Fort Armstrong
Military Prison
By order of the War Department in July, 1863, Rock Island
was made a military prison for the confinement of Confederate prisoners. . .
.The first installment of prisoners, taken at the Battle of Chattanooga,
December 3, 1863: and from that time until the close of the war a large number of prisoners were
kept under a strong guard upon the island. The whole number of prisoners
confined here was 12,215; the number of deaths was 1,960. About 500 died of
smallpox, many of scurvy and others of various diseases, chiefly pneumonia. They
were put into rough boxes and buried in trenches. The corner-posts of the
cemetery where their ashes repose are composed of cannon taken from the
Confederates, planted with their muzzles in the ground and strung around with
chains. Within this enclosure rest nearly 2.000 Confederate dead. At a few of
the graves friends of the deceased have erected plain headstones and placed on
them a few simple inscriptions. There is also near the head of the island a
Union soldier’s cemetery where 310 graves are enclosed by a neat fence, Here
exercises are conducted each Memorial Day by the Grand Army posts of Davenport,
Rock Island, and Moline
.
Harry E. Downer, History of
Davenport and Scott County Iowa, vol 1, (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing
Co., 1910) 672.
Present Condition of the Cemetery
The Confederate Cemetery on Rock Island Arsenal is an
appendage of the National Cemetery. And as such, it benefits from the many
services provided. Visitors to the National Cemetery should enter the
Arsenal from the Moline IL entrance; as the cemetery is located just inside
the gate. From whichever direction you travel, the Confederate Cemetery is
easily accessible from Rodman Ave., the main road through the Arsenal <http://riamwr.com/museum.htm>.
Conditions at the cemetery are very good, and the grounds are
well kept. A small easement on the south side of Rodman Ave. provides parking.
At the entrance to the cemetery are two markers designating this as a
Confederate cemetery. The headstones are laid out in 19 rows of 100 and a 20th
row which has 60. Visitors can locate individual graves by reading the list of
soldiers interred which is contained in a podium near the entrance. The list is
alphabetized, including headstone numbers. However, soldiers' units are not
indicated on the list.
There appears to be a program for replacing damaged headstones;
as new headstones can be seen and some headstones have been removed. Overall,
most headstones are readable; though be prepared to sit on the ground to trace
or decipher the inscription.
