President U.S. Grant and cigars

I had heard a story about President U.S. Grant that I found fascinating.  He was a pipe smoker and chewed tobacco avidly.  However during the Battle of Fort Donelson  he was handed a cigar and carried it on the battlefield.  The word got out in a news article that said he smoked cigars.  Supposedly he was sent over 10,000 cigars by thankful supporters to his field headquarters.  He gave many to his troops, but became a cigar smoker, smoking as many as 20 a day.  He ended up dying of throat cancer however.  The best article I found that describes the whole history in detail was this one at
http://www.jmarkpowell.com/the-gift-that-killed-general-grant/