Civil War Jewish Staff Officers by Avi Heiligman

Forgotten Her es Jewish Staff Officers in the Civil War

By Avi Heiligman

Colonel Myer Asch

Amajor component of an army is the commanders and their headquarters. The staff for these commanders during the American Civil War had responsibilities ranging from obtaining and distributing weapons, ammunition and ordinance, procuring food and medicine, and dealing with organization and communications. Staff officers often braved bullets and were in constant danger on the battlefield. Many Jewish officers served as staff officers during the war and filled many different roles on both sides of the conflict.

Colonel Myer Asch was born in Philadelphia in 1831 and spent time in Europe before the war practicing dentistry. When it became apparent that the Civil War was about to break out, he traveled to New Jersey and joined Company H, 1st Cavalry Volunteer Regiment in 1861. He was soon promoted due to his gallant nature and rapidly rose in the ranks of Union officers.

In March 1862, he was assigned to the staff as an adjutant (a military administrative assistant) of Major General John Pope. Pope wasn’t a very good general and during one battle sent Asch to tell a gun battery to stop firing. An incredulous Asch replied that the battery in question was Confederate, but the not-so beloved General of the Army of Virginia that lost badly at the Second Battle of Bull Run insisted that that Asch do as he was told. Asch approached the Confederate officer and told him that the “general directs that you cease firing.” Incredibly, the enemy soldier obeyed after asking Asch to repeat the orders. Afterwards, Asch told anyone who would listen that it was going too far for a general to send aides with orders for the enemy. Asch later served on the staff of Major General August Kautz and was cited for meritorious service on the battlefield.

Surgeon Dr. Morris Asch, the brother of Myer, served with the Army of the Potomac in the Union Army and was present at many important battles during the war. When the fighting began in 1861, Dr. Asch was appointed as an assistant surgeon in the U.S. Army. A few months later, he went on active duty and in 1862 was appointed surgeon-in-chief for the artillery reserves in the Army of the Potomac. He later held positions as the medical inspector of the army, medical director for the 24th Army Corps, and after the war became the staff surgeon for General Phillip Sheridan.

Also serving on General Pope’s staff was Captain Nathan D. Menken. He had been the commander of two companies in the 1st Ohio Cavalry Regiment and fought against Confederate General Stonewall Jackson’s forces during the Shenandoah Campaign in 1862. Later that year, Menken was transferred to Pope’s staff as the commander of his personal bodyguard.

Captain Isador Bush hailed from Prague and before moving to the U.S. worked in a printing press owned by his father that produced top quality seforim including sought after Gemaras. After settling in the U.S., he opened the first Jewish weekly newspaper in America and in 1857 was made president of a bank in St. Louis. He was a major opponent of slavery and in 1861 joined the staff of General Fremont as his aide-de-camp.

The adjutant general for the Union 3rd Army Corps was Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Moses. He also served on the staff of Major General Samuel Heintzelman and General Nathaniel Banks. Moses was noted for his work with the Union Army’s Balloon Corps and made frequent ascensions, sometimes with General Heintzelman.

In addition to those on the staffs of Union generals, several Jewish officers were working for Confederate generals. Major Raphael Jacob Moses served as the commissary officer for General Robert Toombs and General James Longstreet and participated in most of the major battles in eastern theater of the war. He was in charge of feeding and supplying upwards of 50,000 soldiers at a time. Major Moses was with General Robert E. Lee during the Battle of Gettysburg and was a confidant for the Confederate commander.

Prussian-born Marcus Baum joined the Confederate Army as a private and soon used his medical license when he joined the staff of General Kershaw. He was mentioned in dispatches for bravery in battle and was wounded at the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run). During the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864, he was killed by friendly fire during the same incident that wounded General Longstreet.

Information about other Jewish staff officers is scant, and most of what is known is whom they served under and sometimes their prior units. For example, Jacob Abrams served on the staff of Confederate General Elzey, and Captain Joseph Franklind was on the staff of General Joseph Wheeler who commanded the cavalry of the Army of Tennessee. On the Union side, Captain Julius Spring served with General Van Buren. Major Joseph Tobias served as the aide-de-camp for Major General David B. Birney who had the unpleasant assignment of being under the command of General Sickles (one of the worst generals in American history) during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Staff officers were considered vital parts of an army, and those who

Dr. Morris Asch

Captain Isaac Moses

served were more than just soldiers with a gun. Officers that served as staff officers often worked in hazardous conditions. They braved bullets and artillery fire during the war’s most intense battles, all while performing their essential duties. Staff officers rarely get credit for their dedication and bravery on the battlefield but these Jewish staff officers deserve to be remembered for their heroism.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.