Pre Civil War History
Rock Island’s first military installation was Ft. Armstrong built in 1816 as protection for pioneers from raiding Native Americans. The island was of military strategic importance due to its location on the river. Rock Island was located on a three mile long, half-mile wide twelve acre island on the Mississippi River allowing for a good vantage point to the north and south banks of the important river. From 1816 until 1832 the military presence was used to help quell fights between warring Indian Nations and to serve as a fur trading outpost. During the brief Black Hawk War volunteers were garrisoned Ft. Armstrong, but no military engagements happened at this fort. After the U.S. governments forced removal of the Native Americans to west of the Mississippi River, the fort was abandoned and the city of Davenport, Iowa grew on the north bank of the river. In 1837 U.S. Army Lt. Robert E. Lee was sent to survey the Mississippi River. This task required him to travel north to Rock Island. As Davenport grew civilians began to encroach on the government property and in 1854 U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis blocked the sale of the property noting the spot as militarily important to the growing nation. Little did these two men know at the time how important Rock Island would become in the U.S. Civil War.[1]
[1] U.S. Army Armaments: Munitions and Chemical Command, An Illustrated of the Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island, Part One, by Thomas J. Slattery, 1988.
Rock Island’s first military installation was Ft. Armstrong built in 1816 as protection for pioneers from raiding Native Americans. The island was of military strategic importance due to its location on the river. Rock Island was located on a three mile long, half-mile wide twelve acre island on the Mississippi River allowing for a good vantage point to the north and south banks of the important river. From 1816 until 1832 the military presence was used to help quell fights between warring Indian Nations and to serve as a fur trading outpost. During the brief Black Hawk War volunteers were garrisoned Ft. Armstrong, but no military engagements happened at this fort. After the U.S. governments forced removal of the Native Americans to west of the Mississippi River, the fort was abandoned and the city of Davenport, Iowa grew on the north bank of the river. In 1837 U.S. Army Lt. Robert E. Lee was sent to survey the Mississippi River. This task required him to travel north to Rock Island. As Davenport grew civilians began to encroach on the government property and in 1854 U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis blocked the sale of the property noting the spot as militarily important to the growing nation. Little did these two men know at the time how important Rock Island would become in the U.S. Civil War.[1]
[1] U.S. Army Armaments: Munitions and Chemical Command, An Illustrated of the Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island, Part One, by Thomas J. Slattery, 1988.
Overview
Rock Island Prison often referred to as the "Andersonville of the North" by Civil War veterans' in the early twentieth century was in reality no better or no worse than any other Civil War Prison found either in the North or in the South. The collapse of the prisoner exchange cartel in the spring of 1863, after the release of Francis Lieber's Instructions for the Government of Armies of the United States in the Field found both governments unprepared to manage the organizational details for caring for large number of prisoners of war. The North had more resources readily available, so military prison compounds included buildings to shelter the captured Confederates from the weather, but their clothing was not proper for the harsh Northerof Rock Island were documented by the local newspapers, Davenport n winters. In the South, The Confederacy failed to build barracks to shelter the Northern soldiers and they were forced to make their own shelter out of whatever materials they could find. Both governments failed to provide adequate food, sanitary, or medical treatment to the prisoners of war which led to sickness and high mortality rates in the camps. The spread of disease due to lack of proper care not only decimated the number of prisoners, but also killed the guards.[2] By the end of the war 1,964 Confederates and 171 U.S. soldiers perished at the prison. The particular short-comings of Rock Island were documented by the
local newspapers, Davenport Daily Gazette and the Rock Island Argos, government agencies, prisoners and guards. The winter of 1864 was notably harsh and Confederate prisoner Lafayette Rogan[3] remarked in his diary on the 1st of January, "Coldest Day I have ever felt. Thermometer 30 below zero." Two days later Rogan comments on the lack of proper winter apparel. Rogan laments, "Many fellows have no blankets yet & are very thinly clad. Such men suffer terrible."
Rock Island was located on a three mile long, half-mile wide twelve acre island on the Mississippi River. It consisted of eighty-four barracks which were designed to contain 120 residents. There were fourteen buildings aligned North to South in six rows each row had one stove for cooking in the farthest west bunkhouse.
Rock Island Prison often referred to as the "Andersonville of the North" by Civil War veterans' in the early twentieth century was in reality no better or no worse than any other Civil War Prison found either in the North or in the South. The collapse of the prisoner exchange cartel in the spring of 1863, after the release of Francis Lieber's Instructions for the Government of Armies of the United States in the Field found both governments unprepared to manage the organizational details for caring for large number of prisoners of war. The North had more resources readily available, so military prison compounds included buildings to shelter the captured Confederates from the weather, but their clothing was not proper for the harsh Northerof Rock Island were documented by the local newspapers, Davenport n winters. In the South, The Confederacy failed to build barracks to shelter the Northern soldiers and they were forced to make their own shelter out of whatever materials they could find. Both governments failed to provide adequate food, sanitary, or medical treatment to the prisoners of war which led to sickness and high mortality rates in the camps. The spread of disease due to lack of proper care not only decimated the number of prisoners, but also killed the guards.[2] By the end of the war 1,964 Confederates and 171 U.S. soldiers perished at the prison. The particular short-comings of Rock Island were documented by the
local newspapers, Davenport Daily Gazette and the Rock Island Argos, government agencies, prisoners and guards. The winter of 1864 was notably harsh and Confederate prisoner Lafayette Rogan[3] remarked in his diary on the 1st of January, "Coldest Day I have ever felt. Thermometer 30 below zero." Two days later Rogan comments on the lack of proper winter apparel. Rogan laments, "Many fellows have no blankets yet & are very thinly clad. Such men suffer terrible."
Rock Island was located on a three mile long, half-mile wide twelve acre island on the Mississippi River. It consisted of eighty-four barracks which were designed to contain 120 residents. There were fourteen buildings aligned North to South in six rows each row had one stove for cooking in the farthest west bunkhouse.
Stockade
Rock Island was located on a three mile long, half-mile wide twelve acre island on the Mississippi River. It consisted of eighty-four barracks which were designed to contain 120 residents. There were fourteen buildings aligned north to south in six rows each row had one stove for cooking in the farthest west bunkhouse. A twelve foot high fence with a walkway four feet from the top surrounded the camp. Sentry boxes were placed every 100 feet. Maximum capacity for this military prison was 10,080 occupants, the most held at one time was 8,607. Documented escapes equal forty-one and. Other Prisoner statistics are 3,876 exchanged, 730 transferred, 5,581 released. Of the 5,581 released approximately 3,400 were "Galvanized Yankees." Galvanized Yankees are men who take the Loyalty Oath and switch sides to fight for the Union. These new soldiers are subject to doubt so the chose was to join the U.S. Navy or be sent to the Western Front to participate in Native American governmental policies. Records from Rock Island Arsenal show 1,600 Confederates joined the Navy and 1,797 went west.
Rock Island was located on a three mile long, half-mile wide twelve acre island on the Mississippi River. It consisted of eighty-four barracks which were designed to contain 120 residents. There were fourteen buildings aligned north to south in six rows each row had one stove for cooking in the farthest west bunkhouse. A twelve foot high fence with a walkway four feet from the top surrounded the camp. Sentry boxes were placed every 100 feet. Maximum capacity for this military prison was 10,080 occupants, the most held at one time was 8,607. Documented escapes equal forty-one and. Other Prisoner statistics are 3,876 exchanged, 730 transferred, 5,581 released. Of the 5,581 released approximately 3,400 were "Galvanized Yankees." Galvanized Yankees are men who take the Loyalty Oath and switch sides to fight for the Union. These new soldiers are subject to doubt so the chose was to join the U.S. Navy or be sent to the Western Front to participate in Native American governmental policies. Records from Rock Island Arsenal show 1,600 Confederates joined the Navy and 1,797 went west.
Death
Prisoners and smallpox arrived concurrently at Rock Island on December 3, 1863. As the captured soldiers from the Chattanooga, Tennessee battles were being transferred north they made a layover at Louisville Kentucky. At Louisville the Camp Commander, A.M. Clark, who was also dealing with overcrowding issues and the first signs of smallpox decided to include some of his prisoners with the group going north. By doing this he managed to spread smallpox too. In July 1863, Rock Island began preparation for building a military prison. In less than five months 5,000 prisoners were on their way to Rock Island, an island that was not prepared for prisoners let alone the easily spread pox. By the end of December ninety-four prisoners deaths had been reported due to a combination of pneumonia, smallpox, and other causes. In January of 1864 two hundred and sixty two POW’s had perished. May of 1864 found the compound still incomplete and seven barracks were used inside the walls to house guards. By July 1864 hospital facilities and “pest houses” were fully operational to properly manage the smallpox epidemic. The eight months since the first captured Confederates arrived saw 1300 grave markers placed in the cemetery.[1]
[1] Benton McAdams, Rebels at Rock Island: The Story of a Civil War Prison (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2000), 34-51.
Prisoners and smallpox arrived concurrently at Rock Island on December 3, 1863. As the captured soldiers from the Chattanooga, Tennessee battles were being transferred north they made a layover at Louisville Kentucky. At Louisville the Camp Commander, A.M. Clark, who was also dealing with overcrowding issues and the first signs of smallpox decided to include some of his prisoners with the group going north. By doing this he managed to spread smallpox too. In July 1863, Rock Island began preparation for building a military prison. In less than five months 5,000 prisoners were on their way to Rock Island, an island that was not prepared for prisoners let alone the easily spread pox. By the end of December ninety-four prisoners deaths had been reported due to a combination of pneumonia, smallpox, and other causes. In January of 1864 two hundred and sixty two POW’s had perished. May of 1864 found the compound still incomplete and seven barracks were used inside the walls to house guards. By July 1864 hospital facilities and “pest houses” were fully operational to properly manage the smallpox epidemic. The eight months since the first captured Confederates arrived saw 1300 grave markers placed in the cemetery.[1]
[1] Benton McAdams, Rebels at Rock Island: The Story of a Civil War Prison (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2000), 34-51.
Guards
Military Personnel not properly supervised cause issues for the towns they are stationed in and, in the case of Rock Island Military Prison, the soldiers they are responsible for guarding. The Rock Island Argus did not lack for news to include in its editions; the bad behavior of the Union soldiers supplied many local pieces. Public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and vandalism were some of the more minor offenses the citizens of Davenport and Rock Island were forced to deal with. The prisoners on the other hand were forced to suffer from a much more sinister side of the guards’ nature. Instances of guards stealing money are found in the writings and art of many prisoners recollections. The Library of Congress has a sketch titled “Lt. Bishop A.P.M. receiving prisoners in the room in Libby where our soldiers used to be robbed by the chivalry?”[1] This sketch shows the room where the captured soldiers were processed into the camp and the testimonial writing suggests prisoners were robbed of their belongings; an illegal practice according to Lieber’s codes. To be sure Confederates’ were not the only captors that took advantage of their power, thievery of currency was also recorded by the prisoners in the Northern prisons. One troop from Iowa guarded prisoners in St. Louis, Missouri, Alton, and Rock Island, Illinois. Their leader, Col. George W. Kincaid, set the example for his soldiers to follow in the 37th Iowa’s less then illustrious past. At Alton, Kincaid would confiscate any gold the Rebels brought in and if they left he would pay them with greenbacks at a lesser value than the gold. He was reprimanded by his superiors for this illegal trading, but he had set the standard by which his men would follow. At Rock Island, two of his officers were notorious for their abuses of prisoners. Lt. Graham would gamble with the prisoners, but he always won if not by chance then by drawing his revolver. These group of guards were quick to shoot and several instances of prisoner death by shooting happened during their watch.[2]
[1] Library of Congress, “Lt. Bishop A.P.M. receiving prisoners in the room in Libby where our soldiers used to be robbed by the chivalry,” (1865), accessed from http://www.loc.gov/item/2004660203/.
[2] Benton McAdams, “George W. Kincaid and the 37th Iowa Infantry in America's Civil War,” Civil War Times, February 1998. Accessed from http://www.historynet.com/george-w-kincaid-and-the-37th-iowa-infantry-in-americas-civil-war.htm.
Military Personnel not properly supervised cause issues for the towns they are stationed in and, in the case of Rock Island Military Prison, the soldiers they are responsible for guarding. The Rock Island Argus did not lack for news to include in its editions; the bad behavior of the Union soldiers supplied many local pieces. Public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and vandalism were some of the more minor offenses the citizens of Davenport and Rock Island were forced to deal with. The prisoners on the other hand were forced to suffer from a much more sinister side of the guards’ nature. Instances of guards stealing money are found in the writings and art of many prisoners recollections. The Library of Congress has a sketch titled “Lt. Bishop A.P.M. receiving prisoners in the room in Libby where our soldiers used to be robbed by the chivalry?”[1] This sketch shows the room where the captured soldiers were processed into the camp and the testimonial writing suggests prisoners were robbed of their belongings; an illegal practice according to Lieber’s codes. To be sure Confederates’ were not the only captors that took advantage of their power, thievery of currency was also recorded by the prisoners in the Northern prisons. One troop from Iowa guarded prisoners in St. Louis, Missouri, Alton, and Rock Island, Illinois. Their leader, Col. George W. Kincaid, set the example for his soldiers to follow in the 37th Iowa’s less then illustrious past. At Alton, Kincaid would confiscate any gold the Rebels brought in and if they left he would pay them with greenbacks at a lesser value than the gold. He was reprimanded by his superiors for this illegal trading, but he had set the standard by which his men would follow. At Rock Island, two of his officers were notorious for their abuses of prisoners. Lt. Graham would gamble with the prisoners, but he always won if not by chance then by drawing his revolver. These group of guards were quick to shoot and several instances of prisoner death by shooting happened during their watch.[2]
[1] Library of Congress, “Lt. Bishop A.P.M. receiving prisoners in the room in Libby where our soldiers used to be robbed by the chivalry,” (1865), accessed from http://www.loc.gov/item/2004660203/.
[2] Benton McAdams, “George W. Kincaid and the 37th Iowa Infantry in America's Civil War,” Civil War Times, February 1998. Accessed from http://www.historynet.com/george-w-kincaid-and-the-37th-iowa-infantry-in-americas-civil-war.htm.
Post War
After the Civil War the military devoted its energies into construction, water power development (including building of a dam) and a warehousing. During the Civil War it began use as an arsenal by the end of WW I it was a serious manufacture of armaments. Some of the items produced were 159 French 75-mm gun carriages, 255 Battery and store wagons, 9718 Artillery wheels, 113,670 Model 1906 Rifles, 167,195 loaded 153-mm Howitzer shells, 354,770 Knives, and 100 Mark VIII tanks. These tanks were manufactured in an astounding 286 days. In 1905 the Rock Island Arsenal Military Museum was opened. Visitors of the museum can see a vast array of weapons dating back to the Revolutionary War. During World War II the arsenal again increased its productions and employed a large number of women. Over the next fifty years Rock Island continued to be a military installation employing the local workforce to build armaments. Today it remains an active military installation “supporting more than 54,000 Active, Reserve component, retired Military, Civilian employees and Family members in a 150 mile radius.”[1]
[1] U.S. Army Armaments: Munitions and Chemical Command, An Illustrated of the Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island, Part Three, by Thomas J. Slattery, 1988.