ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY December 17, 1862
Union Major-General Ulysses S. Grant Issues General Order No. 11 (1862) During the American Civil War
On this day in 1862, Grant issued General Order No. 11 (1862) expelling all Jews from his military district which was made up of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. This Order No. 11 (not to be confused with the 1863 General Order No. 11) was issued by Grant because he believed Jews were mostly responsible for the black market in Southern cotton. This unpopular move lead to an outcry by members of Congress and the press prompting President Abraham Lincoln to revoke it a few weeks later. Grant later claimed he had signed the order without reading it after it was presented to him by a subordinate.
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