Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War: The Union Army

Offers an engaging account of the experiences of Jewish soldiers in the Union Army during the Civil War

What was it like to be a Jew in Lincoln's armies? The Union army was as diverse as the embattled nation it sought to preserve, a unique mixture of ethnicities, religions, and identities. Almost one Union soldier in four was born abroad, and natives and newcomers fought side-by-side, sometimes uneasily. Yet though scholars have parsed the trials and triumphs of Irish, Germans, African Americans, and others in the Union ranks, they have remained largely silent on the everyday experiences of the largest non-Christian minority to have served.

In ways visible and invisible to their fellow recruits and conscripts, the experience of Jews was distinct from that of other soldiers who served in Lincoln's armies. Adam D. Mendelsohn draws for the first time upon the vast database of verified listings of Jewish soldiers serving in the Civil War collected by The Shapell Roster, as well as letters, diaries, and newspapers, to examine the collective experience of Jewish soldiers and to recover their voices and stories. The volume examines when and why they decided to enlist, explores their encounters with fellow soldiers, and describes their efforts to create community within the ranks. This monumental undertaking rewrites much of what we think we know about Jewish soldiers during the Civil War.

ISBN-13: 9781479812233

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: New York University Press

Publication Date: 11-15-2022

Pages: 336

Product Dimensions: 7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

Adam D. Mendelsohn is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of The Rag Race: How Jews Sewed Their Way to Success in America and the British Empire and co-editor of Jews and the Civil War: A Reader and Transnational Traditions: New Perspectives on American Jewish History.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction 1

1 Mustering In 19

2 The Jewish Recruit 45

3 In the Company of Jews 71

4 Fighting Together 97

5 Sacred Duties 137

6 Lost and Found 139

Conclusion 221

Acknowledgments 225

Appendix 1 The Genesis of the Shapell Roster 229

Appendix 2 The Methodology of the Shapell Roster 233

Appendix 3 Data from the Shapell Roster 237

Notes 257

Index 313

About the Author 323

About the Shapell Manuscript Foundation 323

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