Description

What was it like to be a Jew in Lincolns 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 sidebyside 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 nonChristian 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 Lincolns 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