Battle of Nu'uanu
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Nuuanu fought in May 1795 on the southern part of the island of Oahu
, was a key battle in the final days of King Kamehameha I's
wars to unify the Hawaiian Islands
. It is known in the Hawaiian language as Kalelekaanae, which means "the leaping mullet", and refers to a number of Oahu warriors driven off the cliff in the final phase of the battle. There are "varied and sometimes conflicting histories of the Battle of Nuuanu."
r and gun seller, he made several voyages before from the Pacific Northwest
coast to the Hawaiian islands
. Captain Brown landed several ships on the island; the ones noted are the Prince Lee Boo and the Jackall.
After landing, he made an agreement with Kahekili II (the chief of the island at that time) that he would offer his military assistance against Kamehameha for use of the harbor. Likewise, Kamehameha requested military assistance and the use of artillery from Captain George Vancouver and in exchange "ceded" the island of Hawaii
to Great Britain
in February 1794.
The two rival chiefs never met again, as Kahekili II died in mid-1794. At this point, Kahekili's son, Kalanikupule, had control of the island of Oahu and his half-brother, Kaeokulani, had control of the islands of Kauai (through his wife), Maui, Lanai, and Molokai.
After Kahekili's death, Kaeokulani decided to visit Kauai, his home island. In order to accomplish this, he had to travel through the way of Oahu. Kalanikupule then set up trenches and earthworks on the windward side of Oahu, where Kaeokulani's canoes would pass. Both sides fought, but the battle was stopped by Kalanikupule and the two chiefs met to mourn over the death of Kahekili.
Kaeokulani then discovered a plot to be thrown overboard by his chiefs on the way to Kauai. To resolve the issue, he proposed war against Kalanikupule. He ordered his men to make a land march to where Kalanikupule was stationed. In the early part of December 1794, Kaeokulani's army was confronted by Kalanikupule's, along with the artillery of Captain Brown's ships. With Kaeokulani being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, his forces fled and scattered to the mountains. Nevertheless, Kaeokulani's army was destroyed.
Kalanikupule had received prior warnings of the impending invasion from the chiefs of Maui and Molokai and had begun building several lines of fortifications on Oahu. He had already begun buying muskets and cannons from European traders, but had far fewer than Kamehameha. He was also assisted by one of Kamehameha
's chiefs, Kaiana, who defected before the battle began. Kaiana had fallen out of favor with Kamehameha's inner circle and feared that he was being plotted against. On the voyage to Oahu, his army split off from the Hawaiian armada and landed on the north side of the island. There, they began cutting notches into the Nuuanu mountain ridge, which would serve as gunports for Kalanikupule's cannons.
, died. The civil war was fought between his half-brother Kaeokulani and his son Kalanikupule. Kalanikupule ultimately won, but emerged from the war greatly weakened.
During this time, Kamehameha had been equipping his army with modern musket
s and cannon
, as well as training his men in their use under direction of British Sailor John Young
. In February 1795 he assembled the largest army the Hawaiian islands had ever seen, with about 12,000 men and 1,200 war canoes
(at this time, the British estimated the entire population of the Hawaiian Islands at less than 300,000; modern anthropologists believe it was closer to one million). Kamehameha initially moved against the southern islands of Maui
and Molokai
, conquering them in the early spring. Then he invaded Oahu.
. After spending several days gathering supplies and scouting Kalanikupule's positions, Kamehameha's army advanced westward, encountering Kalanikupule's first line of defense near the Punchbowl Crater
. Splitting his army into two, Kamehameha sent one half in a flanking maneuver around the crater and the other straight at Kalanikupule. Pressed from both sides, the Oahu forces retreated to Kalanikupule's next line of defense near Laimi. While Kamehameha pursued, he secretly detached a portion of his army to clear the surrounding heights of the Nuuanu Valley of Kalanikupule's cannons. Kamehameha also brought up his own cannons to shell Laimi. During this part of the battle, both Kalanikupule and Kaiana were wounded, Kaiana fatally. With its leadership in chaos, the Oahu army slowly fell back north through the Nuuanu Valley to the cliffs at Nuuanu Pali
. Caught between the Hawaiian Army and a 1000-foot drop, over 400 Oahu warriors either jumped or were pushed over the edge of the Pali.
Though he escaped the battle, Kalanikupule was later captured and sacrificed. This battle was the climax of Kamehameha's campaign, after this battle his kingdom was for the first time referred to as the Kingdom of Hawaii
. The islands were still not united. He had to capture the remaining neighboring islands of Kauai
and Niihau
. First he had to put down an uprising on the Big Island, and then he began his preparations for the conquest of Kauai. However, before this battle could be fought the king Kaumualii
of Kauai submitted to Kamehameha, giving him effective control over the Hawaiian Islands.
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, was a key battle in the final days of King Kamehameha I's
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
wars to unify the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. It is known in the Hawaiian language as Kalelekaanae, which means "the leaping mullet", and refers to a number of Oahu warriors driven off the cliff in the final phase of the battle. There are "varied and sometimes conflicting histories of the Battle of Nuuanu."
Oahu
Around the year 1792 (the exact date is unknown; the landing could have been as late as March 1793), Captain William Brown, an English merchant, landed in the harbor of Honolulu. As a Maritime Fur TradeMaritime Fur Trade
The Maritime Fur Trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in exchange for tea, silks, porcelain, and other Chinese...
r and gun seller, he made several voyages before from the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
coast to the Hawaiian islands
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Captain Brown landed several ships on the island; the ones noted are the Prince Lee Boo and the Jackall.
After landing, he made an agreement with Kahekili II (the chief of the island at that time) that he would offer his military assistance against Kamehameha for use of the harbor. Likewise, Kamehameha requested military assistance and the use of artillery from Captain George Vancouver and in exchange "ceded" the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in February 1794.
The two rival chiefs never met again, as Kahekili II died in mid-1794. At this point, Kahekili's son, Kalanikupule, had control of the island of Oahu and his half-brother, Kaeokulani, had control of the islands of Kauai (through his wife), Maui, Lanai, and Molokai.
After Kahekili's death, Kaeokulani decided to visit Kauai, his home island. In order to accomplish this, he had to travel through the way of Oahu. Kalanikupule then set up trenches and earthworks on the windward side of Oahu, where Kaeokulani's canoes would pass. Both sides fought, but the battle was stopped by Kalanikupule and the two chiefs met to mourn over the death of Kahekili.
Kaeokulani then discovered a plot to be thrown overboard by his chiefs on the way to Kauai. To resolve the issue, he proposed war against Kalanikupule. He ordered his men to make a land march to where Kalanikupule was stationed. In the early part of December 1794, Kaeokulani's army was confronted by Kalanikupule's, along with the artillery of Captain Brown's ships. With Kaeokulani being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, his forces fled and scattered to the mountains. Nevertheless, Kaeokulani's army was destroyed.
Kalanikupule had received prior warnings of the impending invasion from the chiefs of Maui and Molokai and had begun building several lines of fortifications on Oahu. He had already begun buying muskets and cannons from European traders, but had far fewer than Kamehameha. He was also assisted by one of Kamehameha
House of Kamehameha
The House of Kamehameha , or the Kamehameha Dynasty, was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaii between the unification of the islands by Kamehameha I in 1810 and the death of Kamehameha V in 1872...
's chiefs, Kaiana, who defected before the battle began. Kaiana had fallen out of favor with Kamehameha's inner circle and feared that he was being plotted against. On the voyage to Oahu, his army split off from the Hawaiian armada and landed on the north side of the island. There, they began cutting notches into the Nuuanu mountain ridge, which would serve as gunports for Kalanikupule's cannons.
Kamehameha
Kamehameha I had begun his campaign to unify Hawaii in 1783, but prior to 1795 had only managed to unify the Big Island. However, in 1794 a civil war broke out when the chief of Oahu, Kahekili IIKahekili II
Kahekili II, full name Kahekilinuiahumanu, was the twenty fifth King of Maui. His name was short for Kāne-Hekili after the Hawaiian god of thunder. Because Kāne-Hekili was believed to be black on one side, Kahekili tattooed one side of his body from head to foot.-Family:He was born about...
, died. The civil war was fought between his half-brother Kaeokulani and his son Kalanikupule. Kalanikupule ultimately won, but emerged from the war greatly weakened.
During this time, Kamehameha had been equipping his army with modern musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s and cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, as well as training his men in their use under direction of British Sailor John Young
John Young (Hawaii)
John Young was a British subject who became an important military advisor to Kamehameha I during the formation of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was left behind by Simon Metcalfe, captain of the American ship Eleanora, and along with a Welshmen Isaac Davis became a friend and advisor to Kamehameha...
. In February 1795 he assembled the largest army the Hawaiian islands had ever seen, with about 12,000 men and 1,200 war canoes
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
(at this time, the British estimated the entire population of the Hawaiian Islands at less than 300,000; modern anthropologists believe it was closer to one million). Kamehameha initially moved against the southern islands of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
and Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
, conquering them in the early spring. Then he invaded Oahu.
Battle
The Battle of Nuuanu began when Kamehameha's forces landed on the southeastern portion of Oahu near Waialae and WaikikiWaikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
. After spending several days gathering supplies and scouting Kalanikupule's positions, Kamehameha's army advanced westward, encountering Kalanikupule's first line of defense near the Punchbowl Crater
Punchbowl Crater
Punchbowl Crater is an extinct volcanic tuff cone located in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is the location of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific....
. Splitting his army into two, Kamehameha sent one half in a flanking maneuver around the crater and the other straight at Kalanikupule. Pressed from both sides, the Oahu forces retreated to Kalanikupule's next line of defense near Laimi. While Kamehameha pursued, he secretly detached a portion of his army to clear the surrounding heights of the Nuuanu Valley of Kalanikupule's cannons. Kamehameha also brought up his own cannons to shell Laimi. During this part of the battle, both Kalanikupule and Kaiana were wounded, Kaiana fatally. With its leadership in chaos, the Oahu army slowly fell back north through the Nuuanu Valley to the cliffs at Nuuanu Pali
Nuuanu Pali
Nuuanu Pali is a section of the windward cliff of the Koolau mountain located at the head of Nuuanu Valley on the island of Oahu. It has a panoramic view of the windward coast of Oahu...
. Caught between the Hawaiian Army and a 1000-foot drop, over 400 Oahu warriors either jumped or were pushed over the edge of the Pali.
Aftermath
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. The islands were still not united. He had to capture the remaining neighboring islands of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
and Niihau
Niihau
Niihau or Niihau is the seventh largest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii, having an area of . Niihau lies southwest of Kauai across the Kaulakahi Channel. Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland habitats for the Hawaiian Coot, the Black-winged Stilt, and the...
. First he had to put down an uprising on the Big Island, and then he began his preparations for the conquest of Kauai. However, before this battle could be fought the king Kaumualii
Kaumualii
Kaumualii was the last independent Alii Aimoku of Kauai and Niihau before becoming a vassal of Kamehameha I of the unified Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810...
of Kauai submitted to Kamehameha, giving him effective control over the Hawaiian Islands.