The Hawaiian gazette., 1895-09-27
Joaquin Miller Writes of His E1pe'
riencss During January Rebellion.
GREAT CIVIL WAR OF HAWAII
The Iour-uaired Poet of the sierras
Describes the Part Played by Him.
President Dole Marched Barefooted
TO Scene of Connict-sharpshooter

day of the January affair, stood oil
the yeranda of the Hawaiian Hote
and with q wild far away look il
his left eye said, 81 feel the thrills
of battle coursing through my
veins. / must away to the field
to the front mid the powder ano
smoke of the fray" has decided
that he at that time made an as:
of himself. To throw suspicion
from himself he has joined himself
to the staff of funny writers of the
San Francisco Call and gives the
following description of his exper'
fence during that January affair
And now as to the wars. Will these
unwarlike natives and the belligerent
sons of missionaries make another
San Domingo of the far, fair islands?
Let us look at their great civil war.
Two voluminous histories have al
ready appeared, published by two lit
tie comic newspapers there-official
organs, both of them. My own his
tory is as yet unpublished: but l
fought and led all through that great
and CORY war Of glory, and so when it
does appear please read it.
Captain King led the infantry in
the first hot days fight. 1t was the
hottest of all the five-days war; for
the mercury rose far above par. King
led the infantry. He'd the horse. He
was borrowed horse and l had to
lead HMM places where the mos.
quitos were thickest, The dead OF
this days fighting were never counted.
We had no wounded. The enemy
was five miles away up a mountain;
but still we charged the enemy and
the battle ragged till We all went into
the restaurant close by, where the
Landlord had to charge US.
The second days fight was led by
Captain Smith. This time we got
much nearer to the fearful cannibal
foe-three miles being my estimate.
The only reason why we did not utter
ly destroy the enemy was, We did not
have three-mile guns, for we fired at
him and he at US from morn to dewy
eve. No wounded on either side, the
dead not estimated.
On the third day the battle was re-
sumed as soon as we could get back to
the battle ground after bivouac at
the hotel and q breakfast on ham and
eggs, at about the same range and
with the same fury.
AS night descended Gu the two con-
tending armies at about the same hour
l. in pf
park of artillery and three mich COWS
fell on the field. When we came back
from town to resume the fight next
morning we found that the enemy had
descended from the lava caves and
skinned and roasted and were literally
devouring these cows. General Will
cox, commanding the non office-hold-
ing forces, requested 10 not be disturb
ed at his breakfast. The President,
after consulting with his Cabinet,
which he always carried with him, as
well as silk parasol and ssber, said
it would have good effect abroad and
so ordered that the enemy should not
be disturbed at breakfast. We slept
on our arms ia banana grove till 1t
was cool enough 70 go back 10 town.
But the great fifth and final day OF
this fearful civil war was now upon
us, and bloody day ir was, as you
shall see. The sharpshooters, all
young men of the first office-holder
families and well up in the Greek
roots, had found the enemy entrench-
ed on a mountain above the eastern
gate of the city and the united forces
of the Hawaiian army moved forth at
dawn to dislodge or destroy him.
Too much cannot be said of these
brave, brave young sharpshooters
They were nearly all white. IL there |
was any ore among them of mixed |
blood he was at least prince in his |
own right, and all so young, so young. |
and all so learned, so learned! They |
were infantry and all spoke either |
Greek or kapaka. Some OF them had |
their nurses with them. These pretty |
little native nurses carried their little |
bottles or rolled them along in little |
baby carts while the pretty little |
sharpsbooters prattied and played |
with their Greek roots as they strobe |
defiantly to the deadly front. Infan- |
try in arms!
The Portuguese troops were bare
footed, but the ladies of Honolulu
stood by the gate as they passed out
to battle and handed each man pair |
of their secoud-best shoes. These |
brave men tied the shoes together by
the strings and swung them on their
guns. General Soper, commander-in
chief OF all the ofjice-holders' armies
of the twelve Hawaiian Islands,
drew his sword, and halting the Portu-
guese soldiers at the point of his
sword commanded them to put On
their shoes. The brave men hesitated
almost revolted, but at last they re-
luctsntly obeyed. That sword was
mightier than the men. However,
they did not march as well after that.
AT least, when in sight of the enemy,
they all sat down in the road and be.
gan taking off their shoes. The gen.
eral again drew that terrible sword,
and as he did so be roared out: "What
in hell are you taking off your shoes
for?n
''What for in hell take off shoe? IL
no take off shoe how hell can run?''
roared the Portuguese captain in re-
turn.
At this the President, who also
marched barefooted to the scene of
the confiict-the better to encourage
his men and not at all to initiate
Washington at Valley Forge, or to be
able to 60 to town the faster, as his