US ResearchConflictsEarly Republic and War of 1812Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection
Early Republic and War of 1812

Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection

1805
Alaska
Era
Early Republic and War of 1812
Year
1805
Location
Alaska
Status
Historical record
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Russian-American Company
Forces
Fort Resurrection (Slavorossiya)
VS
Victor
Tlingit
Forces
Tlingit warriors at Yakutat Bay
Outcome
Fort Resurrection destroyed; garrison killed; Russians permanently expelled from Yakutat
The Battle

History & Significance

Three years after destroying Fort St. Michael at Sitka, Tlingit warriors at Yakutat Bay destroyed the Russian outpost at Fort Resurrection (Slavorossiya). Most of the garrison was killed. This attack, combined with the Sitka events of 1802–04, demonstrates the sustained organized Tlingit resistance to Russian colonization of coastal Alaska.

Historical context

The early republic period saw the United States move from the weak Articles of Confederation to the federal Constitution ratified in 1788, with the Bill of Rights added in 1791. George Washington served two terms as president (1789–1797), establishing precedents for executive authority, and the federal capital moved permanently to Washington D.C. in 1800. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) doubled the nation's territory for roughly $15 million, opening vast trans-Mississippi lands to American expansion. The War of 1812 against Britain ended inconclusively but produced a surge of American national identity and eliminated most British support for Indigenous resistance east of the Mississippi. The Northwest Indian Wars (1785–1795) and the Creek War (1813–1814) broke Indigenous confederacies that had resisted US expansion. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 temporarily balanced slave and free states as the nation expanded westward, but embedded the contradiction of slavery in every subsequent territorial debate.

Casualties & Losses

~15 Russians killed; fort destroyed

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection take place?
Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection took place in 1805.
Where was Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection fought?
Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection was fought in Alaska, United States.
What was the outcome of Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection?
Fort Resurrection destroyed; garrison killed; Russians permanently expelled from Yakutat
What was the significance of Tlingit Destruction of Fort Resurrection?
Three years after destroying Fort St. Michael at Sitka, Tlingit warriors at Yakutat Bay destroyed the Russian outpost at Fort Resurrection (Slavorossiya). Most of the garrison was killed. This attack, combined with the Sitka events of 1802–04, demonstrates the sustained organized Tlingit resistance
More from this era

Other Early Republic and War of 1812 Engagements

Battle of Sitka (Old Sitka)
1802
Alaska
Tlingit Destruction of Fort St. Michael (Redoubt St. Michael)
1802
Alaska
Battle of Sitka (Second Battle / Katlian's War)
1804
Alaska
Tlingit-Russian Conflicts at Novo-Arkhangelsk 1810s–1840s
1815
Alaska
Bombardment of Nulato 1851
1851
Alaska
All battles in Alaska
Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Aubrey Research

Explore the history around Alaska

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in the US, drawing on NRHP records, battlefield archives, census history and geological data to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near AlaskaView a free sample report
All Early Republic and War of 1812 Battles