Kitimat War

The Kitimat War was a war waged by Terrace to gain control of Kitimat.

## Background

After fraud allegations against Edgar L. Wallace resulted in a vote of no-confidence against the governor of Kitimat, Governor Seth E. Falconer of Terrace declared sovereignty over Kitimat. Col. Toby H. Jones of Kitimat seized control of the state's government without being elected, causing a number of residents to take up arms in support of Falconer. More residents, however, joined new militia units and prepared to repel the foreign invaders.

## Action

### The Battle of Kitimat Harbor

On Jan 15, 5 NE, the "Falconer Militia," a number of Kitimat residents sympathetic to the Terrace invaders, attacked the docks of Kitimat. There, they managed to burn the KS Kitimat, a Cutter that served as the Navy of Kitimat. The 3 newly raised militia companies of Kitimat were quickly deployed to the harbor. Trapped between the city and the sea, 87 Falconer Militiamen were killed. Those who surrendered were executed. 29 Kitimat Militiamen were lost in the fighting. The crew of the KS Kitimat, who were primarily not on board at the time of the attack, joined the Kitimat militia forces marching north to reinforce the Kitimat Battalion.

### The Battle of the Kitimat Valley

The primary engagement of the Kitimat War, the Battle of the Kitimat Valley was a protracted battle. Col. Jones deployed his new militia forces east of the Kitimat River, covering relatively flat, forested ground. He deployed his main force west of the river to take advantage of the high ground there. His militia forces were positioned slightly southeast of the high ground, leaving a gap along the river. He hoped to lure Terrace forces into attacking the gap, so that he could trap them in crossfire. On January 27, Terrace troops arrived. With superior numbers and artillery, they set about bombarding Kitimat forces into mid-February. They inflicted 252 casualties before the Kitimat forces were dug in well enough to minimize artillery's effectiveness.

On Feb 14, Col. Jones secretly removed his Ranger Company from the hill in the western half of the valley. They crossed the Kitimat River and traveled through a mountain pass to the east. Upon exiting the pass to the north, they would attack the Terrace artillery from the rear. Instead, the rangers were slaughtered in the forest, having been met by the entirety of the Terrace 1st Battalion. As it turned out, Gov. Falconer had anticipated the use of the pass, and had only been bombarding Kitimat's forces with his 2nd Battalion.

On Feb 17, Gov. Falconer launched an attack on the Kitimat Battalion with his 2nd Battalion. His forces took 165 casualties, inflicting 154, and were driven back. The Kitimat Battalion then counterattacked on the 18th, shattering the 2nd Battalion by inflicting 192 casualties at the cost of 135. Having temporarily knocked the 2nd Battalion out of commission, Jones sought to quickly flank the 1st Battalion and rout the Terrace forces. He launched the full force of his troops against the 1st Battalion, routing them as well, inflicting 315 casualties at the cost of 162. The artillery companies of Terrace were forced to abandon their guns to avoid being overrun. They did, however, damage the guns beyond use before fleeing.

The Terrace forces fell back to Lakelse Lake, affording them a defensive advantage. Boosted by a successful campaign, Col. Jones managed to raise another militia company to join the advance. Jones knew he was facing a stronger and more well-supplied force, and he needed to break them quickly. He attacked the 2nd Terrace Battalion on Feb 28th, both inflicting and sustaining 176 casualties. Terrace's remaining forces fell back across a stream, where Jones attacked again on March 1st. Keeping his militia in reserve to prevent himself from being trapped between the lake and the mountains by the 1st Battalion, he took 44 casualties and inflicted 40 in his first attack. He attacked again on the 2nd, this time being met by stiffer resistance, losing 192 men and again inflicting 40 casualties.

By this time, Terrace had raised 2 additional militia companies who joined the front on March 3rd. They counterattacked the stream, failing to dislodge the Kitimat forces. Running desperately low on manpower and once again significantly outnumbered, Jones elected to abandon his positions by the lake, retreating all the way back to the city of Kitimat.

### Battle of Kitimat

The city of Kitimat has the Kitimat River as a protective barrier to its west, and hills to the north, making it a difficult city to take. Gov. Falconer therefore elected to make an approach through a series of hills to the east of the city with one of his battalions, while maintaining the other north of the city to prevent Col. Jones from moving his forces. Falconer's attack on March 27th proved fruitless, resulting in more than double the casualties for Terrace as for Kitimat. A further attack on the 28th proved similarly unable to dislodge Kitimat militia forces, but a war of attrition would work in Terrace's favor, as Anchorage and Prince George had each refused to enter the war, despite pleas from both governments. Finally, on March 29th, the remainder of the 1st Terrace Battalion shattered Kitimat's militia defenses.

Roughly 400 men remained defending the city of Kitimat, facing a force twice their size. On March 31st, those forces made their final stand within the city of Kitimat. 312 of the defenders were killed, the remainder escaping the city on fishing boats bound for the colonial town of Port Royal. 306 civilians were killed in the fighting.

## Aftermath

The state of Hecate agreed to appeals by the citizens of Port Royal, and take over administration of the colony. Terrace, in no position to now fight a war against a larger power, allowed the transition to occur peacefully. Kitimat ceased to exist as a sovereign state, its capital becoming a city of the state of Terrace.

Overall, Kitimat lost 2,128 soldiers and 306 civilians killed, while Terrace lost 1,681 soldiers. Col. Toby H. Jones, leader of the Kitimat forces, escaped with his men to Port Royal and was elected mayor of the town.