Chewing tobacco has a long-standing association with the military, particularly in the United States. Throughout history, its use among soldiers has been intertwined with tradition, camaraderie, and personal coping mechanisms. Chewing is one of the oldest methods of consuming tobacco. The practice of chewing tobacco dates back centuries, with Native American tribes in North America being the first known users. European settlers, including military personnel, quickly adopted the habit, recognizing its stimulant effects and ability to alleviate boredom and stress during long periods of military campaigns.

JSTOR Daily noted that in the US, chewing tobacco—made by mixing molasses with the leaves—was the main way to consume the plant through the nineteenth century. Although it was mixed various ways, sometimes with lime, or mixed with mussel shells by Native Americans. The R.J. Reynolds Company, pioneered the use of saccharine as a sweetener in chewing tobacco. The additive enabled R.J. Reynolds to compete and, at the same time, decrease production costs because it was cheaper than sugar.

A historian of the American South noted:

The chewing of tobacco was well-nigh universal. This habit had been widespread among the agricultural population of America both North and South before the war. Soldiers had found the quid a solace in the field and continued to revolve it in their mouths upon returning to their homes. Out of doors where his life was principally led the chewer spat upon his lands without offence to other men, and his homes and public buildings were supplied with spittoons. Brown and yellow parabolas were projected to right and left toward these receivers, but very often without the careful aim which made for cleanly living. Even the pews of fashionable churches were likely to contain these familiar conveniences. The large numbers of Southern men, and these were of the better class (officers in the Confederate army and planters, worth $20,000 or more, and barred from general amnesty) who presented themselves for the pardon of President Johnson, while they sat awaiting his pleasure in the ante-room at the White House, covered its floor with pools and rivulets of their spittle. An observant traveller in the South in 1865 said that in his belief seven-tenths of all persons above the age of twelve years, both male and female, used tobacco in some form. Women could be seen at the doors of their cabins in their bare feet, in their dirty one-piece cotton garments, their chairs tipped back, smoking pipes made of corn cobs into which were fitted reed stems or goose quills. Boys of eight or nine years of age and half-grown girls smoked. Women and girls “dipped” in their houses, on their porches, in the public parlours of hotels and in the streets.

Tobacco companies fought for the market share of young soldiers. Chewing tobacco became deeply ingrained in military culture, particularly during the American Civil War. Soldiers found solace in its use, using it as a means to cope with the physical and emotional demands of war. Sharing a chew with fellow comrades fostered a sense of camaraderie and provided a temporary escape from the harsh realities of conflict. Smoking boomed in the first half of the twentieth century, thanks to heavy advertising and the inclusion of cigarettes as part of soldiers’ rations during the two world wars.

During the latter part of World War I to feed troops who were away from a garrison or field kitchen the Reserve Ration was issued. It originally consisted of bacon or canned meat, cans of hard bread or hardtack biscuits, coffee, sugar, and salt. There was also a separate “tobacco ration” with 11 grams of tobacco and ten cigarette rolling papers, later replaced by brand-name machine-rolled cigarettes. To compete with the phenomenal success of RJR’s Camel, American introduces Lucky Strike, the name revived from an 1871 pipe tobacco brand that referenced the Gold Rush days. On the package, the motto: “It’s Toasted!” (like all other cigarettes.).

Aside from its cultural significance, chewing tobacco offered practical advantages to soldiers. Its stimulant properties were believed to enhance focus, alleviate fatigue, and suppress appetite. In the absence of modern amenities, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, chewing tobacco was also seen as a rudimentary way to maintain oral hygiene. One of the biggest contributing factors to the popularity of tobacco was the connection between tobacco and basebalI, with baseball heroes like Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Honus Wagner influencing young men. The rising popularity of manufactured cigarettes by the beginning of the 20th century spelled the decline of chewing tobacco.

Chewing tobacco usage in the United States would also decline in the early 1900’s due to “anti spitting ordinances”. As the country became more urban and spent more time indoors, tobacco chewing and the accompanying expectoration came to be looked upon as unsanitary and unseemly. After World War I, plug-taking fell off abruptly, though its usage increased in the 1980s and early ’90s as it was believed to be a safe alternative to cigarette smoking. In 1938, R.J. Reynolds marketed 84 brands of chewing tobacco.

1917 Send Tobacco

Tobacco was viewed as indispensable to the war effort; General Pershing said:
“You ask me what we need to win this war. I answer tobacco as much as bullets. Tobacco is as indispensable as the daily ration; we must have thousands of tons without delay.”

Over time, a growing understanding of the health risks associated with tobacco use has prompted a shift in attitudes towards chewing tobacco in the military. The Surgeon General’s warning about the dangers of tobacco consumption, coupled with scientific research on its detrimental effects, led to increased awareness among service members and health professionals. Despite the medical findings cigarette companies disputed the medical science and intensified their advertising campaigns in print media and on billboards.

In response to changing societal views on tobacco, military organizations implemented various policies and regulations to reduce tobacco use among personnel. These efforts included education campaigns, smoke-free initiatives, and restrictions on tobacco use in military facilities and vehicles. Additionally, some branches of the military have adopted stricter guidelines regarding tobacco use, reflecting the broader public health concerns surrounding its consumption.

“Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile,
While you’ve a lucifer to light your fag,
Smile, boys, that’s the style….”

–World War I marching song by George Henry Powell and Felix Powell

The history of chewing tobacco in the military is a complex tapestry, intertwined with tradition, cultural practices, and evolving attitudes towards tobacco use. While it once played a prominent role in military life, a greater understanding of its health risks has prompted shifts in policies and attitudes. As military organizations continue to prioritize the well-being of their personnel, the place of chewing tobacco within the armed forces continues to evolve, reflecting wider efforts to promote healthier habits and reduce tobacco consumption.

Timeline

• 6,000 BC – Native Americans first start cultivating the tobacco plant.
• Circa 1 BC – Indigenous American tribes start smoking tobacco in religious ceremonies and for medicinal purposes.
• 1492 – Christopher Columbus first encounters dried tobacco leaves. They were given to him as a gift by the American Indians.
• 1492 – Tobacco plant and smoking introduced to Europeans.
• 1531 – Europeans start cultivation of the tobacco plant in Central America.
• 1558 – First attempt at tobacco cultivation in Europe fail.
• 1571 – European doctors start publishing works on healthy properties of the tobacco plant, claiming it can cure a myriad of diseases, from toothache to lockjaw and cancer.
• 1600 – Tobacco used as cash-crop – a monetary standard that lasts twice as long as the gold standard.
• 1602 – King James I condemns tobacco in his treatise A Counterblast to Tobacco.
• 1614 – Tobacco shops open across Britain, selling the Virginia blend tobacco.
• 1624 – Popes ban use of tobacco in holy places, considering sneezing (snuff) too close to sexual pleasures.
• 1633 – Turkey introduces a death penalty for smoking but it doesn’t stay in effect for long and is lifted in 1647.
• 1650 – Tobacco arrives in Africa – European settlers grow it and use it as a currency.
• 1700 – African slaves are first forced to work on tobacco plantations, years before they become a workforce in the cotton fields.
• 1730 – First American tobacco companies open their doors in Virginia.
• 1753 – Tobacco genus named by a Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus – nicotiana rustica and nicotiana tabacum named for the first time.
• 1791 – British doctors find that snuff leads to increased risk of nose cancer.
• 1794 – First American tobacco tax.
• 1826 – Nicotine isolated for the first time.
• 1847 – Philip Morris opens their first shop in Great Britain, selling hand-rolled Turkish cigarettes.
• 1961 – First American cigarette factory produces 20 million cigarettes.
• 1880 – Bonsack develops the first cigarette-rolling machine.
• 1890 – American Tobacco Company opens its doors.
• 1990 – 4 billion cigarettes are sold this year and manufacture is on the rise.
• 1902 – Philip Morris starts selling cigarettes in the US – one of the brands offered is Marlboro.
• 1912 – First reported connection between smoking and lung cancer.
• 1918 – An entire generation of young men returns from war addicted to cigarettes.
• 1924 – Over 70 billion of cigarettes are sold in the US.
• 1925 – Philip Morris starts marketing to women, tripling the number of female smokers in just 10 years.
• 1947 – Lorillard chemist admits that there is enough evidence that smoking can cause cancer.
• 1950 – 50% of a cigarette now consists of the cigarette filter tip.
• 1967 – Surgeon General definitively links smoking to lung cancer and presents evidence that it is causing heart problems.
• 1970 – Tobacco manufacturers legally obliged to print a warning on the labels that smoking is a health hazard.
• 1970 – 1990 – Tobacco companies faced with a series of lawsuits. Courts limit their advertising and marketing.
• 1992 – Nicotine patch is introduced – in the following years more cessation products will start being developed.
• 1996 – Researchers find conclusive evidence that tobacco damages a cancer-suppressor gene.
• 1997 – Liggett Tobacco Company issues a statement acknowledging that tobacco causes cancer and carries a considerable health risk.
• 1997 – Tobacco companies slammed with major lawsuits – ordered to spend billions of dollar on anti-smoking campaigns over the next 25 years predominantly focused on educating the young on dangers of smoking.
• 1997 – For the first time in history a tobacco company CEO admits on trial that cigarettes and related tobacco products cause cancer. His name was Bennett Lebow.
• 1990 – 2000 – Bans on public smoking come into effect in most states in America, as well as in other countries in the world.

Lucky Strike Cigarettes: A Part of C-Rations in WWII