The Iconic Brand Coke, and Its Roots in a Civil War Battle Injury

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Marketed in over 200 countries and territories, the company’s 500 plus brands bring in annual sales of over $30 billion. It would be a rare find to run across anyone in the world who has never heard of Coke. Its beginnings, however, were much more low-key and auspicious.

In April of 1865, General Lee surrendered to General Grant in Appomattox, VA., ending the War Between the States. With communication limited to armies still in the field, the Battle of Columbus, GA.(also known as Wilson’s Raid) took place days later. CSA Lt. Colonel John Pemberton received a chest wound from a Union saber in that battle. Columbus fell and was burned the following day.No one at the time could realize the ripple effect of that single event and how the aftermath would shape history with the creation of Coca-Cola.

As a result of his injury, Pemberton became addicted to the morphine used to manage his pain. Pemberton set out to create a pain relief product to curtail his morphine use. Before the War, he had operated a drugstore in Columbus, GA., and graduated from medical school. Through this, he developed an exceptional talent for chemistry.

Please read the story of Duke’s Mayonnaise and the firebrand behind it here.

After much trial and error, Pemberton ended up with an alcoholic elixir derived from the kola nut and damiana, initially called Pemberton’s French Wine Coca. The kola nut added caffeine to the product, and the crushed Koca leaves added cocaine, which was legal then. It was licensed as a nerve agent and marketed in Atlanta as a solution to various ills, including neurasthenia, an oft-diagnosed syndrome with fatigue as a primary symptom. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, coined the name Coca-Cola and created the first version of the script logo still in use today.

Pemberton incorporated the Coca-Cola Company in 1887, with his son, Charles, in charge. Falling ill soon after, Pemberton elected to sell a portion of his invention to Atlanta pharmacist Asa Candler, even though he had a vision that it would someday be a product sold worldwide. Other partners were brought in, and several versions of Coca-Cola began being marketed. Candler began acquiring the interests of the others and obtained total ownership after Pemberton passed away in 1888. His total outlay for the exclusive right of Coca-Cola was around $2300.

After a few years on the market, the Atlanta and Fulton County governments adopted an early version of Prohibition, requiring the “medicine” to be reformulated without alcohol. Pemberton utilized pharmacist Willis Venable’s services to create this new version, with a series of trials failing to be satisfactory. An accidental inclusion where carbonated water was unintentionally added to the mix created a product that Pemberton decided to sell as a fountain drink instead of a medical product. Despite its non-medical orientation, the company advertised the product as having many health benefits, including curing headaches, relieving exhaustion, and settling nerves. The trademark Coca-Cola was registered with the US Patent Office in 1893. Cocaine ceased being in the product around 1903.

Chandler’s marketing efforts began turning Coke into one of the most recognized brands globally, and now a major corporation, 10,000 bottles of Coca-Cola are consumed every second of every day. Coke’s soft drink brands capture around 50% of the soft drink market. The product is available in every country except North Korea and Cuba. Now you know that one of the world’s largest brands had its genesis in a battle wound and a $2300 investment.