05/28/2026
As we continue to explore the newest additions to DPLA, this collection from the American Jewish Historical Society caught our attention.
Mordecai Sheftall was a famed privateer, patriot, and the highest-ranking Jewish officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Serving as Assistant Deputy Commissary of Issues for Georgia, he was responsible for purchasing and distributing food to Continental soldiers; often out of his own pocket, as the nascent government lacked the funds to supply its own army.
His war records are carefully preserved in the Mordecai Sheftall Papers, which span 1761–1873 and include nearly 2,800 "provision returns": handwritten receipts documenting supplies to Georgia and South Carolina regiments in 1777–1778. These records represent an unglamorous but essential part of waging a revolution.
As AJHS notes, however, the full story of Sheftall's life, like that of so many patriots of his era, cannot be told without acknowledging that his prosperity depended on the trafficking of enslaved people. This remarkable collection bears witness to that history too.
🔗 https://dp.la/item/3beb3f27c79689368fd9b1e1d1be1d62
ℹ️ Explore the Mordecai Shetfall papers: https://archives.cjh.org/repositories/3/resources/1659
📖 Read “A Brief and Fascinating History of Jewish Privateer Mordecai Sheftall” by Isabel Watkins https://ajhs.org/a-brief-and-fascinating-history-of-jewish-privateer-mordecai-sheftall/
From the American Jewish Historical Society Mordecai Sheftall Papers and protected by copyright. Thank you to our partner the Jewish Heritage and History Hub, and to contributor The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS), for sharing this collection.
Discover more items from our newest partners: https://dp.la/news/were-welcoming-two-new-hubs-to-the-network
Portrait of Mordecai Sheftall retrieved from Jewish American Military Historical Society.
Alt text: Handwritten provision return on aged paper, listing quantities of beef, rice, and salt, dated September 16, 1778, documenting supplies for the artificers of the 3rd Georgia Continental Battalion, signed by Rains Cook for six men, from the Mordecai Sheftall Papers.
