On December 28, 1862, thirty Jewish families were expelled from Paducah, Kentucky and sent off on an Ohio River boat. What happened? During the Civil War, there was a lucrative black market in southern cotton along the river. Some of the traders were Jewish, but by no means all. Grant became furious at his own father for joining in the trader with a prominent Jewish company from Cincinnati. On December 17, 1862, Grant issued General Orders No. 11, which stated: “The Jews, as a class, violating every regulation of trade established by the Treasury Department, and also Department orders, are hereby expelled from the Department.” The Paducah expulsion was the largest result of the order. A Jewish citizen of that city, Cesar Kaskel, traveled to DC and met with President Lincoln about the order. Already, Lincoln had received many telegrams in protest. Lincoln--described by his law partner as one of the least prejudiced persons he'd ever met--had always had Jewish friends. Lincoln quickly demanded that the order be immediately rescinded. Grant regretted the order, although his comments about it weren't very good apologies. When he ran for president in 1868, no less a figure than Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise urged Jews not to vote for him. However, Grant seemed to have a genuine desire to rectify his earlier failure. He supported and appointed Jews during his presidency, speaking on their behalf. At his death he was mourned by the Jewish community. But the wartime incident was a painful reminder of the many expulsions--on a much larger scale--that Jews have suffered through the centuries.
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