Civil War Pipe

[ravkesef]

Çeci n'est pas une pipe. It is, however, a photograph of a pipe. The pipe itself came from an archaeological dig at Appomattox in 1968. I have no idea whether it belonged to a Union or Confederate soldier, but it occupies an honored place in my collection. Comments invited, especially from those who may be more knowledgeable about such things than I.

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[buster]

I can not help but will say,"how cool is that!" Have you ever dared to smoke it? I would be so tempted to.

 

[ravkesef]

Good point, Buster--what kind of stem would they have used--would it have been bamboo, like the Old Dominion cobs? Bob Savage--are you reading this? As far as smoking it, no, I never have. First--that pipe is 150 years old. I'd be afraid of cracking it. I think I have too much reverence and awe for this true historical artifact to risk it. After all, making a clay pipe is no big deal, but a true Civil War relic--that really is something else. Be interesting to learn from anyone on this forum who knows about such matters.

 

[petes03]

Makes you wonder who smoked it, and what they smoked in it. I imagine it probably would have had a reed stem. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what is called "pipe stone", the same thing that most Native American peace pipes were made out of?

Either way, very interesting (and cool) pipe you have there!

 

[rangerearthpig]

Looks like catlinite to me. very nice!

 

[virginiacob]

Eric,
That's a nice Civil War find! These pipes were often referred to as reed stem clay pipes (also called trade pipes as they were also used as a trade item with Indian tribes) and probably were the most common pipes smoked by soldiers both North and South. Rivercane stems (a native bamboo in the South) were probably the most widely used stem, but soldiers would have used any workable stem when they needed a quick replacement such as a corn stalk, grapevine stem, or any available reed stem. Soldiers tended to favor the reed stem clay pipe over the traditional clay pipe with clay stem as the pipes could easily be packed away inside their haversacks on the march and were less susceptible to breakage. Also, with a reed stem pipe, if the stem were to break or became soured with usage, a soldier could easily find a field replacement. Below is a pic of a reproduction reed stem clay pipe that I use for Civil War reenactments and living history encampments.

 

[cortezattic]

Thank you rangerearthpig! I was trying to remember the name of that Indian stone. :clap:

 

[mso489]

I wouldn't smoke it. It seems to be a historical artifact. Are these fairly common to find at Civil War sites?

 

[ravkesef]

First--thanks so much to Bob Savage. I figured if anybody knew anything about this pipe, how it was used, and the various details related to smoking it, you would. As to mso's question, I really have no idea how many there are at Civil War battlefield sites. There was an ongoing dig at Appomattox while I was there, and that's how I picked this one up. It wasn't particularly valuable or rare, and I suppose that's why I was permitted to keep it. I think they find stuff like this all the time. Wasn't more than 5 years ago that they found the body of a Confederate soldier at Gettysburg, so I imagine that the earth still conceals many mysteries. I'm pretty certain that the tobacco they used was a lot stronger than what we smoke these days, and would've tasted a good deal harsher than what most of us are accustomed to. As for trying it out to see how it smokes, as I said before – no way – I have too much reverence for this historical artifact, regardless of which side it belonged to.

I confess, however, that I have daydreamed a bit about its history. For example, did it fall out of the pocket or haversack of a Union or Confederate soldier galloping at full speed back to his lines to tell his comrades what had just occurred? Did it fall to the ground during one of those last skirmishes in the closing hours of the war? Did its owner notice its loss, or had his life ended along with the war, so that he was never aware of what had happened? There are many questions, and we will never know the answers.

 

[virginiacob]

Clay pipes (both reed stem and clay pipes with integral clay stems) are a common artifact found at Civil War campsites during archeological excavations. It's a testament as to how prevalent pipe smokers were in both armies. Typically most of the pipes that are found are of the more common inexpensive clay styles as these were the pipe smoked by the enlisted man. While commissioned officers smoked pipes as well, cigar smoking seemed to be more prevalent among the officer class as cigars were expensive luxuries and thus became a status symbol of an officer's rank (and in some cases wealth).