The Army Takes Over

Most of the new territories acquired by the United States west of the Mississippi River had been occupied by Indian tribes. The tribes were often hostile to American migrants, usually for good reasons. Because this hostility led to outbreaks of violence, the government turned new territories over to the United States Army to administer. This was unnecessary in Alaska, but the government did what it was used to doing. It sent the Army to take charge of Alaska.

Army officials presided over the October 18, 1867 transfer ceremonies at Sitka. After the transfer, General Jefferson Davis became the virtual ruler of Alaska. Army troops were sent to establish forts at Sitka, Wrangell, Tongass Island, Kenai, Kodiak, and the Pribilof Islands. 

When troops arrived in Kodiak in the spring of 1868, they found three Russians, one American, and 390 Creoles living in 57 buildings. The one American was probably Frederick Sargeant, who was sent to Alaska to inventory, audit, and begin business with goods bought from the Russian-American Company. The troops built barracks and roads that first summer. Ships from San Francisco began to arrive at Kodiak every two to three weeks, bringing mail and fresh fruit and vegetables. Little happened at Fort Kodiak, and the brief boom ended in 1870 when the Army abandoned the fort.

By the end of 1870, all the posts outside of Sitka were abandoned. In that year, the army abolished its Military District of Alaska and placed the Sitka soldiers under the Military Department of Oregon. Maintaining its troops in Alaska was costing the army substantially more than elsewhere. The army anticipated saving $90,000 annually when it closed all its Alaskan posts outside of Sitka.

Although the United States Army was charged with administering Alaska during its early years, other government departments also sent officials there. The Treasury Department sent customs collectors and vessels from the Revenue Marine Service, which later became the Coast Guard, to collect taxes and enforce laws against smuggling. The Navy Department sent warships, with their officers and crews, to support the Army. 

The soldiers, sailors, and officials often equaled or outnumbered the newly arrived Americans they had been sent to serve. Although they often clashed with both Native and non-Native civilians, they provided much of the stimulus for Alaska's young economy.

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