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

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been shot through the body and paralyzed in his lower limbs. August Bruckner was killed at the second battle of Bull Run. Colonel M. Einstein and Colonel M. Friedman, both of Philadelphia, commanded regiments; Uriah P. Levy was Commodore of the United States Navy. Jacob Hayes, of the city of New York, Mr. Phillips, son of the sexton of the Portuguese congregation of that city, E. J. Russell, of the 19th Indiana, a resident of this city, and so severely wounded as to render him almost incapable of work; L. Myers, of the same regiment, and Julius Steinmeyer, of the 7th United States Infantry "stood shoulder to shoulder" at the front. General William Meyer, editor of several New York papers, served with credit and distinction during the draft riots in the city of New York, and has in his possession an autograph letter from President Lincoln thanking him for his eminent services during those hours of darkness. William Durst, of Philadelphia, is one of the few survivors of the memorable fight between the Monitor and the Merrimac; when volunteers were called for he went to his duty with death staring him in the face, and Admiral Worden himself told me some months ago that Durst was a man of distinguished bravery, whose services should be specially recognized by Congress. Major Joseph G. Rosengarten, of Philadelphia, is a soldier of national reputation and an author of ability, whose brother Adolph G. Rosengarten was killed at Stone River while acting as staff officer. Quartermaster Rosenfield, of the 13th Kansas, not only discharged the duties of that office with ability, but served also in the ranks. Lieutenant Rosenberg, of this city, is now dead, and his widow is pensioned. Colonel H. A. Seligson, who died some two months ago, led a Vermont regiment during the war, and achieved a high reputation as a soldier. Captain Frederick Leavy, of the 1st New York Infantry; Captain Max Conheim, of New York, and now of San Francisco, and Major H. Kœnigsberger, of Cincinnati, were officers of distinction, and so, too, were David Ezekiel and Lieutenant Louis Blumenthal, of New Hampshire. Sergeant Elias Leon Hyneman, of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry, was one of the heroes of the war, in which he served from the beginning. In June, 1864, during a cavalry sortie about Petersburg, while his command was retreating before the main body of the enemy, he hurried to the relief of a dismounted and wounded comrade. He lifted him into his own saddle and enabled him to escape, and started to make his own way on foot. On his way he met another comrade, barefooted and bleeding; he took off his own boots and gave them to the sufferer. But he himself was captured, and after months of agony in Andersonville, he died.

      Frederick Kneffler, a resident of Indianapolis, attained the rank of Major General; he commanded the 79th Indiana, and was conspicuous for bravery at the battle of Chickamauga. As a further list of officers and privates in the various commands, I may yet add the names of Lieutenant Suldman, 44th New York; Captain Gremitz, 62d Pennsylvania; Corporal Gisner, 142d Pennsylvania; Lieutenant Evan Davis, 115th Pennsylvania; Sergeant Myers, 62d Pennsylvania; Captain A. Goldman, 17th Maine; Lieutenant A. A. Rinehard, 148th Pennsylvania; Lieutenant Nieman, 103d New York; M. S. Asher, 103d New York; Lieutenant George Perdinger, 39th New York; Lieutenant Philip Truffinger, 57th New York; Lieutenant Herman Musschel, 68th New York; Lieutenant Herman Krauth, 103d New York; Lieutenant Julius Frank, 103d New York; Captain H. P. Schwerin, 119th New York; Julius Niebergall, Levi Kuehne and Henry Luterman, all of the New York 3d Artillery, and Lehman Israels, Lieutenant in the 58th New York.

      It must be taken into account that when the War of the Rebellion broke out the number of Jews in the United States was quite limited; according to the census taken in 1876 by Mr. William B. Hackenburg, of Philadelphia, and myself, in behalf of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, there were then in the United States, fifteen years after the war commenced, only 250,000 Jews. It is altogether doubtful whether there were more than 150,000, if that many, when hostilities commenced. The proportion of Jewish soldiers is, therefore, only large, but is perhaps larger than that of any other faith in the United States. I have been told by one of the Jewish soldiers in this city, one who bears the scars of the war, that there were at least, as far as he could judge—and he had experience during the whole conflict—from 6,000 to 8,000 soldiers of the Jewish faith in the Union Army alone. I am not prepared to assert this number, but would not be surprised if it were found to be correct.

      The animus of the writer in the North American Review is indicated by the words, "Except in General Sherman's Department, and he promptly ordered them out of it for speculating in cotton and conveying information to the Confederates." This statement is made with the same disregard of facts as are others in the article referred to, for while a few Jews may have violated the laws of war by running the blockade or furnishing information to the enemy, it was no more than others of other races and religious faiths did under like circumstances, even to a larger degree: and why the Jews as a class should be held up to the contempt and scorn of the world in consequence of the want of patriotism of a few of their number, is to me a profound mystery, and can only be explained upon the theory that inculcated prejudice is stronger than the desire for fair play or the regard for justice. No one for a moment would charge a particular class of Christians with want of honesty because one or more of their number had violated law. The War Department records and the Treasury files will furnish ample evidence of the fact that many of the sins that were committed by others were heaped upon the shoulders of the Jews. It has always been an easy thing to strike at the minority and from time immemorial the prejudice against the Jew has been made a convenient vehicle for furthering malignant purposes and selfish ends.

      Having enjoyed the friendship of President Grant and of General Sherman (I was for eight years officially connected with the former, and for a time on intimate social terms with the latter), I can state that I had repeated conversations with them regarding "Order No. 11," which was issued over the signature of General Grant, but of which he, at the time, had absolutely no knowledge. This fact I proved conclusively during the presidential campaign of 1888, when political capital was being made against General Grant among the Jews. By both generals I was assured that there had been a great deal of misinformation on the subject, and, that if they could permit themselves to speak of the facts as they were known to them it would not be the Jews who would be shown to have been derelict but a large number of Christians, many of whom had come highly recommended. It was the latter who were abusing the privilege accorded to them by the authorities at Washington and who had given both generals a great amount of trouble and annoyance.

      I admit that it is unfortunate that the writer of the earlier article in the North American Review, whose statements otherwise deserve the fullest consideration, should have been led into so glaring an error as to name Generals Lyon and Rosecrans as Jewish soldiers. While we would have no objection to classing them among our American citizens of Jewish faith, we can substantiate our case very well without doing so, as the cursory list which I have cited will abundantly show. But while admitting the error of the earlier writer I cannot allow the statement of the latter one, with its implication that there was no one of Jewish faith who battled for the Union, to go unchallenged. The Jewish cemeteries of this city, and of every other large city in the land, contain the remains of brave men of Jewish birth who are not forgotten on Decoration Day by their surviving comrades of Christian faith; and what these men recognize the American people will not ignore.

      The armies of every country afford ample proof of Jewish patriotism and valor. Even in benighted and tyrannical Russia, where, to a large extent they are soldiers by compulsion—50,000 or 60,000 of them—their officers have uniformly admitted that in battle there were no braver men than the Jews. The late Franco-German war afforded instances of distinguished heroism on the part of Jewish officers and soldiers in both armies. The Italian army and the French army to-day contain a large contingent of Jewish officers and privates who are not only respected, but honored by their compatriots. In the Turkish army some of the leading officers are of Jewish faith. Patriotism, however, is not confined to the field of battle; in private life, from time immemorial, acts have been performed of greater service, possibly, than any in the field, showing greater powers of endurance and evincing higher virtues than were ever recorded in the annals of war. During our late conflict many who remained at home made sacrifices of the most heroic character, and did their duty cheerfully and with alacrity, and I know of none who did their part more fully than the citizens of the United States of Jewish faith. In fact, the history of the Jewish people is one long tragedy of personal sacrifice and heroism. But as I wish to trespass no longer on the columns of your valuable paper, I beg leave to close with this simple statement; that it seems to me high time for Americans of all faiths to frown down all attempts that have for their

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