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THE RAID ON ST. MICHAEL'S Sometime near summer solstice in 1802, hundreds of Tlingit warriors attacked the Russian/Aleut settlement of St. Michael’s, near present-day Sitka, Alaska, killing nearly all the inhabitants. In the carefully planned assault, half of the attacking forces came by canoe and the other half descended on the fort from the surrounding forest. A Russian historian named Kiril Khlebnikov wrote this passage about the attack: The Tlingits “suddenly emerged noiselessly from the shelter of the impenetrable forests, armed with guns, spears, and daggers. Their faces were covered with masks representing the heads of animals, and smeared with red and other paint; their hair was tied up and powdered with eagle down. Some of the masks were shaped in imitation of ferocious animals with gleaming teeth and of monstrous beings. They were not observed until they were close to the barracks; and the people lounging about the door had barely time to rally and run into the building when the [Tlingits], surrounding them in a moment with wild and savage yells, opened fire from their guns at the windows. A terrific uproar was continued in imitation of the cries of animals represented by their masks, with the object of inspiring greater terror” (quoted in Polly Miller, Lost Heritage of Alaska, p. 140). The masks Khlebnikov refers to actually were heavy wooden war helmets worn on top of the head in combination with neck protectors; wooden slat armor or thick elkhide covered the rest of the warrior’s body. When I first read this account of the battle I knew that I had to someday attempt a drawing of it. In June 2002 I made my way to Sitka for the 200th anniversary of the battle. I went to the empty beach and tried imagining what the scene must have looked like. I then spent countless hours researching the helmets and armor before I started the drawing that July. To my mind, the Tlingit warriors bear a striking resemblance to Japanese samurai. —Ray Troll
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