General Order No. 11, issued by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, was a controversial directive during the American Civil War that expelled Jews from regions in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. The order emerged from Grant's concerns over smuggling and black market activities, with local merchants voicing their frustrations about Jewish traders engaged in commerce in the Union-occupied territories. This directive, rooted more in economic motives than in personal animus, nevertheless targeted a specific religious and ethnic group, revealing deep-seated biases of the time.

The order had immediate repercussions, as it forced many Jewish residents from their homes, leading to considerable unrest and hardship. Grant's motivations were largely guided by the context of the war and the needs of the Union military to govern effectively while managing supply chains. However, the sweeping nature of the order demonstrated the capacity for prejudice to infiltrate military decisions, reflecting broader societal attitudes toward Jews during the mid-19th century.

Public criticism of the order soon mounted, including protests from Jewish communities and advocacy by leading figures such as President Abraham Lincoln, who sought to reverse the expulsion order. This intervention led to Grant's eventual rescindment of the order in early 1863, reflecting a clash between military expediency and civil rights, as well as a growing recognition of the need to protect individual liberties, regardless of ethnicity or religion. The incident remains a significant example of how the Civil War intersected with issues of race, religion, and economic survival.