Near East Side in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Asians in the American Civil War
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., December 31, 2008
1. Asians in the American Civil War Marker (Side A)
Despite exclusionary laws preventing U.S. citizenship, Asians served in the Union and Confederate armies and navies during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Many of these soldiers were denied citizenship following their services due to the anti-Asian sentiment, which culminated in the Naturalization Act of 1870 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The exclusionary laws continued until 1943, and all restrictions on national origin or race were abolished in 1965. In April 2003, House Joint Resolution 45 was introduced to Congress to posthumously proclaim Civil War soldiers of Asian descent to be honorary citizens of the United States as recognition of their honorable services.
The official roster of Civil War soldiers of the State of Ohio contains soldiers with Chinese surnames. Records of Asian soldiers are incomplete and difficult to find because many were denied pensions. Some adopted European names, non-Chinese names, or nicknames as their family names. Nonetheless, many Civil War soldiers of Asian descent have been identified and some have been confirmed in literature. Since the Civil War, Asian descendants have served our nation with loyalty in many wars, despite generations of exclusion and discrimination.
Erected 2003 by Organization of Chinese Americans and The Ohio
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Civil Rights • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 2003.
Location. 39° 57.971′ N, 82° 57.378′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the Near East Side. It can be reached from East Broad Street (U.S. 40/62), on the right when traveling east. Marker is in Franklin Park, 1777 E. Broad Street, about 700 feet west of the conservatory. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus OH 43203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Allen Russell Mann (within shouting distance of this marker); War! It Is All Hell (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); White Oak (about 700 feet away); The Transformation of Franklin Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Founding of the State of Israel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ohio Baptist General Association Headquarters (approx. Ό mile away); Martin Luther King Jr. Library / Architect Leon Ransom Jr. (1921 - 1971) (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mount Vernon Community School (approx. Ύ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.
Also see . . .
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., December 31, 2008
2. Asians in the American Civil War Marker (Side B)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., December 31, 2008
3. Asians in the American Civil War Marker
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., December 31, 2008
4. Chinese Characters on the Asians in the American Civil War Marker
This is the symbol for the Organization of Chinese Americans.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 5,049 times since then and 80 times this year. Last updated on January 27, 2010, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 10, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
