USA > Alaska > History of Alaska : 1730-1885 > Part 42
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In March 1804 the mate Bubnof, of the company's service, arrived at Pavlovsk,18 bringing intelligence of yet one more distinction conferred on the chief man- ager. He was appointed by the emperor to the rank of collegiate councillor, and thus placed on a level with the proud officers of the naval service who had caused him no little trouble. Baranof was deeply affected, and tears coursed down his weather-beaten cheeks as he exclaimed: " I am a nobleman; but Sitka is lost! I do not care to live ;. I will go and either die or restore the possessions of my august benefactor."
True to this declaration, he began at once to make his final preparations for the coming campaign. As usual, the natives had to furnish a contingent, though for years the settlement had been drained of able- bodied men to recruit the sea-otter parties, until there were barely enough left at home to provide for the women and children. Three hundred bidarkas with about eight hundred Aleuts, and a hundred and twenty Russians on board four small ships, left St Paul har- bor on the 2d of April, under command of Demian-
18 From Unalaska in a bidarka. He sailed from Okhotsk for Kadiak at the close of 1803, in command of the transport Dmitri, but was wrecked on the island of Oumnak. The crew and cargo were saved.
420
THE SITKA MASSACRE.
enkof, bound for the Sitka coast, by way of Ledianof (Cross) Sound, and Baranof in person sailed two days later with the sloops Ekaterina and Alexandr, leaving Banner in charge at St Paul. On arriving at Yak- utat, he found that Kuskof had strictly obeyed his orders, and that two craft lay on the shore ready to be launched. The vessels were named the Yermak and the Rostislaf.
CHAPTER XX.
SITKA RECAPTURED.
1803-1805.
THE 'NADESHDA' AND 'NEVA' SAIL FROM KRONSTADT-LISIANSKY ARRIVES AT NORFOLK SOUND IN THE 'NEVA'- BARANOF SETS FORTH FROM YAK- UTAT-HIS NARROW ESCAPE FROM SHIPWRECK-HE JOINS FORCES WITH LISIANSKY-FRUITLESS NEGOTIATIONS-DEFEAT OF THE RUS- SIANS-THE FORTRESS BOMBARDED-AND EVACUATED BY THE SAV- AGES-THE NATIVES MASSACRE THEIR CHILDREN-LISIANSKY'S VISIT TO KADIAK-HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE SETTLEMENTS-A KOLOSH EM- BASSY-A DINNER PARTY AT NOVO ARKHANGELSK-THE 'NEVA'S' HOMEWARD VOYAGE-BIBLIOGRAPHY.
BEFORE proceeding further with the narrative of Baranof's operations, it is necessary to give some ac- count of an expedition which had previously sailed from St Petersburg. While he was yet smarting under the loss inflicted by the savages of Sitka, and look- ing about in vain for men and means to avenge himself, a young naval officer in that city was setting in motion a chain of events that were destined to aid in the accomplishment of the chief manager's wishes.
During the years 1798-9, Lieutenant Krusenstern, of the Russian navy, sailed for Canton on board an English merchant vessel, for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the navigation of the China Sea. There he noticed the arrival of an English trading vessel1 from the American coast, and the disposal of her cargo of furs for 60,000 piastres. On his return to Russia, Krusenstern presented a memorial to the
1 Probably Meares' ship.
( 421 )
422
SITKA RECAPTURED.
minister of marine,2 proposing the despatch direct from Kronstadt to the Russian American colonies of two ships, fitted with all the material needed for the construction and equipment of vessels, and having on board a force of shipwrights and skilled workmen, and a supply of charts, instruments, and nautical works.
The trade with China was then conducted by way of Okhotsk and Kiakhta, thus entailing a loss in time of more than two years with each cargo. If suitable vessels could be built on the American coast, or the adjacent islands, furs shipped thence direct to Canton, the proceeds expended in the purchase of Chinese goods for shipment to Russia, the vessels touching at Manila, Batavia, or some port in the East Indies to complete their freight, a commerce might be developed which erelong would place the Russian American Company beyond the competition of the English and Dutch East India companies.
Such was Krusenstern's project; and though, as he says, there was nothing novel about the idea, it does not seem to have occurred to the managers of the company. The memorial met with the approval of the minister of marine, who discussed the matter with the minister of commerce; and within a few months, the young officer was summoned to St Peters- burg, and, much to his astonishment, informed that the emperor had selected him to carry his own plan into execution.
Captain Lisiansky, who had served with Krusen- stern on board the English fleet during the American war of independence, was appointed second in com- mand, and to him was intrusted the purchase of suitable vessels. Two ships, renamed the Nadeshda, or Hope, and the Nera, were secured in London for £17,000
2 An abstract of the memorial was first presented to Count Kuschelef, who returned a discouraging answer. On the accession of Alexander I., Admiral Mordivinof was appointed minister of marine, and to him the memorial was presented in January 1802, with a favorable result. Krusenstern's Voy. round World, introd., p. xxix .- xxx.
423
KRUSENSTERN'S EXPEDITION.
sterling, and an additional sum of £5,000 was imme- diately expended for repairs.3 On their arrival at Kronstadt further repairs were found necessary, and it was not until late in the summer of 1803 that the expedition was ready for sea.
Meanwhile Krusenstern was informed that advan- tage would be taken of the opportunity to despatch an embassy to Japan, with a view to opening the ports of that country to Russian commerce. Rezanof was appointed ambassador, and was intrusted with an autograph letter addressed by the tzar to the mikado, and with presents for that dignitary. To Rezanof was probably due, in part, the favor with which Krusen- stern's project was regarded, for, as we have seen, he had great influence at court. Moreover, the dowry of his wife, who had died soon after her marriage, was entirely invested in the stock of the Russian American Company.
About a month before the departure of the expedi- tion, the commander had the honor of receiving the tzar on board his vessel. "The object of his visit," says Krusenstern, " was to see the two ships which were to carry the Russian flag for the first time round the world-an event which, after a hundred years' im- provement in Russia, was reserved for the reign of Alexander. He noticed everything with the greatest attention, as well with the ships themselves as with the different articles which were brought from Eng- land for the voyage. He conversed with the com- manders, and attended for some time with pleasure to the work which was going on on board the ship."4
On the 7th of August, exactly one year after Kru- senstern had received his appointment, the vessels
3 Id., 3. Tikhmenef, Istor. Obos., i. 98, says the Nadeshda was purchased for 82,024 roubles, and the Neva for 89,914 roubles, in parchment money. These figures are certainly inaccurate, for parchment money was at a very heavy discount.
4 Krusenstern had now an opportunity of thanking the tzar in person for assigning to his wife, for twelve years, the income of an estate amounting to 1,500 roubles a year, in order, as the emperor said, to set his mind perfectly at ease with respect to the welfare of his family. Id., i. 7.
424
SITKA RECAPTURED.
sailed from Kronstadt, supplied with two or three years' provisions, and having on board a hundred and thirty-nine persons. The Neva was placed in charge of Lisiansky, while on board the Nadeshda were the commander, the ambassador and his suite, the natur- alist Langsdorff, and two sons of the counsellor Kot- zebue, one of whom afterward became famous as an explorer in the north-west.5
As only one ship was allowed by the mikado to call yearly at Japan,6 it was arranged that they should part company at the Sandwich Islands, the Nadeshda sailing for Japan, thence for Kadiak, and afterward for Kamchatka, there to winter, while the Neva sailed direct for the harbor of Three Saints. In the following summer both were to proceed to Canton freighted with furs, and after taking in a cargo of Chinese wares to return to Kronstadt.
After calling at Copenhagen and Falmouth, the vessels sailed for the island of Teneriffe, and thence for Santa Catharina, on the coast of Brazil, where they were repaired and refitted. Here disputes broke out between the members of the embassy and the naval commanders, Rezanof attempting to control the move- ments of the expedition by virtue of his rank and social position. In April 1804 the two ships rounded Cape Horn. Explorations among the South Sea Is- lands caused further delay, and it was not until the second week in June that the expedition sailed from the Hawaiian Islands. The programme of the voy- age was now somewhat altered, the Nadeshda, before proceeding to Japan, steering for Petropavlovsk, where
5 The Nadeshda was a vessel of 450 tons, and had 64 persons on board. The complement of the Neva, a 370-ton ship, consisted of 8 officers and 46 sailors and petty officers. A list of the officers, the ambassador's suite, and the scientific men who accompanied the expedition is given in Id., 16-18. With two exceptions all the members of the embassy returned to St Peters- burg, after leaving the Nadeshda at Kamchatka in 1805.
6 An embassy sent to Japan in 1792 had been favorably received, per- mission being given for one Russian vessel to be admitted each year to the port of Nangasaki, for trading purposes; but until 1803 no use appears to have been made of this concession.
425
LISIANSKY'S VOYAGE.
for the present we will leave her, while the Neva was headed for Kadiak.
On the 13th of July, 1804, Lisiansky sighted Pavlovsk, or, as we shall now call it, St Paul Harbor, where he thus describes his reception: "Shortly after midnight, two large leathern boats came to our assist- ance, in consequence of a letter I had sent the day before, by means of a small bidarka, to announce our arrival, in one of which was Captain Bander,7 deputy commander of the Russian establishment here. The weather was so thick and dark that he found us mere- ly by the noise we made in furling our sails. His stay with us was short, but he left his pilot on board, who brought the vessel into the harbor about two o'clock in the afternoon. On passing the fort, we were saluted by eleven guns; and as soon as the anchor was down, Mr. Bander returned, accompanied by several Russians, who were eager to congratulate us on our happy arrival. It is not easy to express what I felt on this occasion. Being the first Russian that had hitherto performed so long and tedious a voyage, a degree of religious fervor mixed itself with the delight and satisfaction of my mind."8
Lisiansky hoped that his hardships for that year at least were over, and that he would have time to repair and refit after his long voyage; but no sooner had he landed, than Banner placed in his hands a communication from Baranof relating the destruction of the Sitka settlement,' and begging assistance in conquering the savages and rebuilding the fort. Con- vinced of the importance of recovering this point, he complied at once with the request. Only the most necessary repairs were made, and after being detained for a few days by unfavorable weather, the Neva sailed from Kadiak on the 15th of August, and five
7 Banner. Langsdorff makes the same mistake in his Voy. and Trav., part ii. 56.
8 Lisiansky's Voy. round World, 142-3.
9 Lisiansky had heard a rumor of the disaster during his brief stay at the Sandwich Islands.
426
SITKA RECAPTURED.
days later entered Sitka Sound, where the Alexandr and Ekaterina were found at anchor, awaiting the arrival of Baranof, who was then engaged in a hunt- ing expedition. From one of the officers it was as- certained that the natives had taken up their position on a bluff, a few miles distant, where they had forti- fied themselves, and were resolved to try issue with the Russians. .
Relating his impressions of the surrounding country, Lisiansky says: "On our entrance into Sitca Sound to the place where we now were, there was not to be seen on the shore the least vestige of habitation. Nothing presented itself to our view but impenetra- ble woods reaching from the water-side to the very tops of the mountains. I never saw a country so wild and gloomy; it appeared more adapted for the residence of wild beasts than of men."
On the 25th of August, the chief manager sailed from Yakutat on board the Yermak, and on the fol- lowing day his boats and bidarkas entered Ledianof Sound. A swift current runs by these shores, and great care was needed to keep the vessels on their course. Moreover, the fog which overhangs the sound at all seasons of the year completely hid the boats from sight. A strong tide was setting in, which carried the Yermak away from the remainder of the flotilla, and soon all the vessels were rapidly closing in with the shore. Presently the wind calmed, the sails hung to the mast, the boats would not obey the rudder, and the depth of water prevented them from anchoring. There appeared to be no hope of keeping off the beach, where the Kolosh might be upon them at any moment. "There was nothing to be done," says Khlebnikof, "but to leave everything to providence." 10
10 The Russians appear to have been somewhat unmindful of the maxim on providence and self-help. A laughable story is told of a skipper who, be- ing caught in a squall about this year, and his vessel thrown on her beam-ends, was roused from his slumbers by the water coming into his berth, and by one of the mates who came to warn him of the danger. 'Now the ship is in
427
IMPENDING SHIPWRECK.
The chief manager preserved the greatest calmness, and by his demeanor inspired his frightened men with some confidence. Thus encouraged, their exertions never relaxed, and from time to time they would ob- tain glimpses of each other through the fog, as they continued to keep off the dreaded shore. Baranof writes of this incident: "What a position to be in; working desperately to hold our own between steep cliffs and rapid currents! At last the tide turned, and we were drawn toward the opposite shore. At the same time a breeze sprung up and allowed the hoisting of sail, while the fog dispersed. But nothing seemed to be in our favor that day. Soon the breeze freshened into a gale, threatening the expedition with another danger. The ships barely escaped stranding, as they tacked frequently and cleared the strait in the teeth of the storm. The bidarkas were scattered over the sound, and some sought shelter under the rocks, trusting rather to the protection of providence from the savages than risking exposure to the merciless elements. Finally the prayers of so many anxious souls were heard, and with almost superhuman exer- tion a sheltered bay was reached, and the boats anchored, the Rostislaf coming in last. The Yermak had lost a skiff, the Rostislaf a considerable part of her rigging, while one of the bidarkas went down in the storm." "11
Without further incident worthy of mention, Bar- anof arrived at Sitka Sound on the 19th of September, and on the following day went on board the Neva to consult with Lisiansky. "Hearing nothing," writes the latter, " of the hunters who had been separated
God's hands,' he exclaimed, as he turned over in his bed, and commencing to pray, there remained until one of the officers had sense enough to let go the main-sail, when the ship righted.
11 Langsdorff, who passed through this channel in a bidarka, in company with the navigator De Wolf, says: 'At this point the force of the current and tide is considerable. The passage is only 150 toises wide, while the average depth is 200 fathoms, with rocks coming up within 5 feet at low tide.' De Wolf remarks that nowhere in his travels has he met with anything to com- pare with the violence of the current. Khlebnikof, Shizn. Baranova, 80-1.
428
SITKA RECAPTURED.
in the gale, an armed vessel was on the 23d sent in search of them, and everything in the mean time pre- pared for their reception, in a small bay opposite to us. At eight o'clock in the evening, sixty bidarkas belong- ing to this party, among whom were twenty Russians, arrived, under the command of Mr Kooskoff, who, on passing us, fired a salute of muskets, in answer to which I ordered two rockets to be sent up. Expect- ing more of these bidarkas in the course of the night, we hung out a lantern to each top-gallant mast-head of our vessel.
"The next morning, as soon as it was light, ob- serving the shore to the extent of three hundred yards completely covered with the hunting-boats, we sent our launch armed with four swivels, to cruise on the sound, to prevent them from being attacked by the Sitcans; and shortly after I went with some of my officers on shore, where the picture that presented itself to our view was new to us.
"Of the numerous families of hunters several had already fixed their tents; others were busy in erect- ing them. Some were hanging up their clothes to dry, some kindling a fire, some cooking victuals; some again, overcome with fatigue, had stretched them- selves on the ground, expecting, amidst this clash of sounds and hum of men, to take a little repose; whilst at a distance boats were seen arriving every moment, and by adding to the numbers, increasing the interest of the scene. On coming out of the barge we were met by at least five hundred of these, our new coun- trymen, among whom were many toyons."
On the 28th of September the united squadron moved out of Krestovsky Bay, the Neva being towed by over one hundred canoes. In the evening an an- chorage was found near the high bluff upon which the Sitkans' stronghold was situated. All night the weird song of the chaman was heard by the Russians, but no opposition was offered, when on michaelmas day
429
A BATTLE.
of 1804 Baranof and his party landed near the site of the modern town of Sitka.12
At dusk an envoy from the Kolosh came to the Russians with friendly overtures. He was told that conditions of peace could be made only with the chiefs. The next morning he reappeared in company with a hostage, whom he delivered up, but received the same answer. At noon thirty armed savages approached, and halting just beyond musket-shot, commenced to parley. Baranof's terms were that the Russians should be allowed to retain permanent possession of the bluff, and that two additional hostages should be given. To this the Kolosh would not consent, and soon afterward withdrew, being warned through the interpreters that the ships would be immediately moved close to their fort, and that they had only themselves to blame for what might follow.
On the 1st of October four of the ships were drawn up in line before the enemy's fort,13 in readiness for action, and a white flag hoisted on board the Neva. As no response was made, the order was given to open fire, and Lieutenant Arbusof, with two boats and a field-piece, was instructed to destroy the canoes which lay on the beach, and to set fire to a large barn near the shore, which was supposed to be the storehouse of the Kolosh. Finding that he could do little damage in his boats, Arbusof landed and marched toward the fort, whereupon Baranof went to his support with a hundred and fifty men and several guns. The sur- rounding woods were so dense that the two parties
12 This was the spot selected by Baranof on his first appearance on Norfolk Sound, but another site was chosen on account of the disinclination of the natives to see a Russian settlement established there.
13 Khlebnikof gives Sept. 20th as the date. Shizn. Baranova, 85. This fort was in the shape of an irregular polygon, its longest side facing the sea. It was protected by a breastwork two logs in thickness, and about six feet high. Around and above it tangled brush-wood was piled. Grape-shot did little damage, even at the distance of a cable's length. There were two em- brasures for cannon in the side facing the sea, and two gates facing the forest. Within were fourteen large huts, or, as they were called by the natives, bara- baras. Judging from the quantity of provisions and domestic implements found there, it must have contained at least 800 warriors. Lisiansky's Voy. round World, 163, where a plan of the fort is given.
430
SITKA RECAPTURED.
could not see each other as they advanced; their progress was slow, and night was upon them when they reached the stronghold. Meanwhile the savages remained perfectly quiet, except that occasionally a musket-shot was fired, probably as a signal. Mistaking this inaction for timidity, Baranof rashly ordered his men to carry the fort by storm. He was met by the savages in a compact body, and a well-directed fire was opened on his men, causing a stampede among the natives, who were dragging along the guns. Left with a mere handful of sailors and promyshleniki, the commander was forced to retire. The Kolosh then rushed forth in pursuit. The Russians fought gal- lantly, and succeeded in saving their field-pieces, though with the loss of ten killed and twenty-six wounded, among the latter being the chief manager, who was shot through the arm with a musket-ball.14 As they neared the shore, their retreat was covered by the guns of the flotilla, but for which circumstance it is probable that none would have escaped, and that Bar- anof's career would now have been brought to a close.
The following day Lisiansky was requested by Baranof to take charge of the expedition. He at once opened a brisk fire on the fort. In the afternoon, messengers were sent by the Kolosh to sue for peace, with the promise to give as hostages some members of the most prominent families, and to liberate all the Kadiak natives who were detained as prisoners. The overture was favorably received, and on this and the three following days a number of hostages were deliv- ered into the hands of the Russians. Meanwhile the evacuation of the fort was demanded, and to show that he was in earnest, Lisiansky moved his ship far- ther in shore. To this the chief toyon consented after a brief negotiation.
14 Of the Neva's men alone two were killed, and a lieutenant (Povalishin), a master's mate, a surgeon's mate, a quartermaster, and ten sailors of the sixteen who accompanied them, were wounded. Of the two that were killed, one was immediately held up on the spears of the savages. Id., 158.
431
MURDER OF CHILDREN.
On the morning of the 6th, an interpreter was sent to ask whether the Kolosh were ready to abandon their stronghold. He was answered that they would do so at high water. At noon the tide was at its height, and as there was no sign of preparation for departure, the savages were again hailed, and no answer being returned, fire was opened from the Neva. During the day a raft was constructed, on which theguns could be brought close up to the fort. Toward evening two large canoes appeared, one of them belonging to an old man, "who," says Lisiansky, "like another Charon, had in general brought the hostages to us." He was advised to return and persuade his country- men to retire at once if they valued their safety. To this he consented, and it was arranged that if he were successful, it should be made known to the Russians by a certain signal.15 Two or three hours later the signal was heard and was answered by a cheer from those on board the vessels. Then far into the night a strange chant was wafted on the still air from the encampment of the savages, expressing their relief, as the interpreters said, that now their lives were no longer in peril.
But the chant had other significance. At daylight no sound was heard from shore, nor was any living creature in sight, save flocks of carrion birds hover- ing around the fort. The Kolosh had fled to the woods, and within the stronghold lay the dead bodies of their children, slaughtered lest their cries should betray the lurking place of the fugitives.16 The fort-
15 Shouting thrice the word " oo," meaning "end."
16 Thirty of the Kolosh warriors were also found dead in the fort. It was at first supposed that the survivors had crossed the mountains to Khus- noffsky Sound, but soon afterward they attacked a party of Alents a few versts distant, killing nine of them. Khlebnikof, Shizn. Baranova, 87-8. Lisiansky thinks that their flight was due to fear of vengeance, on account of their late cruelty and perfidy, but that if ammunition had not failed them, they would have defended themselves to the last extremity. He is of opinion that if Baranof had adopted his suggestion to harass the enemy from the ships, and cut off their water supply and their communication with the sea, the fort might have been captured by the Russians without the loss of a single man. The Kolosh left behind them a quantity of provisions and more than twenty large canoes. Voy. round World, 162-4.
432
SITKA RECAPTURED.
ress was then burned to the ground, and the construc- tion of magazines was immediately commenced, to- gether with spacious barracks and a residence for the chief manager. The buildings were surrounded with a stockade, block-houses being erected at each corner, and a stronghold was thus formed that was believed to be impregnable against the attacks of the Kolosh. To this settlement was given the name of Novo Ark- hangelsk. Under the bluff were anchored all the ves- sels, with the exception of the despatch boat Rostislaf and the Neva, both of which sailed for Kadiak, Lisi- ansky purposing to winter there, and after taking in supplies, to return in the spring to Sitka Sound, whence he proposed to sail for Canton.17
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