Strange Draft
By John C.F. Luzader

In 1863 recruiting had been slow around Winston-Salem, North Carolina and the county had to return to the instated draft in order to make their area's quota of soldiers. Among the names drawn was Eng Bunker of Trap Hill, a local land and slave owner. But there was resistance from Eng to fulfill his military obligations: his brother did not wish to accompany him to war.

To many this would seem a poor excuse to neglect one's duty, but to Eng and his brother Chang it was a matter of legality for Eng and Chang were "Siamese" twins, joined by a strip of flesh and organs at the stomach. The legal difficulty evolved from the fact that Eng had been called to service and Chang had not. How could the Confederacy force a separation of the brothers when all in nature and in medical practices could not? And how could Chang be forced to go to war when his name had not been called in the draft?

Born in Siam ( Thailand) in about 1811, the twins had been discovered when they were twelve years old and brought to the United States for public display. Throughout the next thirty years, while working for different museum shows, including P.T. Barnum, the twins would astound audiences throughout the world with their abilities of public speaking, marksmanship, acrobatics, and showmanship.

At the age of forty-two, the twins retired from public shows and moved to a plantation in North Carolina. Their lives prospered; they made good investments, they purchased slaves, and they added to their land holdings. But life was not yet complete; Chang and Eng wished to marry. However, love was kind to the twins. They soon met and married two local sisters and started their families. Chang found the arrangement of all the families living under one roof a bit taxing and he and his wife wished for their own home. This was quite a difficulty considering the condition of the twins' birth, but an agreement between the two families was established.Each twin purchased their own farm and every three days the twins would relocate their residence. While in the other's home, each twin would bow to the rules and desires of the home owner. Though peculiar, this arrangement continued throughout the rest of the twins'lives.

By the time of the American Civil War, both twins' farms were doing well. Eng and Chang were respected members of their community and were sympathetic to Southern rights and considered themselves good Southern patriots. However, the draft call put them in a quandary. How could they fulfill Eng's duty without imposing upon Chang's rights? If Chang enlisted, would they be accepted in Confederate service and, if so, how would they serve and who would care for their farms? North Carolina came to the twins' relief. Eng's draft call was rescinded and both Chang and Eng were exempt from service for the duration of the conflict.

But fate was not through with Eng and Chang. When Union forces occupied the state of North Carolina, the commanding officer and the Provost department decided to enlist local man power for the construction of fortifications and repair of the railways. These powers decided upon a draft system for choosing the names of local landowners to fulfill these tasks. Once again the name of Eng Bunker appeared upon a public draft notice and once again the twins showed themselves before an army officer and protested the draft of one brother that would require the presence of the other. The Union officials were stymied. While the Provost Department was insisting that Eng serve, the commanding general of the district felt Chang could not be forced into service. The saner heads prevailed and after a delay of two weeks, the twins were returned to their homes.

The war continued without the Siamese twins in uniform or in public service, but it destroyed their fortunes. With the Union victory came financial ruin. Their slaves were freed and their lands were impoverished by the stripping of both governments. The brothers were forced to return to public shows in an attempt to regain some of their wealth.

Soon the stresses took their toll; Chang started to drink (oddly when Chang was inebriated, Eng had no ill effects from the alcohol). Chang then suffered a stroke. Eng was forced to support his brother whenever they walked about and their show career soon ended. Returning home, Chang became more demanding and difficult to live with. As so often in the past, the twins again consulted many doctors to see if they might be separated, but medical science was unable to assist their desire. Life returned to as normal as could be expected in the post-bellum South.

Continuing their living agreement, Eng and Chang rotated homes. In 1874 Chang became ill on a night prior to his turn to move to Eng's home; however, he insisted on meeting the obligation of his going to his brother's house and family. Traveling through the rain to Eng's house, Chang became worse and upon arriving at Eng's abode, both brothers immediately went to bed. During the night Eng's son heard someone cry out. Upon going into his father's room, Eng's son was asked to check upon his Uncle Chang. Chang was dead. After a number of hours in pain and while begging for a doctor to be brought to cut him from his brother, Eng also passed away.

Though the family allowed physicians to explore the physical make-up of the twins, they were finally buried in North Carolina. Interestingly, though neither Eng or Chang served in either army during the American Civil War, each had a son that served with the 15th Virginia Cavalry and both of these sons received wounds during their service.

What information can be gained from this strange draft notice?
One: The state of North Carolina considered Eng to be eligible for the draft based upon his being a freeman and a land owner, not upon his physical abilities. This was a common problem with the draft system of both the Union and the Confederate governments. Many men had to present themselves repeatedly to draft officers and provost marshals to prove their inability to serve in an army.
Two: Nowhere was there concern about him being an Asian or a minority. Most states, North and South, based their requirements for militia service upon a person being a male between the ages of 16 and 60, a freeman and a land owner. These militia lists were the basis for the draft ledgers in many states. By 1863 both armies were officially exempting any man over the age of 35 but were still accepting all freemen into the ranks. In the South this resulted in a number of minorities serving in the ranks. American Indians, Mexicans, and Blacks were found in Confederate service earlier than in the North.
Three: Eng and Chang both adapted quickly to Southern landed culture. Both owned and sold slaves and their community accepted the twins as peers. Both were respected and there were no public outcries of either their living in Winston-Salem, their marriage to two women of European heritage, or to their living arrangements. This community seemed to have accepted the twins as regular citizens; a far cry from the stereotypical view of Southerners and Confederates being universal bigots.

One must wonder, though, what kind of picture would have been presented if Chang had decided to enlist with Eng. It most certainly would have caused some refinements to Hardee's Infantry and other infantry drills.

And to the field of historic interpretation comes the question: How would you present a living history program of the Bunker brothers?

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bergsma, Daniel, M.D., ed. Conjoined Twins; New York: MacMillan Company, 1954.

Hunter, Kay, Duet for a Lifetime; New York: Coward McCann, 1964.

Wallace, Irving and Amy. The Two: The Story of the Original Siamese Twins; New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978.