoked them because they were there to be smoked. I’ll have to look up the exact quote but he was a heavy smoker as you know when in battle planning mode. Dozens of cigars each night would not have been uncommon.

In his memoirs Grant mentions the beginning of his heavier smoking habit after receiving them as gifts for victory at Ft. Donelson. He states “I gave away all that I could get rid of, but having such a quantity on hand, I naturally smoked more than I would have done under ordinary circumstances.” His smoking habit was heavy but as far as smoking "dozens of cigars each night" for a better perspective on the realistic quantity of cigars smoked by Grant I would refer you to this study of Grant's Smoking Habit:

https://rediscoveringourpast.blogspot.com/2019/02/champion-of-weed.html
 
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