Battle of Sitka The Battle of Sitka ( 1804 ) was the last major armed conflict between Europeans and Alaska Natives , and was initiated in response to the destruction of a Russian trading post two years before . The primary combatant groups were the Kiks . ádi ( “ Ones of " Kíks " ” , Frog / Raven ) Clan of Sheetʼká Xʼáatʼi ( Baranof Island ) of the Tlingit nation and agents of the Russian - American Company assisted by the Imperial Russian Navy . Though the Russians ' initial assault ( in which Alexandr Baranov , head of the Russian expedition , sustained serious injuries ) was repelled , their naval escorts bombarded the Tlingit fort " Shísʼgi Noow " mercilessly , driving the natives into the surrounding forest after only a few days . The Russian victory was decisive , and resulted in the Sheetʼká Ḵwáan being permanently displaced from their ancestral lands . They fled north and reestablished an old settlement on the neighboring Chichagof Island to enforce a trade embargo against the Russians . Animosity between the two cultures , though greatly diminished , continued in the form of sporadic attacks by the natives against the Russian settlement as late as 1858 . The battlefield location has been preserved at Sitka National Historical Park . In September 2004 , in recognition of the Battle ' s bicentennial , a direct descendant of Russian battle leader Baranov joined with descendants of the Kiks . ádi warriors for a traditional Tlingit " Cry Ceremony " to formally grieve for their lost ancestors . Previous colonization and resistance . Members of the Kiks . ádi of the indigenous Tlingit people had occupied portions of the Alaska Panhandle , including " Sheetʼká Xʼáat ' i " ( present - day Baranof Island ) , for some 11 , 000 years . Alexandr Baranov ( Chief Manager of the Shelikhov - Golikov Company , a forerunner of the Russian - American Company ) first visited the island aboard the " Ekatarina " in 1795 while searching for new sea otter hunting grounds . Baranov paid the Tlingit a sum for the rights to the land in order to prevent " interlopers " from conducting trade on the island . On May 25 , 1799 Baranov and 100 employees of the Russian American Company ( accompanied by their native wives ) sailed into Sitka Sound aboard the cutter " Olga " and sloop - of - war " Konstantin " of the Imperial Russian Navy ; accompanying the Russian settlers was a fleet of some 550 " baidarka s " , carrying 600 – 1 , 000 Aleut escorts . Wishing to avoid a confrontation with the Kiks . ádi , the group passed by the strategic hilltop encampment where the Tlingit had established " Noow Tlein " ( " Big Fort " ) and made landfall at their second - choice building site , some 7 miles ( 11 kilometers ) north of the colony . The location of the Russian settlement at Katlianski Bay , " Redoubt Saint Michael , " is known today as Starrigavan Bay , or " Old Harbor " ( from Russian старая гавань " stáraya gavanʼ " ) The outpost consisted of a large warehouse , blacksmith shop , cattle sheds , barracks , stockade , block house , a bath house , quarters for the hunters , and a residence for Baranov . Though the " Koloshi " ( the Russian name for the Tlingit , based on the Aleut name for the Tlingit ) initially welcomed the newcomers , their animosity toward the Russians grew in relatively short order . The Kiks . ádi objected to the Russian traders ' custom of taking native women as their wives , and were constantly taunted by other Tlingit clans who looked upon the " Sitkas " as the outsiders ' " kalga " , or slaves . The Kiks . ádi came to realize that the Russians ' continued presence demanded their allegiance to the Tsar , and that they therefore were expected to provide free labor to the Company . Competition between the two groups for the island ' s resources would escalate as well . 1802 battle . Despite a number of unsuccessful Tlingit attacks against the post during the winter of 1799 , business soon prospered . Urgent matters required that Baranov return to Kodiak ( then capital of Russian America ) in 1800 . 25 Russians and 55 Aleuts , under the direction of Vasilii G . Medvednikov , were left to staff the post . In spring 1802 , the population of Redoubt Saint Michael had grown to include 29 Russians , 3 British deserters , 200 Aleuts , and a few Kodiak women . It was rumored that the British ( under the auspices of the Hudson ' s Bay Company ) staged a meeting with the northern Tlingit clans in Angoon in 1801 , wherein they offered muskets and gunpowder to the Tlingit in exchange for exclusive fur trading rights . On June 20 , 1802 a group of Tlingit warriors from along Ḵaasdaa Héen and nearby Xʼáaxʼ Xʼáatʼi , " painted like demons " and wearing animal masks carved out of wood , attacked the Russian fort . The natives were well - armed with spears and modern firearms ( the latter acquired through trade with the British , French , Spanish , and Americans , whose ships frequented the waters of the Inside Passage ) . Led by the chief Shḵ ' awulyéil , the raiding party massacred all of the men ( 20 Russians and close to 130 Aleut workers ) , looted and burned the barracks and storehouses , destroyed a ship under construction , and enslaved the surviving women and children . A few Russians and Aleuts who had been away from the post hunting , or who had fled into the forest , subsequently reached safety and relayed news of the attack to two foreign ships at anchor in the Sound . After brief negotiations , the Tlingit agreed to ransom a few of the survivors to the commander of the American ship " Alert " out of Boston . Captain James Barber of the British ship " Unicorn " , also anchored nearby , lured Shḵ ' awulyéil and several of his raiders aboard and placed them in the brig , subsequently exchanging them for the remaining lone Russian and 18 Aleut captives ( along with some 4 , 000 sea otter pelts that had been plundered during the raid ) . The " Unicorn " then set sail for Kodiak , where it delivered the survivors and the news of the attack to Baranov on June 24 . Barber extracted a ransom of 10 , 000 rubles for the return of the colonists — a mere 20 % of his initial demand . Russian reprisal . Following the Kiks . ádi victory , Tlingit Shaman " Stoonookw " ( confident that the Russians would soon return , and in force ) urged the Clan to construct a new fortification that was capable of withstanding cannon fire , and provided an ample water supply . Despite strong opposition , the Shaman ' s will prevailed , and the Kiks . ádi made preparations for war . The Sitkas sent messages to their allies requesting assistance , but none was forthcoming ; they would face the Russian fleet on their own . The Tlingit chose to construct the roughly 240 feet by 165 feet ( 73 by 50 meters ) " Shís ' gi Noow " ( the " Fort of Young Saplings " ) at the high water line near the mouth of the Indian River to take advantage of the long gravel beach flats that extend far out into the bay ; it was hoped that the shallows would prevent the Russian ships from attacking the installation at close range . Some 1 , 000 native spruce logs were used in the construction of 14 buildings ( " barabaras " ) and the thick palisade wall that surrounded them . The Kiks . ádi battle plan was a simple one : they would gauge the Russians ' strength and intentions at " Noow Tlein " , then strategically retreat to the perceived safety of the new fort . Baranov returned to Sitka Sound in late September 1804 aboard the sloop - of - war " Neva " under the command of Lieutenant Commander Yuri Feodorovich Lisyansky . " Neva " was accompanied by the " Ermak " and two other smaller , armed sailing ships , manned by 150 " promyshlenniks " ( fur traders ) , along with 400 – 500 Aleuts in 250 " baidarkas " . In this engagement , fortune favored the Russians from the outset . On September 29 , the Russians went ashore at the winter village . Lisyansky dubbed the site " Novo - Arkhangel ' skaya Mikhailovskaya " ( or " New Archangel Saint Michael " ) , a reference to the largest city in the region where Governor Baranov was born . Baranov immediately sent forth envoys to the Tlingit settlement with offers of negotiation for the " Noow Tlein " site , all of which were rebuffed . The Tlingit merely hoped to stall the Russians long enough to allow the natives to abandon their winter village and occupy the " sapling fort " without the enemy fleet taking notice . However , when the Kiks . ádi sent a small , armed party to retrieve their gunpowder reserves from an island in nearby " Shaaseiyi Aan " ( Jamestown Bay ) , the group ( electing not to wait for the cover of darkness , instead returning in broad daylight ) was spotted and engaged in brief a firefight with the Russians . An errant round struck the canoe in which the Tlingit were transporting the gunpowder , igniting the cargo and causing it to explode . When the smoke cleared , it was evident that none of the expedition , comprised of upper - caste young men from each house ( all future Clan leaders ) and a highly - respected elder , survived the encounter . Baranov ' s emissaries notified the Tlingit that the Russian ships would soon begin firing on the new fort . Day One . On or about October 1 , the " Neva " was towed by the Aleut from Krestof Sound into the shoals near the mouth of the Indian River . A Russian landing party , led by Baranov and accompanied by 400 Aleuts acting as light infantry , assaulted the Tlingit compound , only to be met by continuous volleys of gunfire . The Aleuts panicked and broke ranks , retreating to the shore where their " baidarkas " waited . The Kiks . ádi warriors , led by their new War Chief " Ḵʼalyaan " ( Katlian ) — wearing a Raven mask and armed with a blacksmith ' s hammer , surged out of " Shis ' kí Noow " and engaged the attacking force in hand - to - hand combat ; a second wave of Tlingit emerged from the adjacent woods in a " pincer " maneuver . Baranov was seriously injured and the Russians fell back to the water ' s edge , just as the " Neva " opened fire to cover the retreat . Twelve of the attackers were killed and many others injured during the melee , and the Russians were forced to abandon several small artillery pieces on the beach . That night , the Tlingit rejoiced at having repulsed the Russian onslaught . Day Two . Inasmuch as Baranov ’ s battlefield wounds prevented him from continuing the battle , Lieutenant Commander Lisyansky assumed command , ordering his ships to begin shore bombardment of the Tlingit position . The initial barrage consisted mainly of " ranging shots " as the vessels attempted to determine the optimum firing range . Unable to breach the fort ' s walls , the Russians ceased fire in the early afternoon and sent a messenger ashore under a flag of truce . Much to the Kiks . ádi ' s amusement , the message demanded their surrender , which they rejected out of hand . The Tlingit replied with their own demand that the Russians surrender , which was also rejected . The Russian cannon fire resumed until nightfall . After dark , the Kiks . ádi met to consider their situation . They all believed that the Russians suffered too many losses the day before to mount another ground attack . The Tlingit ' s goal had been to hold out long enough to allow the northern clans to arrive and reinforce their numbers , but the shortage of gunpowder limited their ability to remain under siege , a factor that made ultimate victory seem less likely . The Tlingit concluded that a change in tactics was in order : rather than suffer the ignominy of defeat on the battlefield , they formulated a strategy wherein the Clan would disappear into the surrounding forest ( where they felt that the Russians could not engage them ) and establish a new settlement on the northern part of the island . Day Three . The " Neva " and her escorts resumed their day - long bombardment of the Tlingit fort at sunrise . The Kiks . ádi responded with offers of a truce , hostage exchanges , promises of more talks , and even the possibility of surrender . Unbeknownst to the Russians , the Clan ' s elderly and young children had already begun the trek to " G̱aajaa Héen " ( Old Sitka ) . At nightfall , the House Chiefs met again to discuss their planned march across the island . Mothers with infant children were to depart in the morning . Day Four . The naval cannon fire began at daybreak , halting periodically to allow the Russians to extend offers of peace to the Kiks . ádi , which were in turn rejected . That afternoon , the Tlingits ' response was that they had tired of battle , and would accede to the Russian demands to evacuate " Shís ' gi Noow " the following day . Once the sun had set , the natives held their last gathering in the sapling fort . The elders offered praise for their clansmen who had defended the Kiks . ádi homeland against a formidable enemy . The Clan gathered together for a last song , one that ended with a loud drum roll and a wail of anguish ( which the Russians interpreted as a sign of their surrender ) . The Tlingit then departed undetected under the cover of darkness . Aftermath . It wasn ' t until October 7 , days after the Kiks . ádi put forth their tragic " swan song , " that the Russians landed a large contingent of troops to secure the beachhead and to reconnoiter the area in and around " Shís ' gi Noow " . To their great surprise , none of the natives were to be found ( unbeknownst to the Russians , the Tlingit had embarked on what is now referred to as the " Sitka Kiks . ádi Survival March " ) . On October 8 , Captain Lisianski visited the abandoned Tlingit fortification and recorded his impressions of what he saw as follows : The fort was razed to preclude the possibility of its being used as a stronghold against the Russians and their allies ever again . " Neva " sailed out of Sitka Sound on November 10 . " Sitka Kiks . ádi Survival March " . The first leg of the Tlingit ' s sojourn entailed a hike west from " Gajaa Héen " to " Daxéit " ( the Clan ' s fishing camp at Nakwasina Sound , where each May the Kiks . ádi harvested herring eggs , a traditional native food ) . From there , the group ' s exact path across the mountains north to " Cháatl Ḵáa Noow " ( the Kiks . ádi " Halibut Man Fort " at Point Craven in the Peril Strait ) is a matter of some conjecture . However , a coastal route around the bays of northwest Baranof Island appears to be the most likely course as it would have allowed the travelers to circumvent the Island ' s dense forests , based on significant firsthand research into the event conducted by Herb and Frank Hope of the Sheetʼká Ḵwáan — Sitka Tribe of Alaska . Canoes fashioned out of red cedar trunks facilitated the ocean crossing to Chichagof Island . Several warriors remained in the vicinity of " Noow Tlein " after the Battle as a sort of rear guard , in order to both harass the Russian settlers and to prevent them from pursuing the Kiks . ádi during their flight north . Shortly thereafter , eight Aleut trappers were killed in Jamestown Bay and another was shot in the woods adjacent to New Archangel . From that point forward , Russian hunting parties went out in force , ever alert to the possibility of attack . The Kiks . ádi encouraged other Tlingit clans to avoid contact with the Russians by any means possible . Russian Alaska . Atop the " kekoor " ( hill ) at " Noow Tlein " , the Russians constructed a fortress ( " krepostʼ " ) of their own , consisting of a high wooden palisade with three watchtower s ( armed with 32 cannon ) for defense against Tlingit attacks . By the summer of 1805 , a total of 8 buildings had been erected inside the compound , including workshops , barracks , and the Governor ' s Residence . Aside from their annual expeditions to " Herring Rock " near the mouth of the Indian River , the Kiks . ádi by - and - large steered clear of the ever - expanding settlement until 1821 , when the Russians ( who intended to profit from the natives ' hunting prowess , and to put an end to the sporadic attacks on the village ) invited the Tlingit to return to Sitka , which was designated as the new capital of Russian America in 1808 . The Tlingit who chose to return were allowed to reside in a part of the village just below the heavily - guarded stockade on " Blockhouse Hill " ( an area known as the " Ranche " until around 1965 ) . Russian cannon were constantly trained on the natives as a reminder of their defeat at " Shís ' gi Noow " . The Kiks . ádi supplied the Russians with food ( including corn , or maize , which the settlers taught them how to cultivate ) and otter pelts , while the colonists introduced the Tlingit to the various aspects of Russian culture and the Russian Orthodox Church . Occasional acts of Tlingit aggression continued until 1858 , with one significant uprising ( though quickly quelled ) occurring in 1855 . In 1867 Russian America was sold to the U . S . After that , all the holdings of the Russian – American Company ' s holdings were liquidated . Following the transfer , many elders of the local Tlingit tribe maintained that " Castle Hill " comprised the only land that Russia was entitled to sell . Native land claims were not addressed until the latter half of the 20th century , with the signing of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act . The 1880 census reported a population of 43 Tlingit living in and around the Indian River , the Kiks . ádi ' s traditional summer fishing camp . Tributes . U . S . President Benjamin Harrison set aside the " Shís ' gi Noow " site for public use in 1890 . Sitka National Historical Park was established on the battle site on October 18 , 1972 " . . . to commemorate the Tlingit and Russian experiences in Alaska . " Today , the K ' alyaan Pole stands guard over the " Shís ' gi Noow " site to honor the Tlingit casualties . " Ta Eetí " , a memorial to the Russian sailors who died in the Battle , is located across the Indian River at site of the Russians ' landing . In September 2004 , in observance of the Battle ' s bicentennial , descendants of the combatants from both sides joined in a traditional Tlingit " Cry Ceremony " to formally mourn their lost ancestors . The next day , the Kiks . ádi hosted a formal reconciliation ceremony to " put away " their two centuries of grief .