"They were all volunteers, and I know there was not a Jew conscript in the Legion. As soldiers they were brave, orderly and well-disciplined and in no respect inferior to the gallant body of which they formed a prominent part. Their behavior in the camp, as in the field, was exemplary. No Jew in the command was arraigned before a court-martial, and, in proportion to their numbers, there were fewer applications for leaves of absence, and their regular habits caused very few of their names to appear on the hospital rolls.
"In battle, without distinction of race or religion, all were apparently willing and eager for the contest. I will say, however, I neither saw nor heard of any Jew shrinking or failing to answer to any call of duty or danger.
"I regret I cannot go more in details, but am unwilling to permit an aspersion that remotely may affect the Jews who served with me to pass unnoticed, as, to a considerable extent, the reputation won by the command and personally obtained by myself was acquired by their conduct, courage and soldierly qualities. I state without hesitation that in no attribute suited to the soldier, whether as an officer or in the ranks, will the Jew suffer by comparison with the best and bravest of our army.
"As these happenings were before your time, I jot down these recollections that you may have the testimony of one Gentile to attest the courage, endurance and patriotism of the Jew as a soldier.
Yours sincerely,
T. N. Waul."
The discussion of the question of Jewish participation in the Civil War elicited the following expression from a Charleston newspaper:
"The list of South Carolina Jews who remained true to their country and to their country's cause in the darkest hours and who proved their fidelity and patriotism by laying down their lives upon the field of battle could be greatly extended. Their names are graven upon many a monument throughout the land, and their prowess in arms is a part of the military glory of the country. As Montaigne says, the virtue and valor of a man consist in the heart and in the will, and by this rule the Hebrew soldiers of South Carolina may be fairly judged. What they had they gave freely to the State and on many a bloody field did they prove the high quality of their courage. They possessed, what Napoleon called "the two o'clock in the morning courage" and they followed the flag with superb loyalty to victory and defeat. When the history of South Carolina's part in the great struggle is written and the books are finally posted, we are sure that the Hebrew soldiers of this State, who wore the grey will have their full meed of praise."