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.
VI.
SOUTH CAROLINA JEWISH PATRIOTS.
The following item from an article by Rev. Isaac Leeser, in _The
Occident_, Vol. XVI, p. 142 (1858) gives in some little detail a story
since then oft repeated; the primary authorities for the incident are
still unknown to the writer thereof: "A company of soldiers who did
good service in the defence of Charleston Harbor were nearly all,
if not all Jews. The names of Daniel W. Cardozo, Jacob I. Cohen,
Sr., and Isaiah Isaacs, we think, must have been on the roll of that
company. Relations or descendants of all of these are still to be
found among our most respectable families. Sheftall Sheftall, Isaac
N. Cardozo, a brother of David, and Colonel Bush, occur to us just
now as brave soldiers in the Revolution, and no doubt many others are
known to other persons." Compare with this the following passage from
a speech of Col. J. W. D. Worthington on the Jew Bill, Maryland, 1824
(Speeches on the Jew Bill, etc., by H. N. Brackenridge, Phila. 1829,
p. 115): "Here is another paper which contains the names of a corps of
volunteer infantry, in Charleston, South Carolina, in February, 1779.
It was composed chiefly of Israelites, residing in King's Street and
was commanded by Captain Lushington, and afterward fought under Gen.
Moultrie at the Battle of Beaufort." Also Westcott's "Persons Who Took
the Oath of Allegiance to Pennsylvania." "Abraham Seixas, formerly an
officer in the Militia of Charleston, South Carolina, lately arrived in
this city, Philadelphia; Merchant, May 31, 1782."
VII.
MORDECAI SHEFTALL, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.
We may fittingly close this paper with an account of a Jewish patriot
of the Revolution who held important and responsible positions under
both Congressional and Georgia State control, and who had occasion
to find that the Sovereign will often decline to pay even the most
bona fide debts, where powerful influence to force bills for their
payment through Congress is wanting. One of the witnesses in the Court
Martial Proceedings, of Major General Howe, in 1780, (N. Y. Hist.
Soc. Collections, 1879, pp. 260-263, 301) was Mordecai Sheftall, who
was Deputy Commissary General of Issues to the Continental troops in
Georgia during the period of the British invasion of that State, and
also Commissary General of Purchase and Issues to the Militia. He
testified to various measures he had recommended for removing supplies
from positions of danger, to prevent their falling into the hands of
the British, and it is very suggestive that these provisions should
be referred to in the Index, under the heading: "Jewish Thrift,"
(Collections, 1880, p. 461). In his defence, General Howe referred to
him as follows: "Mr. Sheftall, the Deputy Commissary General of Issues,
has been brought by the prosecutors to prove upon me, as I suppose, a
neglect of the public stores. I have ever had a favorable opinion of
Mr. Sheftall, as an honest man, and from the testimony of such, I know
I have nothing to fear; his evidence, therefore, is in my favor. Many
measures, however, were pursued that Mr. Sheftall might have had no
knowledge of." Mr. Sheftall's was one of the earliest Jewish families
in Georgia, and various items in regard to his character and standing
are collated in Judge Daly's work (p. 70, et seq.), where his name
is, erroneously, it seems, spelt Sheftail. On page 72 reference is
made to Cushman Polack, who was also a witness in the Howe trial, (pp.
264-5) he having been a private in the militia in Georgia at the same
time; his name is there spelt "Coshman Pollock". Markens also adds,
on what authority I am unable to state, (p. 49) that when the British
took possession of Savannah, December 29, 1778, Mordecai Sheftall,
with his son Sheftall Sheftall, endeavored to make his escape, but was
compelled to surrender by a body of Highlanders. He was taken to the
guard-house, where the officer in charge was instructed to guard him
well, as he was "a great rebel." There he was confined with a number of
soldiers and negroes without a morsel to eat until a Hessian officer
named Zeltman, finding he could speak his language, removed him to his
quarters and permitted him to communicate with his wife and son. In an
interesting narrative, published many years ago, Mr. Sheftall states
that he was treated with abuse by Captain Strarhope of the "Raven"
sloop of war, and he and his son were ordered on board the prison ship.
His name, with the inscription, "Chairman Rebel Provisional Committee,"
is enrolled on the list of those who were selected as coming under
the Disqualifying Act of July, 1780, and thus rendered "incapable of
holding or exercising any office of trust, honor or profit in the
Province of Georgia."
The writer hereof believes that, until now, no particulars have been
known to the Jewish historian in regard to a claim urged by Sheftall,
and afterwards his widow, before Congress. It appears that he presented
a petition to the House of Representatives on March 29, 1792, asking
for a settlement of his accounts as Deputy Commissary General of Issues
for the Southern Department during the Revolutionary War with Great
Britain. The claim was referred to the Secretary of the Treasury, who
reported it to the next Congress, though the nature of his report
is not known to the writer. In the fourth Congress the petition was
referred to the Committee on Claims, which reported it back to the
House, February 11, 1797. In the House List of Private Claims (Vol.
III, p. 305-6), this report is marked "adverse." No authority seems to
exist for this statement. In fact, another claim reported at the same
time was rejected at once, but the Sheftall claim was referred to the
Committee of the Whole on the following Wednesday, but on that day
it does not appear to have been considered. In the Seventh Congress,
Frances, widow of Mordecai Sheftall, renewed her husband's petition
and it was again referred to a committee. This committee's report
was read and considered on April 3, 1802, but further Consideration
was postponed till the 4th Monday of November following, which was
practically equivalent to killing the measure, as Congress never meets
in ordinary session in November. (Journals of Congress, House, Second,
1st Session, p. 554; Third, 1st Session, pp. 77-8; Fourth, 1st Session,
p. 451; Fourth, 2d Session, p. 691; Seventh, 1st Session, 136, 177,
Carpenter; American Senator, III, 449-50). No further information as
to the claim is at hand. From the persistence in pressing it, it must
be concluded that some substantial sum was involved. It may be that it
was rejected because the United States declined to assume liability
for the acts of the State of Georgia, there having been a series of
controversies between the State and General Government as to the
liability of the latter for military services and expenditures incurred
in behalf of the former. At any rate, the claim does not appear to have
been paid, and like the Haym Salomon claim, is another illustration
of our country's ingratitude to those who made sacrifices for it of
worldly goods and life and limb in its hours of need.
JEWISH SOLDIERS IN THE CONTINENTAL ARMIES.
Scant and unsatisfactory as are the army records of the Revolutionary
period, enough of an authentic character has been preserved to fully
sustain the statement of Solomon Etting, who, writing in Baltimore
in 1824, notes that among the soldiers of the Revolution "were many
Hebrews who were always at their post and always foremost in all
hazardous enterprises." This almost contemporary notice emanates from a
Jew whose father had served in the Continental army from the beginning
of the Revolution to the capture of Charleston, and who, through the
prominence of his family had been brought in contact with many of the
distinguished participants in the momentous struggle.
The active co-operation of Jewish citizens in the non-importation
movement of 1763 has already been adverted to, but even before that
time we find references to prominent Jewish participants in the public
defense. In 1754, during the French and Indian War, Isaac Myers, a
Jewish citizen of New York, called a town meeting at the "Rising Sun"
Inn and organized a company of bateau men of which he became captain.
Two other Jews are named as taking part in the same war, both of whom
served in the expedition across the Allegheny mountains in the year
above noted. It is altogether probable that these three were not the
only Jewish soldiers of that early war, but only these have left traces
of their presence. In the following year, 1755, when the colonies were
agitated by the disastrous ending of the Braddock campaign and the
incipient movement toward federation, we find a Jew, Benjamin Cohen, a
member of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania and Attorney-General
of the colony.
The chronicles of the Revolutionary War afford a considerable and in
many respects an interesting list of Jewish names. A few of the more
prominent of these have already been mentioned under preceding heads,
and others cited on the records are here added in alphabetical order:
Captain NOAH ABRAHAM
was called out with the battalion of Cumberland County Militia, of
Pennsylvania, "by an order from Council, July 28, 1777."
AARON BENJAMIN,
Ensign of 8th Connecticut Regiment, January 1, 1777; Second
Lieutenant, February 14, 1778; First Lieutenant, May 7, 1778;
Regimental Adjutant, April 1, 1780, to January, 1783; transferred
to 5th Connecticut Regiment January 1, 1781; transferred to
3d Connecticut Regiment January 1, 1783; retained in Swift's
Connecticut Regiment June, 1783, and served to November 3, 1783;
Lieutenant-Colonel of 37th United States Infantry March 11, 1813;
honorably discharged June 15, 1815; died January 11, 1829.
SAMUEL BENJAMIN,
Ensign of 8th Massachusetts Regiment January 1, 1777; Second
Lieutenant October 3, 1777; First Lieutenant March 28, 1779, served
to June, 1783.
JOSEPH BLOOMFIELD,
Captain of 3d New Jersey Regiment February 9, 1776; Deputy
Judge Advocate-General November 17, 1776, to October 29, 1778;
Brigadier-General United States Army March 27, 1812; honorably
discharged June 15, 1815; died October 3, 1823.
MOSES BLOOMFIELD,
(New Jersey) Hospital Surgeon May 14, 1777; Hospital Physician and
Surgeon October 6, 1780; resigned December 13, 1780; died August
14, 1791.
HENRY PIKE BUSH
is recorded as a soldier in the "Associators and Flying Camp,"
Pennsylvania.
Colonel SOLOMON BUSH
was an officer in the Pennsylvania Militia (1777-1778), whose
record is highly creditable and whose services won for him a
well-deserved promotion. He was appointed Deputy Adjutant General
of the Militia of the State on July 5, 1777. As to his subsequent
career in the army, no stronger testimony could be desired than
that set forth in the resolution adopted by the Supreme Executive
Council of Pennsylvania, at its session on Wednesday, October 20,
1779. It reads thus:
"The petition of Major Solomon Bush, in the militia of this State,
being read, and due inquiry having been made into the circumstances
of his case, it appears that Major Bush has, on many occasions,
distinguished himself in the public service, especially in the
winter of 1776, when the service was critical and hazardous.
"That he entered again into the said service in the summer of 1777,
when General Sir William Howe invaded the State and the militia
were called out pursuant to the resolutions of Congress and the
requisition of His Excellency, General Washington; and in the
month of September, 1777, acting as Deputy Adjutant General, he
was dangerously wounded in a skirmish between the militia and the
advance of the British Army, his thigh being broken and he brought
off with great difficulty; that being carried to his father's
house, on Chestnut Hill, and incapable of being moved, he fell into
the hands of the British Army, when it moved up to Whitemarsh, in
December, 1777, who took his parole; That he has ever since been
confined with his wound, and incapable of performing any military
duty, or acquiring a livelihood, but on the other hand, his
situation attended with much difficulty and expense.
"All which circumstances being considered, and that the said Major
Bush being at the time of receiving his wounds in Continental
Service and now a prisoner of war.
"Resolved, That he be recommended to the especial notice of the
Honourable Board of War, in order to obtain pay and rations equal
to his rank; and that this Board in consideration of the services
and sufferings of Major Bush, will permit him to draw from the
State store, from time to time, such articles as may be necessary
for his comfortable Subsistence and Support."
That Major Bush had already been promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel, is evidenced by another resolution,
complimentary to him, adopted by the same Council seven days
later, when he was "recommended to the Honourable the Board of
War, for pay and rations accordingly." Again on November 5, 1785,
the Council, over which Benjamin Franklin then presided, passed an
order for the payment of a pension due to Lieutenant-Colonel Bush.
Major LEWIS BUSH
became First Lieutenant of the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion on
January 9, 1776 and Captain the following June. He was transferred
to Colonel Thomas Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment January
13, 1773 and was commissioned Major, March 12, 1777. That he proved
a brave soldier, his efficient service in a number of battles
affords ample evidence. At the battle of Brandywine, September 11,
1777, he was fatally wounded, and four days later he died.
JONAS BUSH
was in the roll of revolutionary soldiers, but there is no
information given as to his rank or date of enlistment.
JACOB I. COHEN
in 1783 went to Charleston, S. C., and during the campaign which
followed, took part as a volunteer soldier in the Continental army,
serving under Moultrie and Lincoln. Frequent references to Mr.
Cohen are found in the Madison papers, and his valuable services
are repeatedly adverted to.
PHILIP JACOB COHEN
became so distinguished for the services he rendered to the
Colonies that he was singled out by the British authorities through
a special order depriving him of the right of holding or exercising
any office of trust, honor or profit in the Province of Georgia.
MORDECAI DAVIS,
Ensign of 2nd Pennsylvania Battery January 5, 1776; died on August
12, 1776.
REUBEN ETTING
was a clerk in Baltimore at the time of the battle at Lexington.
Although only 19 years of age, he enlisted in a Maryland company,
which hastened north to join the forces of Congress. He served
in various battles and was taken prisoner by the British at the
surrender of Charleston. When released from imprisonment by
exchange he was broken in health from ill treatment in prison and
exposure on the field. He was a captain of the Independent Blues in
1798, and Marshal of Maryland, appointed by President Jefferson.
SOLOMON ETTING,
a native of York, Pennsylvania, appears as one of the committee of
citizens appointed to forward resolutions to Washington expressive
of disapprobation of a proposed treaty with Great Britain.
Subsequently settled in Baltimore and became President of the
Municipal Council.
Colonel ISAAC FRANKS,
who then lived in Philadelphia, entered the army shortly after the
battle of Lexington. He became aide-de-camp to General Washington,
holding the rank of colonel, and serving throughout the war. After
the Revolution Colonel Franks became the incumbent of various
civil offices, among them Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, being appointed to that position on February 18,
1819. His residence in Germantown was for some time occupied by
President Washington.
Colonel DAVID S. FRANKS, Aide-de-camp. See sketch on p. 27.
MICHAEL GRATZ,
of Philadelphia, aided the Colonists in the Revolutionary war. He
was one of the signers of the Non-Importation Resolutions (October
20, 1765), after the passage of the Stamp Act, and was among the
most active, patriotic and respected Israelites of Philadelphia,
being a conspicuous character in public affairs.
BERNARD HART
was Quartermaster of a brigade of State troops during the
Revolution.
MICHAEL HART,
a public spirited and leading citizen of Easton, Pa., of whom it is
recorded:
"Let it be remembered that Michael Hart was a Jew, practically
pious, a Jew reverencing and strictly observant of the Sabbath and
Festivals; dietary laws were also adhered to. * * * Mark well that
he, Washington, the then honored as 'first in peace, first in war,
and first in the hearts of his countrymen,' even during a short
sojourn, became for the hour the guest of the worthy Jew."
MOSES HAMMER
enlisted as a private in the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion November
15, 1775.
DAVID HAYS, JR.,
was an active participant in the struggle for independence and
served with the Colonial Army on Long Island. In retaliation for
his patriotic services the Tories burned his house and store. Prior
to the Revolution he was one of the Commissioners appointed by the
British authorities to lay out public lands. All of his family
sided with the Colonists during the War of Independence.
DAVID HAYS and JACOB HAYS,
father and son, fought in various of the battles for independence.
Colonel ISAACS,
of North Carolina Militia; wounded and taken prisoner at Camden
August 16, 1780; exchanged July, 1781.
MOSES ISAACKS,
one of the early settlers of Newport, R. I., was an active
supporter of the Army of the Revolution. He had the honor of
receiving General Washington as a guest at his house.
SOLOMON ISAAC
enlisted as a private in the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion, company of
Capt. Robert Adams, February 6, 1776.
ISAAC ISRAEL,
2nd Lieutenant of 8th Virginia Regiment, February 9, 1776; 1st
Lieutenant, January, 1777; Captain, November 23, 1777; transferred
to 4th Virginia Regiment, September 14, 1778.
JOSEPH ISRAEL
volunteered as a soldier during the Revolution.
JACOB LEON
was an officer on the staff of General Pulaski.
JACOB DE LEON,
of Charleston, S. C., was a distinguished officer of the War of the
Revolution. He served as captain on the staff of General de Kalb,
and when the latter was mortally wounded at the battle of Camden,
S. C., de Leon in company with Major Benjamin Nones and Captain
Jacob de la Motta, of the staff, carried de Kalb from the field.
ASHER LEVY,
Ensign of 1st New Jersey Regiment, September 12, 1778; resigned
June 4, 1779.
NATHANIEL LEVY,
of Baltimore, served under Lafayette during the Revolutionary War.
ISRAEL DE LIEBER
was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who rose from the ranks to
military positions of honor and trust.
JACOB MOSER,
Captain of 6th Pennsylvania Regiment, February 15, 1777; retired,
July 1, 1778.
BENJAMIN MOSES
served on the staff of General Pulaski.
ISAAC MOSES,
of Philadelphia, advanced three thousand pounds when Robert Morris
undertook to raise money to prosecute the War of Independence; he
was active in the Jewish communities of New York and Philadelphia.
EMANUEL DE LA MOTTA
served in the Revolution and in the War of 1812. In recognition of
his valor as displayed in battle he was promoted from the ranks to
a military position of honor.
JACOB DE LA MOTTA
was a captain on the staff of General Pulaski.
MANUEL MORDECAI NOAH,
of South Carolina, (1747-1825) patriot and soldier; heretofore
referred to as having contributed twenty thousand pounds to the
support of the American army; served with General Marion, also on
the staff of General Washington.
MAJOR BENJAMIN NONES,