thumb|[[Rock Island, Illinois|Rock Island in the pre-arsenal years, following the Black Hawk War of 1832, with a view of the U.S. Army post Fort Armstrong, circa 1839]]

thumb|280px|Perspective drawing of the prison for Confederate soldiers at Rock Island, 1864

The Rock Island Arsenal comprises located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It is home to the United States Army First Army Headquarters, and the United States Army Center of Excellence for Additive Manufacturing.

Historically, the indigenous Sauk people used Rock Island as their summer camp site. Encroaching European Americans coming into the area disputed the claim of tribal ownership, and competition between the peoples led to the Black Hawk War of 1832, named for Black Hawk, the primary leader of the Sauk. In 1816, the federal government authorized the army to build Fort Armstrong here, to protect shipping on the river in the aftermath of the War of 1812 with Great Britain. Decades after the Civil War, in the 1880s, the army established a foundry and armory here, manufacturing both military equipment and ordnance. In 1919–1920, one hundred of the Anglo-American or Liberty Mark VIII tanks were manufactured there, although too late for World War I. The base is now the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the United States. In 1988, the Arsenal was designated a National Historic Landmark.

At the turn of the 20th century, it manufactured both ordnance and leather accoutrements and field gear, for an army that still relied on horses for transportation and cavalry. Today, it provides manufacturing, logistics, and base support services for the United States Armed Forces. The Arsenal is the only active U.S. Army foundry, and manufactures ordnance and equipment, including artillery, gun mounts, recoil mechanisms, small arms, aircraft weapons sub-systems, grenade launchers, weapons simulators, and a host of associated components. Some of the Arsenal's most successful products include the M198 and M119 towed howitzers, and the gun mount for the M1 Abrams, main battle tank for the Army since the 1980s. About 250 military personnel and 6,000 civilians are employed there. The population from the 2020 census was 182 people.

History

From 1816-1862, the site was known as Fort Armstrong. Before that, successive cultures of Native Americans had occupied it for thousands of years because of its strategic position along the Mississippi River. The United States took control of the island in 1804 through the Harrison Peace Treaty with the Chief of the Fox and Sac Tribes. From 1804 to 1812, the US Army did not occupy the island. It was the scene of a small conflict at the outbreak of the War of 1812 with Great Britain. Following that war, in 1814, it was the site of a U.S. Army expedition from St Louis to use the island as a guard post to control traffic on the Mississippi and maintain watch over the local Native Americans. A total of 41 Confederate prisoners successfully escaped during the prison's operation, and many more would try but fail. They were deterred by the power of the Mississippi River.

A total of 1,964 Confederate prisoners and 125 Union guards are buried in the adjacent military cemetery. The Union guard burials included 49 African-American members of the 108th Colored Infantry, who had served as guards. Most of the men died from disease, since sanitation was primitive, as in all army encampments. In addition, they were exposed to high heat and humidity during the summers and freezing temperatures during winters. In 1864, deadly smallpox epidemics rapidly spread through the prison. The prison camp operated from December 1863 until July 1865, when the last prisoners were freed. After the war, the prison facility was completely destroyed. During its two years in operation, the prison camp housed a total of more than 12,400 Confederates. Women were absolutely critical to the success of the US buildup in World War I, and played an integral role in production at Rock Island Arsenal.

Early historical timeline

  • 1809: Declared a federal military reservation by an Act of Congress
  • 1816: Fort Armstrong built on the island
  • 1818: George Davenport, U.S. Army sutler established trading post
  • 1832: Served as U.S. Army HQ for Blackhawk War
  • 1833: George Davenport mansion built
  • 1836: Abandoned, but remained ordnance depot
  • 1845: George Davenport killed by Banditti of the Prairie
  • 1856: First railroad built across the Mississippi River
  • 1862: Rock Island Arsenal (the name we know it to be today) established by an Act of Congress
  • 1862: First Commanding Officer of Rock Island Major Charles P. Kingsbury
  • 1863-1865: Rock Island Prison Barracks built to house Confederate soldiers
  • 1865: Second Commanding Officer of Rock Island Arsenal, Brevet Brigadier General Thomas J. Rodman, also known as the Father of Rock Island Arsenal for his contributions
  • 1867: Clock Tower Building erected; it survives and is used as the offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • 1871: First military quarters built on Rock Island, an Italianate-style villa known as Quarters One. At 20,000 square feet, it is one of the largest government single-family residences in the United States
  • 1872: First Government bridge built across the Mississippi River; replaced the railroad bridge destroyed by a steamboat

Rock Island Arsenal Museum

The Rock Island Arsenal Museum was established on July 4, 1905. It is the second-oldest US Army Museum in the US after the West Point Museum. The museum has been closed twice, during World War I and World War II, to provide more space for manufacturing facilities.

Exhibits interpret the history of Rock Island Arsenal, the Union prison camp during the American Civil War, and the site's role as a military industrial facility. The museum contains the second-largest collection of small arms weapons in the U.S. Army, and an outdoor vehicle display.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Exhibits include (as of 2012)

! width=0% | Weapon

! width=0% | Country of origin

! width=0% | Period

|-

| M1 75 mm Pack Howitzer || || 1927–present

|-

| M40A1 106 mm Recoilless Rifle || || 1950s–present

|-

| M45 Quadmount 50 caliber machine gun turret || || World War II – 1980s

|-

| M14 conversion display to M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (RI) || || 1959–present

|-

| M65 Atomic Cannon || || 1953–1963

|-

| M198 155 mm towed howitzer || || 1979–present

|-

| M119 105&nbsp;mm towed howitzer || <br> || 1989–present

|-

| M115 8-inch towed howitzer || || 1931–1950s

|-

| Type 59-1 130&nbsp;mm Field Gun (Chinese version of Russian M46) || || 1954–present

|-

| M22 or T9E1 Locust Light Tank || || World War II

|-

| M4A3 Sherman Medium Tank with battle damage from the Battle of the Bulge in World War II with the 4th Armored Division || || World War II

|-

| M50 Ontos self-propelled anti-tank gun || || 1956–1969

|-

| M51 Skysweeper towed anti-aircraft gun || || 1953–1975

|-

| M1 Bofors 40&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft gun || || World War II

|-

| D-44 85&nbsp;mm Field Gun || || 1945–1953

|-

| M2A1 105&nbsp;mm howitzer || || 1941–present

|-

| XM123A1 Medium Auxiliary Propelled 155mm Howitzer (experimental model of M114 howitzer) || || 1961

|-

| XM124E2 Light Auxiliary Propelled 105&nbsp;mm howitzer (experimental model of M2 or M101 howitzer) || || 1962–1965

|-

| M114 155&nbsp;mm howitzer || || 1942–present

|-

| M2A2 Terra Star Auxiliary Propelled Howitzer with tri-star wheels || || 1969–1977

|-

| 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 Multiple Rocket Launcher || || World War II

|-

| XM70E2 Rocket Launcher || || 1959–1963

|-

| M5 3 inch anti-tank gun || || 1943–present

|-

| M102 Lightweight 105&nbsp;mm howitzer (Airmobile) || || 1964–present

|-

| T66 or M16 4.5-inch Multiple Rocket Launcher || || 1945–1954

|-

| M3A1 37&nbsp;mm Anti-tank Gun || || World War II

|-

| M1 57&nbsp;mm Anti-tank Gun || || World War II

|-

| M3 105&nbsp;mm light howitzer (airborne) || || 1943–present

|-

| M55 self-propelled howitzer || || 1970s

|-

| MGR-1 Honest John surface-to-surface missile || || 1954–1973

|-

| MGR-3 Little John surface-to-surface missile with XM80 launcher || || 1961–1969

|-

| ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" self-propelled anti-aircraft gun || || 1962–present

|-

|}

Education

The census-designated place is physically divided between two school districts: Rock Island–Milan School District 41<!--UNI 34410--> to the west and Moline-Coal Valley School District 40<!--UNI 26400--> to the east. The garrison provides a school bus service to the Moline district; the local school districts do not have school bus service. , the majority of military families live in housing in the wider area, as the Military One Source stated "Government housing is limited."

See also

  • List of Civil War POW prisons and camps
  • List of National Historic Landmarks in Illinois

References

  • The Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing & Technology Center (archive link)
  • The Rock Island Arsenal profile at globalsecurity.org
  • Rock Island Arsenal Museum
  • (archive link)
  • Rock Island Memorial POW Camp #2229
  • Rock Island Arsenal Wikimapia
  • Visitor Request Form
  • Flood Watch Service
  • United States Army Official History of Rock Island Arsenal