Alexander Hart (October 1, 1839 – September 21, 1911) was a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

American Civil War

Hart hailed from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and commanded soldiers from the Fifth Louisiana Regiment during the war.Hart's journal (which chronicles, albeit briefly Hart's military service from July 4, 1864, through the end of the spring of 1865)
/ref> A veteran of many battles, Hart led troops in the Confederate victories at the

Second Battle of Winchester The Second Battle of Winchester was fought between June 13 and June 15, 1863, in Frederick County and Winchester, Virginia as part of the Gettysburg Campaign during the American Civil War. As Confederate Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell mo ...

(see Winchester II Confederate order of battle), and Second Battle of Kernstown (which Hart noted in his journal). Hart recorded in his journal that his regiment also participated in pushing back Union troops at the Battle of Smithfield Crossing. During the

Battle of Strasburg The Battle of Strasburg was a relatively minor engagement in the American Civil War when a small Union force of New Jersey infantry delayed three Confederate divisions from the army of Jubal A. Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, ...

, Hart's regiment captured numerous Union troops. Hart noted in his journal that his regiment "Captured a Lt. Col. And some dirty non-coms. Officers and men." Some sources claim that Hart fought at the

Battle of Monocacy The Battle of Monocacy (also known as Monocacy Junction) was fought on July 9, 1864, about from Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Confederate States Army, Confederate forces under Lieut ...

(see Monocacy Confederate order of battle), bu
his journal
makes no mention of this battle. Rather, Hart records traveling with his troops across

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

on the date of the battle. Hart also led his regiment at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. On the second day of the battle, Hart led the 5th Louisiana in a charge up East Cemetery Hill. Wounded in his left hand by the fire of the

107th Ohio Infantry The 107th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 107th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was also known as the 5th German Regiment. Service The 107th Ohio Infantry was ...

, Hart was replaced in command of the regiment by Captain Thomas Briscoe of Company K. He spent the rest of the summer of 1863 recovering from his wound and was certified as permanently disabled in November. Hart mentions in his journal that he was injured in battle upon at least two occasions—first at

Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgin ...

and at the

Battle of Opequon The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confede ...

. Simon Wolf's 1895 book
''The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier and Citizen''
notes that Hart first held the rank of a non-commissioned colonel before being commissioned as a major in 1863. After returning to Confederate territory as part of a prisoner exchange, Hart later was assigned to the general staff of a

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

-based General Williams.

Religious and personal life

Hart was born in New Orleans, the oldest of Isaac and Julia Hart's twelve children. He married his fiancée, Leonora Levy, (mentioned in his journal entry dated November 30, 1864, as "Leonna") in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, August 15, 1866, and had four children. (Se
the Hart family genealogy).
Two of Leonora's brothers also fought for the Confederacy, including Captain Ezekiel "Zeke" Levy and Isaac J. Levy, both of the

46th Virginia Infantry The 46th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in Virginia and the Carolinas. 46th Infantry Regiment (also called 1st or ...

. The latter was killed in action on Sunday, August 21, 1864, just shy of his twenty-second birthday
Isaac J. Levy's tombstone
contains descriptions of his valor and commitment to his faith. One such example of his adherence to the strictures of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

observance are contained in
letter
to his sister, Leonora, in which he describes the observance of his last

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

in 1864. Captain Ezekiel Levy is mentioned i
Hart's diary's
April 2, 1865, entry. Hart's sister-in-law (Leonora's sister), Sarah Levy, marrie

a soldier in the Louisiana

Washington Artillery Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A m ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

. Many

soldiers are listed as having fought under Hart i
''The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier and Citizen''.
Among the Jewish officers who fought in the Louisiana Fifth were Lieutenant L.S. Lipman, who died in battle May 9, 1863, and is buried in the

Cemetery for Hebrew Confederate Soldiers The Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, also known as Hebrew Burying Ground, and previously the Jew's Burying Ground, dates from 1816. This Jewish cemetery, one of the oldest in the United States, was founded in 1816 as successor to the Fran ...

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, and Captain David Cohen Labatt. About Labatt, the book notes that "...in consequence of severe illness, contracted in the service, resulting in chronic asthma, Captain Labat was compelled to resign his commission, J. Bankhead Magruder, the General commanding, endorsed the Captain's letter of resignation with the words: 'Captain Labat's resignation is a loss to the public service.'" It is probable that, while in New Orleans, Hart worshiped at the

Shangarai Chasset Shangarai Chasset, also called Shaarei Chesed, was an Orthodox and later, Reform, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. The congregation worshipped in the Sefardi rite. History Shangarai Ch ...

(Gates of Mercy) congregation. (In 1873 this congregation merged with another New Orleans Jewish congregation to form the present-day New Orleans Touro Synagogue.) In his journal, while leaving Richmond by train on April 2, 1865, Hart mentions that "Be. Florance was...there." A Benjamin Florance (as well as an Isaac Hart, likely his father) are listed among the founding trustees of that New Orleans synagogue in the December 1843 issue of the ''Occident and American Jewish Advocate'

Hart briefly writes in his journal about his observance of the

holiday during 1865 en route to serve General Williams. Hart settled after the war in

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

, where, in 1876, he continued the family's commitment to Jewish community by organizing and becoming the founding president of the Temple House of Israel synagogue, a position he held for eighteen years. While the synagogue still operates in Staunton in newer premises, the building which housed Hart's original congregation still stands in central Staunton. As the Jewish community in nearby

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham Cou ...

, became more organized and established a Sunday school for the young, Hart provided guidance. John Wayland, in his ''History of Rockingham County (c. 1912)'' writes that in 1890 "Major Hart of Staunton..." confirmed the first class in the congregation's "...new place of worship." Robert Rosen, in ''

The Jewish Confederates ''The Jewish Confederates'' is a 2001 history book authored by Robert N. Rosen about Jewish citizens of the Confederate States of America who served in the Confederate States Army (CSA) during the American Civil War of 1861–1865. As they made u ...

'', notes that after living in Staunton, Hart moved to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

. He was active in the Confederate War Veterans, serving as a commander in the Pickett-Buchanan Camp in Norfolk. Hart was reported to have led services in the Ohef Sholom Templ

when the rabbi was absent. Hart died in ten days shy of his seventy-second birthday, and was buried in Norfolk. His tombstone reads "Major Alexander Hart, 5th La. Inf. C.S.A."

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
Alexander Hart's Civil War Sword and Scabbard
Shapell Manuscript Foundation *
Alexander Hart (1839-1911) Find A Grave memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Alexander 1839 births 1911 deaths Military personnel from New Orleans Confederate States Army officers Confederate Jews Jewish American military personnel Louisiana Tigers People of Louisiana in the American Civil War American Civil War prisoners of war held by the United States Jews from Louisiana