The Forgotten Fighters: Jewish Soldiers of the American Revolution

When people think of Jews and the American Revolution, they tend to think of figures like Hayim Solomon, who helped fund the American cause and financially saved the Continental Congress. Others may think of Gershom Mendes Seixas, the leader of Shearith Israel in New York and one of the religious leaders of the American Jewish community.

But people often forget that many Jews served in uniform – some as officers, others as enlisted men, and many with combat records filled with stories of heroism under fire. This often-ignored side of the Jewish contribution to the war helped secure the Jewish future in the United States and showed the world what Jews were capable of.

It is estimated that at the time of the American Revolution, there were merely 2,500 Jews in the entire 13 colonies, most of them women and children. From that period, we have over 100 confirmed names of Jews who served the Patriot cause in uniform. Historians estimate a much higher actual number, as there were approximately 400 who would have been men of combat age. When it comes to service in the war among the general population, the confirmed records show a lower percentage than the likely total number of people who served; we know the actual number was higher. Therefore, historians assume that Jewish participation reflects that discrepancy as well. This is supported by contemporary accounts of Jewish devotion to the Continental cause. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a close advisor to the Continental Congress, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, said that the Jews in the colonies were “to almost a letter, all loyal to the cause of freedom and Whig ideology” (Whig ideology being the ideology practiced by the revolutionaries).

Roles of Jews in the Military

While Jews managing money and supplies or serving as doctors might seem like a cliché, these were professions in which Jews were already well-represented before the war and into which they naturally transitioned during it. For example, Colonel Mordechai Sheftal (a devoutly Torah-observant Jew) was in charge of procuring supplies for both Georgia militia units and Continental Army forces in the South as the deputy commissary general, overseeing purchasing and pay.

Many Jews in uniform served in combat roles. In Charleston, 34 men from the Jewish community served, with 26 in the same company under Captain Lushington. Because of this high concentration, it earned the nickname the “Jews’ Company.” During the British siege of Charleston, some of these Jewish soldiers were killed or captured. After the Battle of Beaufort, Lushington commended a Jewish lawyer-turned-soldier, Jacob Cohen, writing that he “in every respect conducted himself as a good soldier and man of courage.” Post-war, Cohen was also the individual who hired a then little-known frontiersman, Daniel Boone, to survey land in Kentucky, helping to make Boone famous.

There are many records from South Carolina about Jews fighting in the Southern theater. One example is Joseph Solomon, who was killed in action and whose memorial praised him as “a man who died fighting for his country.” General Benjamin Lincoln, one of the top colonial generals in the South, mentioned on multiple occasions the Jews who served under his command and the service they provided.

We have a case of a Jewish woman being killed during the siege of Savannah by an errant cannonball while assisting in the city’s defense. She refused to leave the city during the siege, despite women and children being permitted to do so, choosing instead to remain and assist in its defense.

While most Jews served in the enlisted ranks, there were many Jewish officers, including lieutenants, captains, majors, and several colonels and lieutenant colonels. One of the most well-known was Captain de Leon, who served on General de Kalb’s staff and was remembered after his death for his combat ability. One of General Sumter’s most trusted officers was Major Myers, who served with distinction during the war. In Connecticut, the Pinto family (whose patriarch Isaac Pinto produced the first English-Hebrew siddur in America) had three of his four sons serve in uniform. Solomon Pinto, one of the first Jewish graduates of Yale, served as an officer in the Connecticut militia and distinguished himself in service.

Some, like Benjamin Nones, a Jewish immigrant from Bordeaux, enlisted as a private in the South Carolina militia under General Benjamin Lincoln before joining America’s first cavalry regiment under Pulaski. Due to his bravery in combat, he received an officer’s commission, and, at the rank of major, served on the staff of General Lafayette and later General Washington. General Pulaski had one of his staff officers, Captain Verdier, write a commendation: “Benjamin Nones has served as a volunteer in my company during the campaign of this year and at the siege of Savannah in Georgia, and his behavior under fire in all the bloody actions we fought has been marked by the bravery and courage which a military man is expected to show for the liberties of his country, and is which acts of said Nones gained in his favor the esteem of General Pulaski, as well as that of all the officers who witnessed his daring conduct.” Nones was captured in 1780 and exchanged in a prisoner exchange in 1781.

Jacob de Leon, Emanuel de la Motta, and Jacob de La Motta all served under General Pulaski with Nones and fought in the defense of Savannah in 1778. We know from their letters that there were other Jews under Pulaski’s command, though their names and numbers have been lost to history.

Many Jews fought in the Southern theater throughout the war. We see records of a Captain Jacob Cohen of the Virginia Cavalry, who fought alongside General Lafayette, who wrote about him and Lieutenant David Sarzedas of the Light Dragoons, who later served as a staff officer. On various rolls of soldiers from Georgia we can read the names Joseph Davidson, Levi Phillips, WM Aaron, Isaac de Lyon, David Leon, Lewis Solomon, N. Lazarus, Samuel Sampson, Captain Abraham Simons, William Minis, James Minis, Abraham Seixas, and others.

The colony with the most Jews in uniform was Pennsylvania, partly because Patriot Jews from New York relocated there after New York City fell to the British in 1776, and partly because of Lieutenant Colonel Solomon Bush. Bush was one of the founders of Mikvah Israel in Philadelphia and served as the Deputy Adjutant General of the Pennsylvania militia. He recruited Jews not just from his own colony, but from across the colonies, registering Jewish soldiers from New York, South Carolina, Georgia, and Connecticut.

Lieutenant Colonel Bush was most famous for being the man who uncovered a British spy inside George Washington’s camp while he was a British prisoner. Despite being under armed guard, he managed to pass along this information to General Washington, and is credited with helping save the Continental Army from being ambushed. He would later be rewarded by General Washington when he returned to service after a prisoner exchange.

There were some Jewish soldiers who hid their identity in uniform. One example is Elias Pollock, who enlisted in the Third Maryland Regiment under the name Joseph Smith. He fought in campaigns in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and was captured after being wounded at the Battle of Camden in 1780. Interestingly, despite concealing his identity outwardly, his writings during the war and his pension application afterward were written in Hebrew and Yiddish; he could not write in English.

Abraham Seixas, brother of Gershom Mendes Seixas, was an officer of high esteem who served under General Lee as a courier entrusted with highly sensitive communications. He began as a lieutenant, carrying messages between Lee and Colonel McIntosh and later between Lee and Archibald Buller as he rose in rank. While less well-known than his brother, his impact in uniform was significant. Another Jew, Cushman Pollock, also served in uniform as a messenger and acted as a primary contact between Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” and the Continental Army, particularly for General Howe.

Francis Salvador, who arrived in the colonies in 1773, was the son of one of the wealthiest Jewish families in England. He became one of the first Jews to hold public office in America, serving in the South Carolina Assembly and the Provincial Congress. His family had been conversos who escaped Spain in the 17th century, and his Jewish identity was deeply important to him. He served in the militia alongside his political duties.

When British, Native, and Tory forces began attacking colonial farms and towns across the western Carolinas, Salvador rode 28 miles in a single night to alert local militias to come to arms. He later served in combat and, on August 1, 1776, was killed in action, becoming the first Jew to die in defense of what would become the United States. After the war, a plaque in Charleston honored him: “Born an aristocrat, he became a democrat. An Englishman, he cast his lot with America. True to his ancient faith, he gave his life for new hopes of human liberty and understanding.”

One of the most important Jewish figures of the American Revolution was the aforementioned Mordechai Sheftal, who came from an established Southern Jewish family. In 1733, Benjamin Sheftal, an Ashkenazi Jew from Frankfurt an der Oder, was among the original settlers granted land in Georgia. His sons, Levi and Mordechai, would both become leaders of the Jewish community in early America.

Mordechai Sheftal became prominent during the Revolution as a colonel in the Continental Army and served as the Deputy Commissary General for the Southern Department, where he was responsible for pay and procurement for the Continental Army in the South. He also served as president of the Parochial Committee of Savannah, the body responsible for revolutionary activities in the region.

In 1778, Mordechai and his son were captured by the British. During their imprisonment, they faced severe antisemitic abuse. Reverend Moses Allen wrote about his admiration for the Sheftals’ steadfast faith, describing how they refused to eat pork even when it was forced upon them and were willing to starve rather than violate their beliefs.

After a prisoner exchange, Sheftal returned to service and later financed privateers to attack British shipping. After the war, he returned to Savannah, served as president of the local synagogue, Mickve Israel, and led the Union Society, a patriotic organization.

Another important family were the Franks of Pennsylvania, a wealthy and influential family originally from Hannover. Members of the family served on both the Patriot and Loyalist sides. The three key figures were David Franks, David Salisbury Franks, and Isaac Franks.

David Salisbury Franks and Isaac Franks both held officer ranks on the Patriot side, while another David Franks remained a Loyalist and fled after the war. Before openly declaring for the Crown, Loyalist David Franks served as a prison commissioner, handling colonial prisoners being held by the British, a role requiring approval from both sides. Although he had initially supported colonial protests against King George, his loyalties ultimately lay with Britain.

Isaac Franks, a cousin to both Davids, served with distinction. He enlisted at 17, was captured during the Battle of New York, escaped imprisonment, and swam across the Hudson River to rejoin his unit. For his heroic escape, he was given an officer’s commission. He served six years in continuous combat, rose through the ranks, and after the war became a lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvania militia. In 1793, he hosted George Washington at his home in Germantown.

David Salisbury Franks, perhaps the most prominent Jewish soldier of the family, served as an officer in the Continental Army. While born in Philadelphia, he moved to Montreal prior to the war, where he became the president of the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue there. When the Continental Army invaded Quebec, he offered his services to the Continental forces. and served as one of the commissary agents for Generals David Wooster and Benedict Arnold in the failed Canada campaign. David S. Franks was forced to resign his position as president of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue in Montreal for his actions, and returned to Philadelphia when the Canada campaign ended.

After returning home, he obtained a formal commission from Congress in the Continental Army based on the letters of recommendation from Generals Wooster and Arnold for his efforts serving under them in Canada. He quickly rose to the rank of major and served as a staff officer for several generals. He eventually became the aide-de-camp, or head administrative officer, to General Benedict Arnold when Arnold was stationed in New York, and reported to the latter’s chief of staff, Colonel Varrick.

When Benedict Arnold’s treason came to light, both Colonel Varick and Major Franks fell under suspicion. Many people questioned how Varick, the chief of staff, and Franks, Arnold’s aide-de-camp, could not be aware of Arnold’s actions. Some began whispering accusations about Franks’s loyalty because of his religion and his loyalist uncle, David Franks. While a congressional inquiry exonerated them both, the rumors still promulgated. Franks and Varick both wanted to clear their names, and they both demanded their right to a court-martial and filed a lawsuit demanding it. In that period, a person’s honor was a critical part of personal identity. Suing for a court-martial meant that they would get a formal trial that could exonerate them.

The full trial, which was hosted by a panel of generals, completely exonerated Franks and found him completely innocent of all charges. Shortly thereafter, he received a promotion to lieutenant colonel, which may have been done to ensure that no one could suspect him otherwise after his exoneration.

After his trial and promotion, he was transferred from combat duty to diplomatic duty. He would travel back and forth between Congress and the American delegations in Europe, carrying messages on behalf of the diplomatic corps. He would eventually be entrusted with carrying the signed copy of the peace treaty that ended the war from Congress back to Europe. Throughout his duties, he liaised with Thomas Jefferson, the American emissary in France, and remained a close friend of Jefferson’s after the war. David S. Franks is mentioned in many Jefferson dispatches and diary entries.

Post-war, he became active in Mikvah Israel in Philadelphia, but over time, drifted away from active participation in the Jewish community. He died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1793.

There is the well-known account from Valley Forge that some Jewish soldiers held a Chanukah menorah lighting in the army camp to celebrate the holiday. According to accounts, George Washington observed this, asked about it, and compared their actions to those of the Maccabees, expressing hope that they would achieve a similar victory. However, we do not know the names of these brave Jewish soldiers.

The Legacy Continues

Many Jews served the cause of the American Revolution in uniform. Not all Jews were financiers like Hayim Solomon. Jews fought and died on the battlefield for the creation of the United States of America. As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, we should remember the vital role and sacrifices Jews in uniform played in founding this country. We should remember the hundreds of thousands who have served since then in every war the U.S. has fought, and think of the more than 15,000 Jews serving today in the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard, carrying the banner and legacy of the Jewish heroes of the American Revolution.

Dovid Hirsch is a rabbi, political activist, and historian who holds a B.A. and M.A. in history from Queens College-CUNY and semicha from Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim. He is a member of the Society for Military History and has presented at international conferences.