Alfred Mordecai (January 3, 1804 – October 23, 1887) was an American army officer. He contributed to United States' military development through his research and writing, particularly in the area of artillery. He was instrumental in the United States' adoption of the M1857 12-pounder Napoleon. Mordecai served in a number of diplomatic missions for his country, but resigned at the start of the Civil War rather than fight for either side. He was one of the first Jewish Americans to choose the army as a career.
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Early and personal life
Mordecai was born in Warrenton, North Carolina, the son of Jacob Mordecai (1762–1838), who was in turn the son of Moses Mordecai (1707–1781), an Ashkenazi Jewish immigrant from Bonn. Alfred studied at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he remained as an assistant professor after graduating top of his class.
Mordecai grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home, observing Shabbat and kashrut. As the only Jew at West Point, however, he was unable to maintain his religious practices and was forced to attend Presbyterian chapel every Sunday. Mordecai later became an agnostic and never returned to Judaism.