Memorial Plaque, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu

THE STORY

The American Civil War: a desperate struggle to maintain a unified nation and civil rights.  The Kingdom of Hawai‘i: simultaneously fighting its own battle for identity.  Typically, we do not associate one with the other, and rarely, would one consider that individuals from Hawai‘i actually fought in a war that was not their own.  But when war finally erupted between the North and South, its impact was felt around the globe, and its ripple effect eventually reached the sovereign shores of Hawai‘i.

It can be argued that the “revolution taking place in America” significantly impacted the Hawaiian Kingdom on many levels; politically, socially, economically, even helping shape Hawai‘i into the multi-cultural melting pot it is today.  Although King Kamehameha IV issued a Declaration of Neutrality, more than 100 individuals from the islands marched off to fight in a land far from home.

Henry Ho‘olulu Pitman was the son of High Chiefess Kino‘ole-o-Liliha of Hilo and Benjamin Pitman, originally from Boston.  Pitman mustered into the Union Army as a private in 1862.  He was captured near Fredericksburg, Virginia and sent to Libby Prison then Camp Parole where he died of an illness in 1863.  He was only 17 years of age.

Samuel Chapman Armstrong was the son of the missionaries Rev. Richard and Clarissa Armstrong.  He attended Punahou School and graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts.  In August of 1862, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a captain in the 125th New York Infantry Regiment.  He later commanded two U.S. Colored Troops.  By the end of the war in 1865, he held the rank of Brevet Brigadier General.  After the war he went on to found Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, now Hampton University in Hampton,Virginia.

Allan Brinsmade was raised in Koloa, Kaua‘i and enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army in 1861.  He fought at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 and was discharged later the same year as a 2nd lieutenant.  He temporarily served as Captain and may have lost a hand during the war.

Amidst the politics and drama, we find the stories of these and other brave men who fought in the “War Between the States.”  It's their unique stories which comprise the heart of our piece.

This is the story of The Hawai‘i Sons of the Civil War.

OUR TEAM

Todd Ocvirk and Nanette Napoleon

Aloha, my name is Todd Ocvirk, I'm the co-writer/director/producer of this film.  Born and raised in Hawai'i, I'm a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and the USC Film School.  I'm an award winning genre filmmaker and comic book author and I'm about to embark on my first documentary.  I discovered this topic on a visit back home in January of 2011.  While visiting relatives buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl, I happened to see a plaque along Memorial Walkway that was dedicated to the Hawai'i Sons of the Civil War.  I had never heard of this before and I literally had to pick my jaw up off the ground.  I soon found out that not too many people knew about this part of Hawaiian and American history, and I sought to remedy that by making this documentary.  I have been fortunate to work with a top notch team that is as passionate as I am in bringing this story to life.  They include:

Nanette Napoleon, research director/producer.  Nanette is a freelance historical researcher who has worked on several film projects including The Massie Affair, The Real Charlie Chan, State of Aloha, Finding David Douglas and Language Counts.  She has been doing research on the Hawai‘i Sons of the Civil war for over a decade.

Dr. Justin Vance, Civil War advisor/co-producer.  Dr. Vance is Assistant Professor of History and Associate Dean (Academics) for Hawai'i Pacific University’s Military Campus Programs. He edited Centennial of Strength, Spirit, and Technology: Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and is the author of articles and presentations on the Civil War and WW II in the Pacific. Dr. Vance is currently serving as President of the Hawai'i Civil War Round Table. 

Jason Suapaia, executive producer.  Recently marking his 19th year in the Hawai'i Film Industry, Jason has been heading up a team of creative professionals as President & Executive Producer at the Hawai'i based 1013 Integrated (formally Pacific Focus Inc), and has personally produced projects for a wide range of clientele.   A few off the list, Hilton Hotels in Hawai'i, Aloha Airlines, National Geographic, ABC Entertainment, HBO Productions and Revolutions Studios. 

www.1013integrated.com

Dennis Burns, director of photography. A graduate of the UCLA Film School, Dennis founded Pacific Focus Inc. (now 1013 Integrated) in 1976 and built it into one of the most respected production companies in Hawai'i.  As a D.P. with over 35 years of experience, he has worked on countless film and video projects, which include award winning commercials, national TV series, and long-format videos.  He’s also an accomplished Aerial DP, with many iconic aerial shots to his credit.

William Kidd, composer.  William Kidd has composed/orchestrated/conducted for many Hollywood composers.  Outside of film, his music has been utilized in the 1996 & 2000 Olympic Games Ceremonies, The 62^nd Academy Awards Show, Disneyland’s “Fantasmic” Shows, and also appears in Universal Theme Parks in Florida, Los Angeles, Osaka and Madrid.  Kidd has won a Capital Emmy Award for best original score, a Best Original Score Award from the Themed Entertainment Association, and a Prime Time Emmy Nomination.

Wayne Moniz, co-writer.  Born and raised on Maui, Wayne received his B.A. in English and Communications from the University of Dayton, Ohio.  In 1980, he was awarded an M.A. in Theater Arts from UCLA.  In 2005, he received the Cades Award for Literature, Hawai'i's most prestigious writing prize.  The award-winning Maui author and dramatist writes about the people, events, and issues of ancient and contemporary Hawai`i and, in particular, tales of Maui, the Valley Isle.

WHERE WE'RE AT

Our film has been budgeted at $350,000.  To date, we have already raised a total of $20,000, and we are very appreciative of the support of our sponsors:

The Hawai'i Council for the Humanities:

http://hihumanities.org/

Pacific Islanders in Communication:

http://piccom.org/

This money has gone towards our Research & Development phase, which was conducted by Nanette Napoleon in various historical repositories in Hawai'i, the National Archives in Washington DC, Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, and the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

During this time, we have also secured the Pacific American Community Cultural Center, based in Moreno Valley, California, as the project's fiscal sponsor:

http://www.pacccenter.org/

With the research & development phase now complete, we're ready to move forward with pre-production.  Before we do that, however, more fundraising needs to be done.  Aside from the various grants which we will apply to, we're also hoping to solicit donations from contributors who are intrigued by this unique story and who believe in our vision.

Yes, this is where YOU come in!

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE CAUSE

We've targeted $70,000 as our goal for this crowdfunding campaign.  No matter the amount we raise, the money will go towards pre-production, which will include script writing and preparations with 1013 Integrated regarding shooting schedules, interviews, equipment rentals and other logistics that ensure the production will go smoothly.

We are reaching out to YOU for your kind and generous support to help us climb this moutain and get the ball rolling.  We have some cool things to offer, so please take a look at our donation tiers, and if you feel so inclined, feel free to contribute to the cause.

We understand that times are tough, so if monetary donations are not realistic, we would also appreciate it if you could help us spread the word about our film by liking us on Facebook and checking out our website:

www.hawaiisonsofthecivilwar.com

Confederate ship Shenandoah destroying Pacific whale ships for the war effort.

THE IMPACT OF OUR PROJECT

Once the film is completed, it's our goal to air on PBS Hawai'i and other national PBS broadcast outlets.  Our film will also be submitted to various film festivals.

As part of the responsibilities to our current sponsors, community programs and lectures have already been conducted about the impact of the Civil War in Hawai'i.  We plan to continue with more community programs that will include screenings of the film and Q&A with the filmmakers.

It's also our goal to distrubute this film to schools and create program guides for teachers and students.

2011 - 2015 are the 150th Anniversary years of the American Civil War, which makes our project timely, relevant and of national historical significance.  Sharing this unknown story is of the utmost importance to us.

MAHALO!!!

Emerson was born and raised in the Kingdom of Hawai'i and is buried in Oahu Cemetery, Honolulu.