The record-union., 1896-06-21

tending to batter the British out of
their position, but he recollected in
time that they would riddle and sink
every boat he had, SO he drew off and on
making a careful estimate of the num-
ber OF the Indians, and finding that
there were not less than 1000 of them
engaged in the fight, while he had only
one man against three, he drew off,
dropped down the river two or three
miles and gave attention to the injured
men and boats. The Indians followed
them, firing on them all along, and not
till Taylor threw his force into position
oil a little prairie, and made ready for
a big fight, did the Indians retreat He
went back as stated. There is no i'm
putation of lack of courage on his part.
He had simply bitten off more than he
could chaw," and had the good sense
to back out when he saw he could not
get through.
The exact site of this British battery
is probably not recoverable now, but
from Taylor's report it must have been
on the southern side of Onermann's Is
! land, near its head.
All this was preliminary, of course,
but it served TO indicate the
strategic Importance of Rock Island
in that day, when there were no rail-
roads, and when the rivers were the
arteries of travel and commerce. A
strong pest at the lower end of that
island, with the swift current and mar
row channel of the river in it's aid at
that spot, ought to be able to hold it
against anything that could be sent
against it. So, in September, 1915, the
Eighth United States Infantry, under
command of Colonel c. r. Nichols, was
sent from ST. Louis to establish a fort
on or near Rock Island, as might be
found best. Colonel George Davenport
accompanied the expedition as con-
tractors agent, all army provisions be-
ms then supplied through private con-
tractors, and not through a commits
Sary department as now. Colonel
Davenport carried his supplies in keel
boats, like those that bore the troops.
The movement of the expedition was
slow, and the winter came on early
The ice caught the party at the mouth
of the DeS MoineS River, the southeast
corner of Iowa now, and there the eX-
petition halted, built huts and spent
the winter. This was where Major
Taylor and his men wintered the year
before, after their drubbing at the
mouth of the Rock River. Subsequent
ly the "Cantonment Davis" of Colonel
Nichols gave way to a fortification
named Fort Edwards, and later the
town of Warsaw, opposite Keokuk, rose
on and about it's site.
But Colonel Nichols never got to Rock
Island to build that fort. During
the winter he got into trouble, was ar
rested and sent to Nashville, Tenn,
for trial, and in the spring Brevet Brig
adier-General Thomas A. Smith, Colo
mel of a ranger regiment, took command
and came on UP the river. He arrived
in this vicinity early in May, 1916, and
after he had looked the country over
he pitched upon the foot of Rock Island
as the strategic point of the whole re-
gfon. May 10, 1916, the first United
States troops were landed on Rock Is
land, where they went into camp, and
at once began the work of building
storehouses, and a surrounding abattiS
for protection against the Indians.
These were invited by General Smith to
meet him in council, but they would not
come so, after making the troops OF
the Eighth Regiment, which had been
accompanied from Cantonment Davis
with his rifle regiment as safe as pos
sible he left the regulars in the hands
of their commander, Colonel W. Law
renee, and went on to Prairie du Chen
with his riflemen.
Colonel Lawrence at once went ahead
with the work of erecting the fort that
had been ordered built here, and soon
Fort Armstrong, named in honor of
| Of o
was inAxistence The Quaker-gun bat
terry on the very foot of the island
marks the site of the western one OF
the three blockhouses that Occupied cor
ners of the old fort and mounted cam
non. The fort was 400 feet square. 1t
had good, stout high walls, built of stone
below and hewn logs above, one side
of the square being taken by the bar
racks and other buildings of the post.
The roofs sloped inwardly, SO that an
enemy could not lie on them and fire
down into the fort, using them as shield.
The northwestern corner of the old fort
was about 200 feet from the landing of
the Government bridge ON the island.
It's whitewashed walls and towers are
described in contemporary letters as
being very imposing and making
strikingly picturesque feature of the
then savage landscape.
Fort Armstrong was finished the fol-
lowing year. During its erection the
entire body of soldiers at one time mar
rowly escaped being ambushed at their
work by the Indians, but no encounters
occurred, though the SacS lurked about
manifestly indignant that the island,
their pleasure ground, should have been
seized as it was, and their favorite
haunt wrested from them by the white
man for his own use. What caused
them special grief was the driving
away from the island of the good spirit
who presided over the destinies of it
and themselves. This fanciful creature
was shaped like a swan, and was
white like one, but ten times larger.
1t dwelt in a cave at the foot of the
island, till the hustle of the soldiers
scared it away, and bad spirit then
took it's place. In view of the latter
fact it is very consoling to know that
W hen the railroad bridge was built that
cave was sealed up, and there are good
reasons for believing that the bad
spirit resident there was corked up in
it. At least nothing resembling it has
ever been seen about the island since.
The Government maintained a garri-
son at Fort Armstrong till May f. 1885,
when it was evacuated, and the troops
were sent to Fort Smelling, near ST.
Paul. Colonel William Davenport
First United States Infantry, was in
command when this took place. He left
Lieutenant John Beach, of the infantry
service of the regular army, with a
few men to take care of the nIaoe Tn