Writer sheds light on forgotten history of Chinese Americans in US Civil War

Pierce, born in China in May 1842, was farming in Berlin, Connecticut, at the outbreak of the war. He was promoted to corporal in the Army of the Potomac on Nov 1, 1863 — the highest rank for any Chinese American in the Union Army. After the war, Pierce married and had four children. He died in January 1916.

John Tomney arrived in New York after the war began but did not speak English. When he was captured by Confederate troops in March 1862, General John B Magruder, surprised at his appearance and color, asked him if he was a mulatto, Indian, or what. He said he was from China.

Many of the Asian men who enlisted hoped to gain citizenship and acceptance in their new home. However, after the Civil War ended in 1865, many were denied the right to citizenship by the Naturalization Act of 1870 and the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. This made it difficult to get a Civil War pension. The Geary Act in 1892 forced Asian service members to apply for citizenship.

Edward Day Cohota, born near Shanghai, was brought from China to Massachusetts as a boy by a sea captain. He did 16 months of service at Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Appomattox.

Cohota spent 30 years in the Army altogether, escaped death a few times and had seven bullet holes through his clothes. After the war, he became a restaurateur, married and had six children.

When he tried to take up a homestead in 1912, he was notified that "he was not a citizen". Despite years of trying, he never became a US citizen. He died in 1935.

Only a few books such as Arthur Bonner's The Chinese in New York, 1800-1950 ever mentioned these Chinese men's service.

McCunn explains that her love of uncovering and showcasing these veterans' stories is because "we all live in the context of our times. To understand the motivations of people, it's necessary to know the context in which they live. Since the present evolves from the past, we cannot understand our current circumstances without knowing our history, and I mean all of our history."

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com