John Pemberton joined the 3rd Georgia Cavalry in May 1862 and resigned in October that year because of a chronic stomach disease that afflicted him throughout his life, writing that he could better serve the Confederacy as a pharmacist and chemist. In July 1863 he joined the home guard and commanded a cavalry unit at the Battle of Columbus, where he suffered a saber gash and a pistol wound. Despite these injuries, he reopened his pharmacy within seven months and launched a large wholesale drug warehouse, operating both until he left for Atlanta in 1869. The popular Vin Mariani wine, infused with extract of coca leaves, began selling worldwide in 1863, and Pemberton used this tonic to relieve pain from stomach cancer, intestinal disorders, and wounds. He modified Mariani’s drink to produce French Wine of Coca, the predecessor to Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company recognizes that Pemberton mixed the prototype formula in Columbus and then brought it to Atlanta, where the 1885 prohibition law forced him to remove the wine from his tonic and add sweeteners and an extract of kola nuts to create Coca-Cola.