Name/Title
William Unger, Captain Honolulu Rifles 1887Description
According to his obituary (see obituary entry below), "The deceased was a carriage-finisher by trade. In 1879 he went to Honolulu and until his return to San Francisco in 1888 he was captain of Company B of the Honolulu Rifles. He was a personal friend of the late King Kalakaua and he was a much bigger man in the military affairs of the little kingdom then than his official rank indicated. He was active in the revolution of 1887, when his house was for a season military headquarters. At the time, he received from the King a gold medal for producing the best drilled company in the battalion and when he left a handsome diamond souvenir attested the regard of his associates."
Postal Card dated Sept 23 1887 by Wm (William) Unger.
Inscribed:
Mr E. P. Low
Sir: You are hereby ordered to report at the Armory on Tuesday evening the 27th, at 7:30 o'clock.
Per order,
Wm Unger
Captain Commanding
A.M Brown
1st Sergt.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>IIIn 1857, the First Hawaiian Cavalry, an artillery and infantry company which was originally established in 1852, was renamed the Honolulu Rifles and changed to solely an infantry unit. The unit was first commanded by Captain R. Coady, and later by Captain Charles T. Gulick. It was disbanded in 1874 after failing to respond during the Honolulu Courthouse riot, although their founding constitution stipulated that only the government could call on them and no command was ever received at the time of the insurrection.[1][2][3][4]
The second company was reorganized in the spring of 1884 with the approval of the cabinet and King Kalakaua who gave the group its name. The organizations first use was on April 26, 1885 at the death of the Dowager Queen Emma, to stand guard at her residence after her passing.[5] The reorganization held little prominence until after 1886 when the company came into the leadership of Volney V. Ashford, who had extensive military experience with the United States during the Civil war and later with the Canadian Militia. The company began its rise when it won a drill competition at Kalakaua's 50th birthday celebration. The Rifles were a part of the social community of Hawaii and in 1887 hosted an exhibition and dance for the community, attended by most of the political figures of the day, where the king presented them with the flag of the Kingdom.[2]
Wikipeida reference nos.Created By
hawaiiancovers@gmail.comCreate Date
July 6, 2024Update Date
July 6, 2024
