Alaska, America's First Overseas Post: Rotational Deployments in Early Alaskan Military History, 1867-1885

This dissertation examines the U.S. military’s occupation of Alaska from 1867 to 1885, recasting it as America’s first overseas imperial venture rather than an extension or example of “Greater Reconstruction.” Drawing on untapped archival sources, it traces the experiences of Civil War veterans like Jefferson C. Davis and John C. Tidball who transformed "Seward’s Folly" from a stockade-bound outpost into a Pacific commercial hub. Challenging the view of Alaska as a military exile, the study reveals a zone of autonomy and opportunity where officers wielded significant authority, families-built communities, and soldiers charted unmapped lands, notably during the 1885 Allen-Fickett expedition. Testing the "Stockade State" and "Greater Reconstruction" paradigms, it argues Alaska’s isolation fostered a distinct imperial model, bridging America’s Atlantic past and Pacific future. This military era laid the groundwork for civilian rule, illuminating a formative yet overlooked chapter in U.S. expansion.