442: Did You Know Asian Americans Served in the Civil War?

Here are a few of the most well-known soldiers who fought on both sides of the conflict

From left, Joseph Pierce, Chang Eng Bunker, Christopher Bunker and Stephen Bunker.

Illustration by Vivian Lai

Words by Samantha Pak

The 442: A JoySauce column named after the military unit, designed to school you (in all the best ways) on accomplished Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders of the past. Asians have been shaping American history, culture, food, politics, identity, and more for centuries—it’s time we acknowledge what’s been left out of most textbooks.

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The main reason for the U.S. Civil War (slavery) may be pretty clear, but the war itself was hardly black and white.

While most soldiers were white, with Black soldiers coming in second, troops of all backgrounds fought—including 58 known AA+PIs.

The majority of those who enlisted were of Chinese descent, but soldiers—who fought on both sides of the war—represented several countries: Burma, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Fighting for liberation and citizenship

The promise of citizenship likely played a role in AA+PIs enlisting in the Civil War, which went on from April 12, 1861-April 9, 1865.

The Library of Congress states this was one of the earliest conflicts to see a “significant number of Asian immigrant recruits.” On July 17, 1862, Congress passed the Militia Act, which granted citizenship to anyone who served in the military and was honorably discharged. There was no reference to race, but the law did include resident immigrants, so Asian enlistees were eligible.

There was also a small portion of the Asian population at the time who were enslaved. Similar to Black enlistees, they hoped serving in the Union Army would liberate them.

There was also a small portion of the Asian population at the time who were enslaved. Similar to Black enlistees, they hoped serving in the Union Army—which was 2.67 million strong and included almost 2.5 million white soldiers and about 179,000 Black soldiers—would liberate them. They also thought fighting would give them protective rights from exploitative jobs such as the backbreaking work of building railroads, according to the American Battlefield Trust. But as we saw with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, discrimination and racism against AA+PIs—specifically Chinese—only increased in the latter half of the 19th Century.

One of the most well-known AA+PI soldiers from the Civil War is Joseph L. Pierce (1842-1916), whose picture hangs in the Gettysburg Museum. Pierce signed up for the ​​14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry just nine days after the Militia Act went into effect. While he served, Pierce was promoted to corporal, the highest rank reached by a Chinese American soldier in the Union Army.

When the war ended in 1865, Pierce settled in Meriden, Connecticut, marrying a woman named Martha Morgan. Together, they had four children. Pierce worked in the area until he retired in 1914. He died on Jan. 3, 1916 at the age of 73.

AA+PIs on both sides

Not all AA+PIs fought for the Union Army. Of the 750,000 to 1.2 million Confederate soldiers, at least five have been identified as AA+PI. Exact numbers and soldier demographics for the Confederate Army are not available because enlistment records were either incomplete or destroyed, according to the National Parks Service (NPS).

Two of those soldiers were cousins Christopher and Stephen Bunker. They were the sons of twins Chang and Eng Bunker (1811-1874), respectively. The elder Bunkers were born in Siam (now Thailand) of Chinese and Malay ancestry. As conjoined twins, they toured the United States as curiosities, and their fame led to the expression “Siamese twins” becoming synonymous with conjoined twins.

Living in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the Bunker twins’ two separate farms were run on enslaved labor. According to the NPS, the two families were “staunch Confederates,” and “provided food and clothing to the troops and nursed the wounded.” Christopher and Stephen Bunker each joined the Confederate Army when they turned 18.

The end of the war was costly for the Bunker family. According to the NPS, they lost a major source of their income—interest from loans they’d made—as Confederacy currency collapsed. In addition, their enslaved laborers were no longer assets—they became expenses as paid laborers.

As a result, the Bunker twins began touring the country again as public exhibits to restore their families’ finances. Christopher and Stephen took charge of their fathers’ farms and continued farming after their fathers’ deaths on Jan. 17, 1874.

While Pierce’s and the Bunkers’ times in the war are well documented, not much is known about most of the AA+PIs who served.

Even though immigrant and native-born Asian Americans have been part of this country’s military history for a long time, U.S. census did not explicitly include an “Asian” category until the 20th Century...this affected how AA+PI veterans have been treated and remembered throughout history.

This is because even though immigrant and native-born Asian Americans have been part of this country’s military history for a long time, the LOC states that the U.S. census did not explicitly include an “Asian” category until the 20th Century. As a result, this affected how AA+PI veterans have been treated and remembered throughout history. In addition to fighting on the battlefield, they often fought legal battles to receive veterans’ benefits and citizenship.

Published on April 4, 2023

Words by Samantha Pak

Samantha Pak (she/her) is an award-winning Cambodian American journalist from the Seattle area and co-editor in chief for JoySauce. She spends more time than she’ll admit shopping for books than actually reading them, and has made it her mission to show others how amazing Southeast Asian people are. Follow her on Twitter at @iam_sammi and on Instagram at @sammi.pak.

Art by Vivian Lai

Vivian Lai is an experienced L.A.-based graphic and UI designer with a proven track record of problem-solving for diverse clients across industries. She is highly skilled in design thinking, user experience, and visual communication and is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest design trends and techniques. Vivian has been recognized for her exceptional work with numerous industry awards.