The evening times., 1900-01-08
DEPARTMENT. OF ALASKA
The President Creates a Territorial
Military Division.
Colonel Randall. of the Eighth In
fantry- Selected by MIR. Mckinley
TO Take Command Increased
Force of Troops to He Sent to the
Cape Nome District and Elsewhere.

An official order establishing the Miiitar.
Department of Alaska was issued by Presi
dent Mckinley through the War Depart
ment today. Col. George NJ Randall, whit
| is at present in command of the Eight
| United States Infantry, in Cuba, is ap
pointed to command the new department
| He is now on his way home from Cuba, anC
is expected to arrive here January 10. Tn,
| force of troops in the territory is to be tire.
bled, and it is probable that some actor
| by Congress will be secured for the ap-
| pointment of more Federal judges, there
now being only two in the whole Territory
! The order establishing the department is as
] follows:
THE President has created a Military
| Department consisting OF the Territory of
| Alaska and assigned Colonel George NJ.
Randall. Eighth United States Infantry, to
command it. Colonel Randall is on duty
with his regiment in Cuba, but will report
here en- route to Alaska on Monday Janu-
airy To-"
This action was expected as il was an
nounced at the last Cabinet meeting that
| the troops in Alaska would be increased in
number. The President is greatly inter
ested in the future of Alaska. and has had
the question before the Cabinet for some
time. a bill will also be introduced In
Congress calling for an increase in the ju.
dietary of Alaska. At present there are
only TWO United States judges and as many
marshals in the Territory and they have
been unable to attend to the large amount
OF work before them. The places for hold
ing court are widely scattered. and the Of
ficials have to travel thousands of miles
over almost impeneIrable trails and down
rivers where they run the risk Gf beinc
drowned
The Secretary of Agriculture mas also
recommended that more attention be paid
to the agricultural resources of Alaska. and
corps of experts from that department
viii be sent 10 Alaska in the spring
There are only four companies of troops
in Alaska at present Companies + and
r of the Seventh Infantry are stationed at
Fort Gibbon and Company l. Of the Sew
enth Infantry is al Fort Egbert and Com
pany l. Of the Twenty ninth Infantry is
at Skagway. Two companies will be sent
to Cape Nome in the spring and five or six
more companies Will be sent to various
points throughout the Territory.
The following record OF Colonel Randall
IS given by the War Department:
Col. George NJ Randall was born in Ohio
and entered the service as a private in the
Fourth Pennsylvania Infantry. April 60
1851 and rose TO be a lieutenant colonel
Of the volunteers. June l. 1865. He was
appointed to the regular service October
-, 1861. and rose by regular promotion
ODE colonel on August 5. 1895. He was
brevetted for gallant service in the battle
OF Antietam. again breyetted for gallant
service in front Of Petersburg and for
gallant service in the attack or Fort Sted-
man, Va, and was again breYetted for gal
liant services against the Indians in Ari-
zona.
Colonel Randall was engaged during the
civil war in the siege Of Yorktown. Gaines !
Mill. Malvern Hill. Bull Run Antietam,
Fredericksburg. the Wilderness. Spottsyl- |
vana Court House Cold Harbor. Weldon |
Poplar Grove Church Hatcher's
Run. Fort Stedman and Petersburg. Va /
He has had a widely extended and distin- !
guished service on the frontier He had 1
he special confidence of General Crook for !
his tact and courageous management Of the !
Indians
Colonel Randall was sent to Alaska and 4
was In command of Fort St Michael at (
the outbreak of the war with Spain He /
was appointed a brigadier general of vol (
unteers and returned from Alaska but did I
not reach this country in time to partici- |
pate in the active service in Cuba or the /
Philippine Islands. He was assigned TO 1
The command of the Third Division OF the /
Second Army Corps. and when the volun-
teers We're mustered out he commanded l
his own regiment in Cuba. where he is
now on duty.