Joseph Pierce (soldier)
Joseph Pierce | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Joseph Pierce in uniform during the Civil War | |
| Born | 1842 Guangdong, Qing Empire (now China) |
| Died | January 3, 1916 (aged 73–74) Meriden, Connecticut, US |
| Buried | Walnut Grove Cemetery, Meriden |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1862–1865 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 14th Connecticut Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Joseph Pierce[a] (1842 – January 3, 1916) was a Chinese born American soldier who fought in the 14th Connecticut Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and reached the rank of corporal. After the war, he returned to Connecticut and worked as a silver engraver until his death in 1916.
Biography
Joseph Pierce was born in
Civil War
Pierce voluntarily enlisted on July 26, 1862, in New Britain, Connecticut. The recruiting officer described Pierce as 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall, with "black eyes, dark hair, and dark complexion".[3] He was mustered into the 14th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, which left for Washington, D.C. on August 25 that year.[9] In a 2019 journal article, Angela He observed that Pierce was able to enlist in a white regiment because he enlisted along with "community members that he grew up with",[10] and concluded that he was racialized as white in terms of "greater social standing outside the war".[11]
According to historian R. L. McCunn, Pierce fought at the Battle of Antietam, fell over a fence, and injured his back. He was sent to recover in a hospital in Alexandria, Virginia. In November and December, he became well enough to work at a convalescent camp, but in spring 1863, he went back to the hospital. He returned to his unit in May 1863 and participated in the Battle of Gettysburg.[12] However, Irving D. Moy asserted that Pierce did not participate in the Battle of Antietam due to sickness, though he acknowledged that Pierce fought at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.[13]
Pierce was promoted to corporal on November 1, 1863. On February 9, 1864, he was sent back to New Haven for recruitment duties.[12][14] He returned to his regiment in late 1864,[14] and mustered out with them on May 31, 1865.[12][15]
Post-war life
After Pierce was mustered out of state service on June 10, 1865, he first lived in New Britain as a farmer. He moved from New Britain to
Pierce began to receive a pension around 1890,
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ a b Moy 2010, p. 21.
- ^ Moy 2010, pp. 21, 29.
- ^ a b Moy 2010, p. 31.
- ^ McCunn 1995, p. 162.
- ^ Moy 2010, pp. 29–30.
- ^ McCunn 1995, p. 161.
- ^ Moy 2010, p. 60.
- ^ a b Moy 2010, p. 30.
- ^ Moy 2010, p. 32.
- ^ He 2019, p. 64.
- ^ He 2019, p. 69.
- ^ a b c McCunn 1995, p. 163.
- ^ Moy 2010, p. 37.
- ^ a b Moy 2010, pp. 48–49.
- ^ Moy 2010, p. 50.
- ^ Moy 2010, p. 51.
- ^ Moy 2010, p. 54.
- ^ Moy 2010, pp. 51–52.
- ^ Moy 2010, p. 52.
- ^ a b Moy 2010, p. 53.
- ^ The New York Times 1899.
- ^ McCunn 1995, p. 164.
- ^ McCunn 1995, p. 165.
Newspapers
- "CHINAMEN WHO GET PENSIONS.; Ah Yu, Who Serve on the Olympia, Not the First on the Lists". The New York Times. July 29, 1899. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024.
Academic journals
- He, Angela (2019). "'Mulatto, Indian, or What': The Racialization of Chinese Soldiers and the American Civil War". The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era. 9 (5). Archived from the original on December 19, 2023.
- McCunn, Ruthanne Lum (1995). "Chinese in the Civil War: Ten Who Served" (PDF). Chinese America: History & Perspectives. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2024.
Books
- Moy, Irving D. (2010). An American Journey: My Father, Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Pierce, and Me. N/a: Irving David Moy. OCLC 893105052.
External links
Media related to Corporal Joseph Pierce at Wikimedia Commons
