July 31, 2018

Revisiting: "That These Dead Shall Not Have Died in Vain"

For the final entry of July, I'd like to open a discussion that has been a long time coming and revisit an article that I wrote for the Genesee Country Village & Museum in 2017, titled: That These Dead Shall Not Have Died in Vain.

Civilian refugees fleeing the town,
Mumford Reenactment, 2017
Photograph by Deborah Scott
(Used with permission)

In my last blog post, Battles, Bonnets & the Ball, I recounted all of the highlights of another grand Civil War weekend, the annual Mumford event; however, one important experience went unmentioned.  This particularly memorable moment, though quite familiar and almost a daily occurrence (both in my "real" life and when interpreting in historical costume), left me thinking and ready to break my silence on what may be a long, controversial topic (at least on this blog).

Sewing during the Mumford Reenactment, 2018
Photograph courtesy of Judy J.

The situation happened like this:  A gentleman visitor entered the millinery shop where I was assisting the proprietress with her interpretation and sewing in company.  He exchanged the usual pleasantries with all of us in the room, than directly asked me what I figured was whether or not I had participated in the event previously.  The answer was "yes," of course, this was my fifth year as an employee, and I grew up attending the annual reenactment.  That's when the conversation became uncomfortable.  Apparently, I misunderstood the nature of his first and then subsequent inquiries, which amounted to an adamant belief that neither my ancestors, nor I, would or should have been there - referring to both the Civil War and its reenactment.

Based on all of the new, incredible research available today, that statement is unknowing and simply untrue.  Several further exchanges were made, and any attempts to divert the conversation were unsuccessful.  In the past, my standard, go-to response has been to acknowledge the visitor's unique understandings, and say something about honoring American history by interpreting it, even if the historical circumstances and specific, geographical locations may not have always allowed.  In this case though, it was entirely appropriate to justify my participation by mentioning the many contributions of the Chinese to both sides of the Civil War and in civilian life.  Unfortunately, these were dismissed as this gentleman visitor was set in his understandings that the Chinese would have only worked on the railroads.  (I'd like to point out here that there was never any mention or knowing of my particular ethnicity, which does happen to be Chinese.)

Corporal Joseph Pierce
14th Connecticut Infantry, Company F
Image in public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

While I am used to fielding comments - which range from the simply curious like "where are you from?" or "where were you born?" to pointed, racially-charged comments about "my people" not being historically accurate or represented, and me, because of my ethnicity, not being welcome in living history - the conversation that day caught me off guard.  I felt guilty for being a little flustered, singled out in a room full of other costumed interpreters and reenactors, and I admit to being a bit out of practice (having moved to the interpretation office for the past few seasons, rather than out in the village in costume every day).

There is good in this though, and it came in the form of a blog post last year and the chance to respond to a great unknowing with some research.  After several seasons of similar, uncomfortable interactions, especially prominent during the Mumford or any reenactment, I was questioning my place in living history and whether "my people," specifically the Chinese, were present during the American Civil War.  Much to my surprise, the amount of information that I uncovered in an initial search floored me.  Since then, the discovery has given me such validation and a mission to make sure "that these dead shall not have died in vain," and that their contributions may be better known.  Words still cannot describe how much it meant to see that article go live back then - and I wholeheartedly thank Deanna Berkemeier and GCV&M for the opportunity - and its message continues to be relevant now. 


So, to my gentleman visitor from the past weekend, I'm not upset.  Rather, I'm reminded of a "great task remaining before us" - to continue researching (I've discovered so much more since the original article), educating and making our living history today as diverse as it was back then.  And, I'd like another chance to answer your questions about "my people" and my presence at that event with this:


Article published July 14, 2017

on the Genesee Country Village & Museum Blog



The following excerpt is from my section, "The Chinese in the Civil War," and discusses a number of known Union and Confederate soldiers:

"To the surprise of most Americans today, 58 Chinese men, out of a total of 200 identified as living on the East Coast at the start of the war, voluntarily enlisted in both the Union and Confederate armies to fight for the same causes as their black and white compatriots.  Many hoped for legitimacy and citizenship in exchange for loyalty and service to a country they considered their own.  Accounts of valiant efforts in many major battles as well as service records exist, showing that three Chinese soldiers were even promoted to corporals in all white units.  This included both Corporal Joseph Pierce of the 14th Connecticut regiment, who fought at Antietam and Gettysburg during Pickett’s Charge, and Corporal John Tommy of the 70th New York regiment, Co. D, who also fought at Gettysburg and lost all four limbs in the crossfire.  

Clipping from The Adams Sentinel, page 5
June 30, 1863 Gettysburg, PA 

"Eager for liberation, some of the Chinese enslaved through the Pacific slave trade, much like their African American counterparts, hungered for a better life and enlisted in the Union army.  Thomas Sylvanus, or Ah Yee Way, escaped from slavery in Baltimore, fought at Gettysburg and survived a nine-month incarceration at Andersonville, the notorious Confederate prison camp.  Woo Hong Neok, one of the few Chinese granted citizenship before the war, also identified with the Union cause.  He enlisted with the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Co. I, stating that he 'volunteered on June 29, 1863 in spite of the advice of my Lancaster friends against it, for I had felt that the North was right in opposing slavery.  My friends thought I should not join the militia and risk my life in war, for my own people and family were in China and I had neither property nor family in America whose defense might serve as an excuse for my volunteering' (Shirk).   
"At the same time, at least five Chinese Americans have been identified by name as sympathizers of the Confederate cause.  Most famously, cousins Christopher and Stephen Bunker, the sons of prosperous slave-owning farmers in North Carolina, fought to protect their family’s interests, as well as Henry William Kwan of the 12th Virginia Battalion of Light Artillery, Co. B.  There are even records of Chinese enlisted with the Avegno Zouaves Company I of the 14th Louisiana Infantry (Kwok).   
"Other important roles included an unidentified number of Chinese sailors, stewards and cooks serving in the Union navy during the blockades of Southern ports.  Several names include Thomas Smith, a sailor listed onboard the USS Potomac, John Akomb, a steward on a gunboat, and William Hand, the first Asian American to enlist in the US Navy in 1863.  Unfortunately, historians will never know an exact number of the Chinese in the American Civil War, but their collective contributions to the war efforts were unarguably 'far above our poor power to add or detract'" (Lincoln).  
- "The Chinese in the Civil War,"
from "That These Dead Shall Not Have Died in Vain,"
Genesee Country Village & Museum Blog



Today I honor both my Chinese and American heritages among
the historical interpreters at the Genesee Country Village & Museum
(Photograph courtesy of Marisa C.)

Works Cited


  • Kwok, Gordon. "Association to Commemorate the Chinese Serving in the American Civil War." Association to Commemorate the Chinese Serving in the American Civil War, 18 Jan. 2009, sites.google.com/site/accsacw/. Accessed 31 July 2018. 
  • Lincoln, Abraham. "The Gettysburg Address." 19 Nov. 1863. Abraham Lincoln Online, 2017, www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm. Accessed 31 July 2018. Address.
  • Shirk, Willis L., Jr. "Woo Hong Neok: A Chinese American Soldier in the Civil War." Civil War Pennsylvania 150, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 16 July 2015, pacivilwar150.com/ThroughPeople/Soldiers/WooHongNeok.html. Accessed 31 July 2018.

In addition to the "electronic monument," the Association to Commemorate the Chinese Serving in the American Civil War, the following is another fantastic, comprehensive resource:  The Blue, the Gray and the Chinese: American Civil War Participants of Chinese Descent.

20 comments:

  1. Peoples ignorance or "know it all" really can get to me sometimes. You my dear have knocked it out of the ball park with you generous, intelligent attitude. Keep on being the change.

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  2. A wonderful post and your patience is admirable. Often all you can do is say Sir/Ma'am I have respectfully offered you documentation of primary sources. Thank you for listening and move on.

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  3. I assisted on a project here in the UK for our local Chinese community re their involvement in WW1.The comments ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous..Thank you for this article, thoroughly enjoyed reading through your posts

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    1. That sounds like quite the project and I'd love to hear more about your findings! Thanks for reading!

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  4. Hello,

    I found your site via a post from Cheyney McKnight. A wonderful job of combating ignorance with researched fact. Thank you for expanding my own knowledge as well. With your indulgence, I'll share an experience from some decades ago.

    In 1985, I attended the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium as a member of the recreated 42nd Highland Regiment. We were comprised of Americans, mostly soldiers stationed in Germany, Some German civilians, and a sprinkling of Brits. Among our number was a young American soldier of Japanese descent. Nothing really special about that. He was a young soldier with a fascination for Napoleonic history. The organizers seemed to take issue that there was a Japanese guy in our ranks. Something to the effect of "There were no Japanese in the 42nd at Waterloo." To his everlasting credit, our commander replied "There were no Americans nor Germans in the 42nd either. Shall we all go home?" That rattled them a bit. They relented saying "Just keep him to the inner ranks, where he won't be so obvious."

    Our Sergeant Major, a crusty Scotsman, retired from the actual 42nd, made sure that guy was at the head of the right hand file during every parade and pass in revue that we attended (there were, and probably still are, a LOT of parades at Waterloo). There was never another peep of protest from the organizers.

    Please keep it up. You are needed.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for sharing your story, and for your kind, supportive words! I so admire Cheyney and all her efforts to make living history a better, more diverse and welcoming community.

      I applaud that commander and Sergeant Major - what a fantastic and creative response! This story and its message really touched me, and I know from some comments made on Facebook that others were just as moved...thank you!

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  5. Excellent topic; I'm glad you shared this research on your blog. I know it must be hard to tell your personal stories, but I think we need to hear more about how hard it is to experience discrimination so that we can overcome misunderstandings about history. Could you also share more about Chinese-American women in the 19th century?

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    1. Thank you, Kaela! As we may have discussed before, this has been on my mind since my first museum season, and I really appreciate your support all these years.

      Absolutely, an article like that has been in the works for just as long...eventually I need to hit "publish," but I'm so worried about doing the topic justice. Though after this unexpected response, I'm hopeful for continued interest in further Asian-American research!

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  6. THANK YOU FOR THE INSIGHTFUL RESPONSE ABOUT THE CHINESE IN THE CIVIL WAR. I APPERECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE RE-ENACTMENT OF THAT TIME PERIOD AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT.

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  7. All that really matters is that you love tbe history and want to be a part of it. Any group of a size large enough to be identified probably took part on either side.
    There were also Jewish Confederates.

    I've got ancestors that fought for the North, and I have ancestors that Jackson exiled to Oklahoma that fought for the CSA in the Creek Cavalry, and Creek Mounted Volunteers.

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    1. Agreed, I believe that anyone, regardless of race, religion or otherwise, should be welcome as we're honoring history in the best way possible! How neat to have so many family connections

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  8. To quote the early 2000s, "You go girl!"

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  9. Hi Anneliese. I work at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond. I'm interested in talking with you more about your research and your living history experiences. If possible, could you please email me at sarduini@acwm.org? Thanks -- Stephanie.

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  10. Thank you for your passion in regards to American history. I was also at the event as a Federal soldier. Some folks are just ignorant but we all shouldn't immediately deem an incident like this as racist or hateful. Most Americans are clueless when it comes to our history. Thankfully there are historians like you and I to educate those willing to learn.

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  11. I was learning a little about the topic of Chinese men serving in the Union army last year when I discovered mention of a “chinaman” in a regimental history researching my 3xgrandfather’s unit’s history. It was just one mention amd the man seemed to have joined the unit as a replacement or conscript in late 1863. I contacted a couple people who had done research on the topic and none were aware of a man that had served in the 83rd NY among the known Chinese soldiers. It was not apparent who he might be without digging deeper one by one into the 83rd soldiers’ personal histories one by one, which I have yet done. I’d certainly like to unearth who he was at some point and get to know his story.

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