This Day in Alaska History-September 6th, 1867

On September 6, 1867, Union Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis-not the Confederate president Jefferson Davis-was appointed the first commander of U.S. military forces in the newly established District of Alaska.

The following year, Davis ordered Russian residents in Sitka to leave their homes, saying the buildings were needed for Americans.

Davis had a controversial Civil War history. In September 1862, he fatally shot his superior officer, Maj. Gen. William “Bull” Nelson, after a heated dispute in Louisville, Kentucky.

Davis was arrested and faced the possibility of a court-martial, but he was ultimately returned to duty during the wartime shortage of experienced officers.

He was never court-martialed for Nelson’s death.