Creator Bio
J. A. Joel
Mid-1800s to Late 1800s
J. A. Joel was a private in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was one of roughly seven thousand to eight thousand Jews who fought for the Union cause.
Entries in the Posen Library by This Creator
Primary Source
A Union Soldier’s Passover
Passover preparations for a Civil War–era Union soldier included importing seven barrels of matzot and collecting weeds to substitute for the symbolic bitterness of horseradish.
Related Guide
Life Writing: Biography, Autobiography, and Ego Documents, 1750–1880
The famous and the obscure, women and men, in epitaphs and private letters, ethical wills, cookbooks, and religious reflections, all reflect aspects of Jewish life in a period of great transition.