The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-11-21
CEN, ARMSTRONG
Letters of Hawaii S
Famous Soldier
To be Published In Lieu or a BIO
graphy-Kanakas at the Front
In the War.

The letters of the late General 5. I. |
Armstrong will soon be published. Al
the. time of his death, in 1893, ne leIt
memoranda which directed that no
hioeraphy of himself should be pub
lished He said that true biographies
were rarely written, as the biograpner
could not know the zeal heart ana the
mixed motives of the person OF Whoh
he wrote. But there has been an urg-
ent demand among the many thou-
sands of people who knew him perso-
nally, and of many thousands more
who knew of his work among the ne
groes and Indians, and the remarkable
DEVELOPMENT he promoted in Industrial
work, for some account OF his HE III
permanent form. A number OF per-
sons. of recognized literary reputation,
have solicited from his family the ma
| terial for biography, but it has been
refused.
| His family, however consented last
year to a publication of his letters, so
| far as they indicated his character. The
earlier letters refer to his childhood life
in these Islands and were mainly ad-
dressed to the present Chief Justice
Judd in the ''fifties. and to his mother,
who resided here for fifty years.
The following is an extract from
letter addressed to his mother, who
then resided in this city. 1t is an au-
thentic record of the contribution OF
Hawaii to the Civil War. He was at
the time commanding brigade of col
| ored troops:
January %, 1865
Yesterday as my orderly was hold
ing my horse (before Petersburgh) |
asked him where he was from. He sad
he was from Hawaii. He proved to be
| a full blooded Kanaka by the name OF
Kealoha, who came from the Islands
last year. There is also another by
the name of Kaiua, who lived near
Tahiti Smiths, who left the Islands
last year. | enjoyed seeing them very
much, and had good Jabber with
them in kanaka. KealOha IS prl-
vate in the Forty-first Regiment,
United States colorel troops, and Kaiua
is a private in the TWenty-elghth
United States colorod troops, in the pio-
neer corps; both are goou men ana
seemed glad to see ne.
The following is ap extract from an
other letter to his mother, dated at
Appomatox Courthouse at the time Of
General Lees surrender:
sAppomatox Courthouse,
April 8, 1865.
THE great Confederate General and
his army have surrendered uncOndl-
tionally. | have just been viewing
| from an eminence the captive host, the
artillery and wagon trains. The Con
federates found themselves this morn
ing surrounded and without provi-
sions General Custer HAD captured the
supply trains). Early we advanced anC
our skirmish lines met those OF the
enemy. Mine drove not only the Tebe
skirmishers but also their line Of. bat
tie; we expected fight. | never fell
mere like it. | mounted my stallion
and was ready to lead at a word A
} few bullets whistled around; few
, shells passed over; the rebs. gave way;
all was quiet There was rumor Of
: surrender. We waite1 other rumors
= CAME, anu iHdlly II was SC1 ee'iiI 'iie'
the cruel war was over The first ink
, ling | had Of it was the continuous
cheering of troops on our right Soon
staff officers gallOped up with the news
that Lee was making terms of surren-
der. The firing ceased; it was impos-
} sihle to realize that the terrible army
} of Lee was no longer in existence; the
\ truth was stunning. AS for myself,
, | felt a sadneSS-a feeling that the col
ored soldiers had not done enough
been sufficiently proved. In fact, WE
!. lay right across the only road Lee
|, could take to get away. On both sides
I there are prolonged and ringing cheers
especially on ours; yet heard the
} rebels yelling, for they are goins
} home. The rebel bands have beer
} playing the national airs of both sides.