Presented at the 50th Anniversary Conference of the Southern Jewish Historical Society
Atlanta, Georgia · October 16–18, 2026

Drawing on new evidence from the Shapell Roster of Jewish Service in the American Civil War, this presentation explores Jewish soldiers connected to Civil War Georgia and the primary sources that allow their stories to be reconstructed.

Presentation Materials

Digital Handout

Download the digital handout for additional sources, images, and information related to the presentation.

Download the Digital Handout [PDF]

Postcard Collection

1st GA (Olmstead’s) Infantry was originally formed to protect Fort Pulaski and was stationed there when Union forces captured the fort in April 1862. This organization had the highest concentration of Jewish soldiers among Georgia’s regiments. Map of siege of Fort Pulaski : Savannah River Georgia. 1862. Robert Knox Sneden. Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division. 1862.

Confederate POWs Max Neugas, 1st SC Infantry, and Aron Waterman, 10th GA Infantry, were held at Fort Delaware, where both were among the seven Jewish POWs for whom Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise sought release. Officers Barracks Fort Delaware: Looking from the Dining Room. Max Neugas. Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica, The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania. ca 1861-1865.

Shapell Roster researchers have newly identified nine Jewish members of the Republican Blues, a prewar Savannah militia whose members served in the 1st (Olmstead’s) GA Infantry during the Civil War. Cover of Republican Blues March. Published by Firth, Pond & Co. Lithograph by Sarony, Major & Knapp, New York. The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection, Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries & University Museums. 1860.

Bernhardt Mannheim, a Jewish soldier in the 66th NY Infantry, was held as a POW at Andersonville Prison, and after the war returned to settle in Hawkinsville, Georgia. Bernhardt Mannheim (center) at Devil’s Den with two former Confederate soldiers at the 50th anniversary reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg. Courtesy of Austin Mannheim. ca July 1913.

About the Shapell Roster

The Shapell Roster of Jewish Service in the American Civil War is an ongoing reappraisal of the military service of Jews who served in the Union and Confederate Armies and Navies from 1861 – 1865. Meticulously compiled beginning in 2009, the Shapell Roster is a digital history resource that puts at easy reach the records of the thousands of men who served — both those previously recognized for their participation and those who have remained, until now, unidentified. Learn more about the Shapell Roster

Southern Jewish Historical Society Conference

The Fiftieth Anniversary Conference of the Southern Jewish Historical Society will take place in Atlanta, Georgia on October 16-18, 2026. For five decades, the SJHS has supported and promoted the study of Jewish history in the American South. Learn more about the Southern Jewish Historical Society

Visit Shapell.org / Explore the Shapell Roster