Ulysses S. Grant: General Orders Number Eleven

That Obnoxious Order

General Order Number Eleven was issued by Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) on December 17, 1862. The order accused the Jews of being at fault for violating trade regulations, resulting in poor trade. Grant expelled all Jews from his department in Kentucky and Tennessee and refused to allow Jews from the North to travel to the South. "That Obnoxious Order" - so labeled by Ulysses's wife, Julia Grant - was enforced immediately, and all the Jews under Grant's supervision were let go. When President Abraham Lincoln was notified of the unconstitutional act that Grant had carried out, he passed the news to Congress, where there was only a brief discussion before they voted to overturn General Order Number Eleven. Throughout the rest of his career, including his presidency, Grant never showed any further sign of prejudice against the Jews.