Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War National Park Service Handbook

A popularly written book on immigrants in the war is Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War (2015). This book is published by the National Park Service and is similar to the guides that are available at many Civil War battlefields. It is beautifully illustrated, and because of its high graphic content it is very accessible for middle school and high school students, but it will not disappoint adults.

Readers who think that Asian immigration is a new phenomenon will learn about the thousands of Chinese in the United States at the start of the Civil War, including the Chinese men in New York who married Irish immigrant women who came from the opposite side of the world.

There are also revelations about race here. Because the racial codes of American society had difficulty classifying anyone who was not black or white, the Union army recruited Asians at a time when it barred blacks from service.

This is a neat book for anyone studying the Civil War.

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Author: Patrick Young

1 thought on “Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War National Park Service Handbook

  1. Do you note the sons of Chang and Eng Bunker, the Siamese twins (actually, 3/4 Teochiu Chinese), and their service with the CSA?

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