The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-16
AN oLD-TIME BATTLE IN ALASKA
A Yankee Skipper and Al Siberian
Trnder Wore Interested in 1t.

1
the battle, the circumstances of it, and
the dire ending of it are described i'll
the Russian records appertaining to
the far northern territory, which is
now under the American flag, but for
merly belonged 20 the cars empire.
| To Alaska there came from Siberia,
In or about the year 1890, an adyen-
turous trader, Russian named Baran-
off, for the purpose of otter hunting
Arriving at the Aleutian Isles, he took
about 300 Aleut hunters into his serY-
ice. Off they went in their kayaks, or
| little skin boats, for those parts of the
archipelago in which sea offers then
abounded. They got many otter skins
for the trader, who believed that in a
few years he would become rich and
great. He determined to form a set
| tIement of them on the strait extending
northward from Sitka sound, not far
from the situation of the modern town
of Juneau, where at this time there are
multitudes of gold seekers bound for
| the Klondike mines. There the Aleut
otter hunters stayed for several years,
| to the profit of BaranOff, who dedicated
the place to the Archangel Gabriel and
committed it to his protection.
The native Tlinkits, who were a saw
age tribe and had dwelt in that region
from time immemorial, took umbrage
at the presence of the Aleuts, whom
| they regarded as intruders upon their
| hunting grounds. The TIinliit chiefs
| formed a resolution to eXterminate the
intruding Aleuts. They made ready
for war. Approaching the settlement
unexpectedly, they fell upon it with
great fury; they fought like savages;
they fired the guns which had been OBJ
tanned years before from Siberian trad
ers; they seized the otter skins
which belonged to the Aleuts; they
| plundered the huts and afterwards de
stroyed them. 1t was a triumph for
| the Tlinkits; it was a battle worthy of
song and story. The victors danced
with JOY. They had brought glory to
| their tribe.
But this episode in the history of
Alaska did not come to an end all at
once. Some of the AIeuts had saved
their lives by flight and had taken ref
uge in the forests, where the in
| furiated enemy could not reach them
| 1t was under these circumstances that
a strange and unexpected thing oc-
| Cured. 1t happened that about this
time, which was over 100 years ago. a
| Yankee skipper from Boston named
| n 11N in =.
err or other sea craft looking for n
| chance to trade with the natives. It is
| not known what kind of an assortment
| of Yankee notions he had in his ship.
| but he was doubtless ready to pay a
| fair price for any otter skins that were
| for sale As he made his way up Sitka
sound he caught sight of some of the
Aleut fugitives. who also caught sight
of him. He took them aboard ship. got
| the news from them in some way. sent
| them below decks. and then started out
to look for the Tlinkits. He found
| them, got some of their big chiefs to
come aboard, gave them to understand
| that they were his prisoners, and held
| them for ransom. Here was a case
After awhile, he effected an exchange.
| The Tlinkits delivered to him the otter
skins which they had taken from the
Aleuts, and also a number of the Aleut
hunters whose lives had been spared.
| The big chiefs of the THnkits were
thereupOn released and sent ashore
through the grace of the Yankee skip
per from Boston, and to his profit
Some others of the fugitive Aleuts
who had found safety in the forest got
possession of their skin boats or kay
axis, and made their way along the coast
| to Kadiak, where Baranotf, the Rus
sian from Siberia, was then quartered.
They told him of the deeds of the saw
age Tlinkits; his anger was stirred up;
he said the savages must be punished.
1t happened that just at this time a
| Russian naval brig, the Neva, arrived
at kadiak; and the captain of the Neva
told Baranoff, when he came aboard,
| that he would see to the punishment
OF the Tlinkits, who, by their conduct,
had manifested their enmity to his
master, the car of Russia The naval
| brig headed for Sitka sound, arrived
| there, came to the enemy's land, and
attacked a stronghold which the Tin
| kits had constructed. 1t was a stiff
| fight; the Russian marines made brave
| attack; the Tlinkits made a brave de
| Tense; the Russians had several pieces
of cannon; the Tlinkits had only a few
| flintlocks and very little powder; the
| Russians battered the stronghold; the
Tlinkits fell back, because their powder
| had given out; they fought till it was
| dark; they decamped in the night time.
They were beaten; they had been pun
ished; the crime which they perpetrated
upon the Aleuts had been avenged;
| their power was broken. Russia was
victorious. After the events here mar
rated the Tlinkits of Alaska were of
but small account in war.
Now that the early history of Alaska
has acquired fresh interest for Amer
leans, it is possible that more com
| plete account of the Tlinlit campaign
will yet be procured from original
sources. There are opportunities for
research between So degrees north lat
| itude and the Arctic ocean between the
Rocky mountains and Behring strait.
Lots of sanguinary battles may have
| hepn fought nm thpra N V SI,D