"When General Grant Expelled the Jews"

By Jonathan D. Snarna.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at 7:00 a.m. EST

On Dec. 17, 1862, as the Civil War entered its second winter, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant issued the most notorious anti-Jewish official order in American history: “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 within twenty-four hours from the receipt of this order.” Known as General Orders No. 11, the document blamed Jews for the widespread smuggling and cotton speculation that affected the area under Grant’s command. 

See the full essay at Slate.com