Not to mention at that point growing hemp was illegal in the US.
Not in the 19th century. Hemp was a major product of a number of states, including my own, Missouri. In fact, we had a Civil War battle at Lexington, Missouri, called "The Battle of the Hemp Bales" where the pro-Southern Missouri State Guard used wet bales of Hemp as a moving fortress to assault a Federal fortress. It was successful, btw.

Cheers,

Todd