On Dec 17, 1862, in the midst of the Civil War, Union general Ulysses S. Grant issued his "General Order # 11," expelling all Jews "as a class" from his conquered territories within 24 hours. Henry Halleck, the Union general-in-chief, wired Grant in support of his action, saying that neither he nor Lincoln were opposed "to your expelling traitors and Jew peddlers."
