Jews and the Civil War: A Reader by Jonathan D. Sarna & Adam Mendelsohn

Author:Jonathan D. Sarna & Adam Mendelsohn [Sarna, Jonathan D.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: NYU Press short
Published: 2010-05-27T16:00:00+00:00

Then, turning back to the business of preparing for war, the letter closed with an order for artillery equipment urgently needed in Washington.66

Lieutenant Porter returned to Watervliet with Colonel Ripley’s letter on May 2nd.67 Mordecai knew by now of Craig’s relief,68 so he may have already guessed at the contents of the letter Porter carried. At any rate, Ripley’s tone of finality convinced Mordecai that there was “no hope of a different decision,”69 and he wasted no time in replying.

First, he addressed a brief note to the Adjutant General of the Army: “I hereby tender the resignation of my commission as Major of Ordnance in the Army of the United States, and request that it may be accepted by the President.”70 Enclosing this in a letter to Ripley, he thanked the Chief of Ordnance for the “complimentary terms” of his letter of the 29th, and stated that “peculiar circumstances,” unnecessary to explain further, made it impossible for him to remain at Watervliet. Since he no longer had any hope of being relieved, he was resigning from the Army. He was submitting his resignation through Ripley, so that the latter could pick a new arsenal commander before forwarding it to the Adjutant General. “After thirty-eight years of faithful service,” wrote Mordecai, “I trust that I need not assure you that the public interests here will, in the mean time, be perfectly safe in my hands.” He closed with the wish that his replacement would arrive soon, and that “a suitable inspection” might be made of the Arsenal before he departed. The letter was signed simply, “A. Mordecai,” without the indication of rank and branch with which he had been closing official letters for nearly four decades.71

In a separate, personal letter to Ripley, Mordecai expressed his regrets at the step he had been forced to take. He recommended a successor for the Watervliet command, and assured Ripley that he would keep his resignation a secret until the new commander arrived, or until it was announced in Washington, so as not to interfere with operations at the arsenal. He had “no intention of joining the Southern army,” but would take his family to Sara’s home in Philadelphia, “and make arrangements for my future life.”72

Having taken this final step, Mordecai threw himself back into the work at the arsenal, at which he continued until he was relieved.73 Ripley received Mordecai’s letters and resignation on May 5th, and, the next day, forwarded the resignation to the Adjutant General. By the 10th, it had been accepted by Secretary of War Cameron and President Lincoln, effective as of the 5th. A note from the Ordnance Office informed Mordecai that the officer he had recommended to replace him at Watervliet would be there as soon as he himself could be relieved. But on May 14th, even before Mordecai’s successor arrived, a copy of the War Department order announcing Mordecai’s resignation reached the arsenal. On that day, accordingly, he relinquished the Watervliet command to the next-ranking officer on the post and began preparations to leave.

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