Leading up to the Civil War, most candles in the southern states were imported from the North. When the fighting began and trade with the North was cut off, Confederates had to make their own candles. Often this meant dipping cord or a rag in beeswax and coiling it around a jar -- as with this one -- or even a corncob. When beeswax was not available, Southerners boiled berries mixed with cow fat to create a candle. This candle has been partially used.