The record-union., 1896-06-21
EIGHTY YEARS ago.
Anniversary Of the Landing on Rock
Island in 1916.
The Davenport Democrat Recalls Some
Of the Local History Of
the Region.

1 the Region.
Sunday May 10th, was an interesting
anniversary here. Just eighty years
before the United States landed it's
troops on Rock Island, with intent to
establish a military post there. The
intention was made good, and the post
was established, but it was half CEN
tury after that day that the place began
| to take shape as a great national arse
nal and armory, and to develop into the
mightiest factory for arms and munl-
tjons that earth affords.
| A good deal of interesting history
arises in this connection, and to most of
the people Of this city, though they live
right on the ground where these events
os the then frontier took place. it is
unknown. For example, how many are
aware that Offermann's Island figured
in the war Of 1912, or that it was the
| most westerly point at which British
and American forces engaged in that
struggle, and the most southerly with
the exception of New Orleans?
In 1914 active operations had, to some
extent, reached the valley of the Mis-
sissippi. st. Louis was United States
post then, and Governor Clark of Mis-
scuri fitted out an expedition to proceed
to Prairie du Chen, Wis, there to erect
fort and maintain a stand against
the British in the extreme Northwest.
Allied with them was Black Hawk and
his tribe, whose town in Illinois, near
the mouth of the Rock River, right
within sight of South Rock Island of
to-day, is estimated to have numbered
10000 souls and to have been the larg-
est compact community of the aborig-
ines on this continent. AS the eXpedi-
tion passed the mouth Of the Rock River
lively brush occurred with the In
dians there, but the expedition passed
and Prairie du Chen was fortified.
At this time General Benjamin How
ard was in command of the military
district extending from interior Indi-
ana to the Mexican frontier. Early in
July, 1914, before the news of Governor
Ciarks hard fighting in the vicinity OF
Prairie du Chen had reached st. Louis,
General Howard had fitted out an ex-
pedition to proceed TO Prairie du Chen
to reinforce the garrison there. 1t pro-
ceeded in three keel boats, and num-
bered about 130 persons, including the
suffers establishment and some women.
| It's commander was Captain John
Campbell, First United States Infantry.
The Indian villages at Rock Island
were reached, and the Sacs there We're
found to be profuse in their protesta-
tions of friendship. Campbell knew this
assumed friendship was lure to de-
struction, and a close eye was kept on
| the Indians, who made no attack during
the night the expedition lay at the
shore near the village here. Next morn
ing it set sail UP the river.
| However, wind arose some time
after starting, the boats were crowded
on a lee shore, the bank of a small
island, and there, Stormbound and un-
able to shift position, the Indians at
/ tackled the expedition. There was hot
and bloody work AS soon as Camp
bells boat was beached, he set out sem
| tinels and set to work to get break
fast. The Indians made a rush, killed
the sentries, and drove the others board
the boat BY hundreds they swarmed
about the beleagured boat, and at last
they set it afire. The burning boat was
filled with dead and wounded, among
the latter being Campbell himself. Not
a man would have escaped II the other
boats, which had been forced to anchor
some little distance away, had not man
aged to reach the place. In the face
Of a thousand Indians Captain Stephen
Rector, in command Of one of the two
remaining boats, forced it to the side
| of Campbell's burning craft, and in the
| face of the Indians fire got the sur
vivors out of it, and dropped down out
of range, leaving Campbells boat and
stores to the Indians. Rector'S boat was
crowded with the dead and dying, as
we'll as the living, but with it the other
boat hastened back to ST. Louis. This
signal defeat, killed and wounded num-
bering thirty-six, gave it's name to
Campbell's Island, just above here, the
pleasure resort of many Davenporters
during the warm months.
This outbreak by the Indians called
for the inf1iction of some wholesale dis
cipline upon them, SO an expedition was
fitted out at ST Louis, under orders to
punish the Indians at and near Rock
Island, and establish a fort near there.
1t was made up of 334 men, regulars,
militia and rangers, and was in COM
mand of Major Zachary Taylor, Sew
enth United States Infantry. Taylor
came to the mouth of Rock River for
wood, got shorn in almost precisely the
same manner that Campbell did a few
miles farther up that season. and he,
too, fastened back to escape annihila-
ton. He halted at Fort Madison, where
he wrote an official report of his fail
ure to General Howard. This letter
appears in Colonel d. w. Flagler's his
tory of Rock Island arsenal, and it is
very interesting chapter.
By this report it appears that Major
| Taylor had some notion of sailing up
1.-THE Rock River to the Indian town and
burning it, but that when he reached
| the mouth of Rock River he found it so
small and so shallow that sailing boats
could not be navigated, and so passed
on, intending to go to Rock Island and
| burn the villages there. Indians had in
| the meantime appeared in great num-
bers, running to and fro. and Offer
manns Island, as we now know lit
was then unnamed-as we'll as the west
shore of the Mississippi, was covered
with horses. The latter were supposed
to have been tethered where they were
| to allure the soldiers ashore and make
/ them easy marks for the ambushed
Indians. Taylor, however, was not so
young a bird as to be caught by that
| chaff, and he held on UP the river, but
as he was about to pass the head of
| Offermann'S Island, the wind shifted
and soon became a typical Iowa hurri-
cane, setting their boats, whether they
would or not, hard on the bank of lit
| tie willow covered island of six or eight
acres about sixty yards off the head of
4 tho Ia rcpr island inst named This han