The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier and Citizen - Simon Wolf

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twenty years old he emigrated to this country, and after a residence of several years in New York City, solicited a midshipman's appointment, but not succeeding, accepted, May 5, 1805, that of a cadet in the First Regiment of Artillery. Being intelligent and a good penman, he was often selected as amanuensis to the Superintendent of the Military Academy, and frequently acted as Judge Advocate or Recorder of Courts at West Point. Upon graduation, Dec. 9, 1807, preferring the Infantry arm, he was promoted an ensign in the Second Regiment, which, after a tedious journey, he joined at Cantonment, Columbia Springs, in the rear of Fort Adams, Miss. Here he devoted his leisure hours to the study of the early campaigns of Napoleon, who was then the military prodigy of the world; but this fascinating occupation was soon interrupted by his having to watch smugglers on the Florida frontier and march from one unhealthy camp to another in the Gulf States. During these migrations he met Captain Winfield Scott just after his duel near Natchez with Dr. Upshur (brother of the Secretary of State blown up on board the Princeton), Lieutenant James Gibson, subsequently killed at the sortie from Fort Erie, Gen. James Wilkinson, Captain Edmond P. Gaines, Gen. Wade Hampton, and other since famous officers of whom he had many anecdotes to relate. Wearied finally with slow promotion, and disgusted that ignorant civilians were appointed to rank him, he resigned March 13, 1811, his commission of First Lieutenant in the Army.

      "Soon after this period a Mexican deputation from the Junta of Coahuila, Gen. Bernado Guiteras and Captain Manscac arrived at Natchitoches, where Lieutenant Magee, a graduate of 1809, was stationed, and offered him the command with the rank of Colonel of the combined forces there assembled of Mexicans and Anglo-Americans. After Magee assumed the command, Noah, allured by visions of a golden future, joined, as First Lieutenant, this little undisciplined Falstaffian regiment on the Brazos river, while on its march to Fort Bahia, which it entered Nov. 14, 1812; but no sooner was the fort in possession of the Patriot Army than the Spanish royalists besieged it with a force of five times the strength of the garrison. In this struggle poor Col. Magee sickened and died, and was buried with the honors of war during the enemy's cannonade, a six-pounder ball lodging close to the grave. After the siege was raised, March 28, 1813, and the patriots reinforced, this little army, with Noah in command of its rear guard, pursued and routed the Royalists, April 4, 1813, in a sharp combat near San Antonio, and three days later entered the capital of Texas, Salcido, the governor, surrendering at discretion with his entire force.

      "Informed soon after of the declaration of war by the United States against Great Britain, Noah, true to the flag of his adopted country, left Texas, and, escaping through many perils by flood and field, reached the city of Washington, where he was most sadly disappointed in not being re-commissioned by President Madison in the United States Army. Nothing daunted, however, he proceeded to New York, and volunteered his services as a private soldier with Captain Benjamin Dunning's company for the defence of Brooklyn, then being fortified by Gen. Joseph G. Swift, to repel an anticipated descent of the British on Long Island at Sag Harbor. His services here and at Harlem Heights, to the close of the war, in aid of the militia force, were most zealous and untiring, his military education, practical knowledge and quick intelligence proving powerful auxiliaries to his patriotic devotion to duty. After the termination of Noah's military career, he taught school near Goshen, New York, till 1820; then for two years was in England, being present at the trial of Queen Caroline and the Coronation of George the Fourth; resumed school teaching and was employed in various academies in Virginia until May 24, 1848; and subsequently resided with a faithful friend at Mount Pulaski, Logan county, Ill., where he died. The romantic record of Samuel Noah's early life is full of wild adventure and thrilling incidents; his after history was a curious medley, almost the very counterpart of the vicissitudes to which Gil Blas was exposed; and his declining years were an old age of poverty, with little relief even from sources upon which he confidently counted to ease his weary journey to the grave."

      In this connection reference would also seem to be in order to some New York Jews who served in the Mexican War, one of them with particular distinction and honor. This list includes Sergeant Jacob David, Sergeant Samuel Henry, and Private Abraham Adler (killed); Corporal Jacob Hirshhorn and Private Otto Neubauer, Phillip Myers, and Jacob Lema, Mark Kahn, Alexander Simm, John Myers, James Hart and William Hart, ---- Myers, Marx M. Hart, Henry Phillips, Joseph Henriques, and Jacob C. Somers. (See article by the present writer in American Hebrew, February 9, 1894.)

       Some Baltimore Jews.

       Table of Contents

      Turning next to Baltimore, two interesting incidents are in point. The one carries us back to Revolutionary times, and is to be connected with the name of Jacob Hart, one of a number of patriotic merchants of Baltimore; whether he was the only Jew in the group is unknown. The incident is briefly referred to as follows, in a letter written by Lafayette to Washington, April 18, 1781. (Memoirs, Correspondence and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. I, page 403.) "To these measures for punishing deserters, I have added one which my feelings for the sufferings of the soldiers and peculiarity of their circumstances have prompted me to adopt. The merchants of Baltimore lent me a sum of about £2000 which will procure some shirts, linen, overalls, shoes and a few hats; the ladies will make up the shirts, and the overalls will be made by the detachment, so that our soldiers have a chance of being a little more comfortable. The money is lent upon my credit, and I become security for the payment of it in two years' time, when, by the French laws, I may better dispose of my estate. But before that time, I shall use my influence with the French court, in order to have this sum of money added to any loan Congress may have been able to obtain from them." The following entry "Accounts of the United States with the Superintendent of Finance" (Robert Morris) serves to identify the merchants: "May 27, (1782) Jacob Hart and others for the Repayment of Money Loaned the Marquis de Lafayette at Baltimore—7256 dollars." Further details appear from the following passages in the Journals of Congress, Vol. VII p. 86: "Thursday, May 24, 1781. On the report of the committee to whom was referred a letter of April 22 from Maj. Gen. the Marquis de la Fayette:

      Resolved, That Congress entertains a just sense of the patriotic and timely exertions of the merchants of Baltimore who so generously supplied the Marquis de la Fayette with about 2000 guineas, to enable him to forward the detachment under his command; That the Marquis de la Fayette be assured that Congress will take proper measures to discharge the engagement he has entered into with the merchants."

      Compare with this an article on "Old Maryland Homes and Ways," by John W. Palmer, in the Century, December 1894, p. 258. Markens in his "Hebrews in America" (p. 93) briefly refers to the incident, describing Hart as a Hebrew of German birth, who came to this country in 1775; he was the father-in-law of Haym M. Salomon, son of the patriot, Haym Salomon. Certainly not less interesting, though less well known, is the following incident in the Mexican War, which is translated from the "Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums," Vol. X p. 508, August 24, 1846: "The New York Herald of July 15, (1846) contains the following item, in reference to the call for 50,000 volunteers to join the army against Mexico: Baltimore July 3. Among the companies which have been formed here, a volunteer corps of Jews attracts particular attention. Although composed for the most part of immigrants, they have given, by the raising of this company, to fight with the native militia on behalf of our institutions, a splendid instance of their love and devotion for these and for their new fatherland. Yes, their love for the fame and independence of our country has been displayed all the more pointedly as they have organized their company by selecting one not of their faith as their chief officer, namely, Captain Carroll, who was paymaster of the Fifth regiment, but willingly resigned his position to accept the command of this patriotic company of volunteers. Its other officers are: Mr. Levi Benjamin, first lieutenant; Joseph Simpson, second lieutenant; Samuel G. Goldsmith, third lieutenant; S. Eytinge, first sergeant; Dr. J. Horwitz, surgeon." An examination of the copy of the Herald thus referred to, fails to show the English original of the above item; either the date or the name of the paper is incorrectly cited, though the facts are no doubt correctly given.

       South Carolina Jewish Patriots.

      

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