First Battle of Seattle
- When
- 1856
- Where
- Seattle; Elliott Bay
- Episodes
- 2
On January 26, 1856, a coalition of Native American tribes attacked Seattle. European-American settlers, supported by artillery and Marines from the USS Decatur, repelled the assault. The conflict occurred amidst Governor Isaac Stevens' declaration of a 'war of extermination' against hostile Indians, following months of regional skirmishes.
Episodes
- Attack on Seattle
Native tribes attacked Seattle on January 26, 1856, using a decoy force to draw Marines out of defended areas.
- Naval Support
The USS Decatur, damaged in December 1855, provided artillery and Marine support to settlers during the battle.
Background and detail
The Attack. Native forces, estimated by settlers at 200 to 500 warriors, launched a mid-morning attack. A decoy force drew Marines from defended areas to First Hill. Settlers, initially doubting an attack would occur, fled to the blockhouse. The battle lasted a single day, with settlers backed by artillery and naval support.
Aftermath. The defeat discouraged Native attackers, but settlers remained apprehensive. Governor Stevens, who was not present during the battle, acknowledged hostile Indian presence. In February 1856, he concluded he needed to concentrate on defensive measures given limited manpower; his blockhouse policy and martial-law declaration in Pierce County were later 1856 developments tied to his enforcement efforts, not battle aftermath.
People involved
- Isaac Ingalls Stevens · Governor of Washington Territory
- Chief Seattle (Sealth) · Namesake of the town of Seattle; a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish peoples, though sources do not place him among the attackers
- Yark-eke-e-man · Native leader who influenced attack timing
- USS Decatur · U.S. Navy sloop-of-war providing support
Sources
- Battle of Seattle (1856) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
- Isaac Stevens Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-31
- USS Decatur (1839) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.