 Kamehameha III appointed Ellis as the head of the Hawaiian Navy, but when Ellis discovered that the navy had no warships, he returned to California and became captain of a steamship.When the Civil War began, Ellis was living in New Windsor, New York.He joined the 71st New York State Militia as a captain and accompanied the regiment to Washington, D.C., where it became part of the newly organized Army of Northeastern Virginia under Brig.