How Joseph Pulitzer’s 1864 Plunge Into Boston Harbor Helps Us Understand Memorial Day

Memorial Day began in the ashes of the Civil War. It started with families—ordinary people—who began placing spring flowers on the graves of their dead. Many of the dead weren’t even American citizens yet. I learned this after reading Sharon McMahon’s recent newsletter in The Preamble.

According to McMahon, more than 40% of the Union Army during the Civil War was made up of immigrants or the children of immigrants. Many had just arrived in the United States, drawn into the war by the promise of a cash bounty. Some were even tricked or taken advantage of by corrupt recruitment agents.

One of those immigrants was a teenager named Joseph Pulitzer, a broke 17-year-old who jumped off a ship into Boston Harbor so he could claim the Union Army’s bounty directly, rather than risk having it skimmed by dishonest recruiters. He swam ashore and went straight to New York to enlist. He barely spoke English.

We don’t know exactly how many immigrant soldiers died during the Civil War. The military didn’t keep careful records of birthplace. But we do know that thousands in the Irish Brigade were killed in some of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles. And entire units were formed around shared languages or national identities—for example, there were German regiments that gave orders in German.

In 1863, the Union Army began conscripting men into service. Wealthy Americans could pay a $300 fee to avoid the draft or hire someone to take their place. Poor immigrants like Pulitzer often served as those hired replacements.

In April of the year following Pulitzer’s Boston Harbor plunge, General Lee surrendered at Appomattox. As the war ended and spring flowers began to bloom, people gathered them to adorn the graves of the fallen soldiers. That simple, grassroots act of mourning marked the beginning of what would eventually become Memorial Day.

By 1890, every state in the Union had officially recognized May 30 as a day of remembrance. And on May 23, 1950, President Harry Truman proclaimed Memorial Day “a day of prayer for permanent peace.”

Joseph Pulitzer began his American journey as a desperate teenager swimming for shore and would go on to become a media titan. Pulitzer was also one of the many immigrants whose story is woven into the foundation of Memorial Day.

You can read Sharon McMahon’s full piece here: Memorial Day Was Born From Grief — and Immigration