Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project
Capt. Jacques Adelsheimer (1840-1911) was born in Niederroedern, Alsace, France. He immigrated to Philadelphia in 1854 and enlisted in the Union Army on May 5, 1861, near the start of the Civil War.
As a private in the Company B of the 27th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, Adelsheimer fought in the battle of Bull Run and the battle of Gettysburg. He was promoted to Sergeant in January 1862 and 1st Sargeant in March 1862. He was discharged in October 1862 to accept a commission and re-enlisted in November 1862 as a 2nd Lieutenant in Company A of the 27th Regiment. He transferred back to Company B in January 1863.
In May 1863, he was wounded in the right arm during the battle of Chancellorsville. Despite the injury, he stayed in combat and was promoted. His regiment continued into Tennessee and Georgia. He became a 1st Lieutenant in December 1863 and a Captain in March 1864. The army honorably discharged the entire regiment in June 1864 after it returned to Philadelphia.
Adelsheimer worked in Harrisburg and Altoona until about 1876, when he became an optician in old Allegheny City. He spent the rest of his life in Pittsburgh, raising two daughters and three sons. His family were members of Rodef Shalom Congregation.
Bibliography
Rauh Jewish Archives
- Jacques Adelsheimer clipping scrapbook [2011.0238] (catalog record).
University of Pittsburgh
- Silas Adelshem oral history (1975), from NCJW-Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS.1964.40] (online).
American Jewish Archives
- Jacques Adelsheimer nearprint (catalog record).
- Jacques Adelsheimer correspondence [SC-82] (catalog record).
- Jacques Adelsheimer papers [SC-83] (catalog record).
The Shapell Roster of Jewish Service in the American Civil War
- Jacques Adelsheimer (online).
Exhibit history
- Author: Eric Lidji
- Original: April 3, 2014
- Current: June 18 2026