Fort Armstrong
The Powder Plot
Be it truth or fiction there is connected with the history of Fort
Armstrong an incident that to my mind possesses more reasons in favor of
its being fact than fiction.
After the Black Hawk War, some soldiers
happening to enter the cave in "Rock
Island Arsenal," found three kegs of powder each attached to a fuse.
No one seemed to know how these things had come 'there, but after the war
some Indians had said that Black Hawk when he marched up Rock River in
April, 1832, stopped overnight at his old village, and during the night of
April 12 he, with over two hundred braves, had gone to the island,
crossing at the ford between Rock Island and Moline, remaining there
nearly all night. It was said his intention was to see if he could not
capture the fort. Black Hawk, in his autobiography, does not mention this
incident, the reason being that his attempt to blow up the fort proved a
failure. It is a fact that Black Hawk was on the island that night.
Benjamin F. Pike, the captain of the Rock River Rangers in 1831, and
afterwards sheriff to this county, together with two companions, had been
selected to do picket and scout duty that night. They took their place
near the ford, and some time near midnight saw Black Hawk and his braves
cross the slough to the island. They at once ran to the fort and to the
stockade and gave the warning.
The garrison at this time was commanded by Captain Bliss who had with him
only two companies of infantry, partly full, not over eighty men. The
stockade around Colonel Davenport's store was filled with settlers and
their families and was crowded to its utmost capacity. By an oversight the
only well on the premises had not been enclosed in the stockade: Dreading
fire from the Indians' fire arrows, every bucket, tub and barrel was
hastily filled with water and the anxious settlers momentarily awaited the
attack. An old swivel had been brought up from the fort and this was
loaded to the brim and placed in front of the gate, where Sergeant
Hanchett of the garrison, with a smoldering fire by his side, stood ready
to fire it off at the first approach of the enemy. The night was one of
terror to the settlers; a drifting rain and pelting hail storm had set in,
and the occasional claps of thunder and flashes of lightning but added new
alarm to the already frightened women and children. At about 2 o'clock in
the morning the firing of cannon was heard from the direction of the fort
and those in the stockade believed the attack had commenced, but they were
soon apprized that the firing was from the cannon on board the steamer
Chieftain, which brought General Atkinson and his regulars from St. Louis.
It is said that when the people at the stockade heard the firing of cannon
and the shouts of the garrison welcoming the reinforcement, they believed
it the shouts of triumph of the Indians at the capture of the fort, and
Elder Kinney of Rapids City, a devout Presbyterian advised them all to
"unite in an appeal to God as their only hope of safety;" whereupon
Antoine Gouquy, Colonel Davenport's French servant, said, "Ze prayer he be
good for ze vimmin an ze childer, but he be not wort one cent to fight ze
Injins. Wattair, he be bettair zan ze prayer."
Black Hawk had been with the British so much that he well knew the use of
gunpowder. He was in the attack on the fort at Detroit and undoubtedly
believed he could with a few kegs of powder blow up the fort, at its gate
and the rock embankment, upon which it stood, and then with his braves
rush in on the weak garrison. The Sac chief knew also that the fort was
but weakly garrisoned. The Prophet had several times attempted to enter
its gate, but had been kept out on the orders of Major Bliss, who
suspected treachery. The last attempt of the Prophet to enter the fort was
but a few days before Black Hawk's attempt to capture it.
The Burning of the Fort
For thirty-nine years the fort stood as first constructed, and though
evacuated and no longer the abode of the soldier since 1836, it was used
as a Government warehouse and was a picturesque sight, being an object of
interest to all travelers up and down the river as well As to visitors to
this locality.
On Sunday afternoon, October 7, 1855, some vandal set fire to the historic
buildings. J. B. Danforth, Jr., agent of the quartermasters department of
the army, in charge at that time, in a letter written on the 9th of the
month to Major D. H. Vinton, quartermaster United States Army at St.
Louis, said, "Sir: The barracks and one block fort at this place were
destroyed by fire yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. I was in the city at
church at the time the fire originated. I immediately rallied about a
hundred men with buckets, and endeavored to quell the flames, but to no
purpose. We had no fire engine, and it was impossible to stay the progress
of the conflagration. The buildings were fired by some persons to me
unknown, and in the following manner: About thirty kegs of powder had been
stored in the magazine by the contractors for the improvement of the
rapids, by permission of the secretary of war. The magazine had several
times been broken open and powder stolen. It was then stored in a safe
room, or what was believed to be safe in the barracks. It. had all been
taken away, except one keg and one or two parts of kegs. Some persons;
while I was at church, had broken open a window and ignited a part of a
keg of powder, thus causing the loss of the buildings. I have published an
advertisement (at my own expense) to endeavor to find out the perpetrators
of the outrage, which I hope ,will meet your approval. I send you a copy
of my paper, containing the advertisement and an editorial notice of the
fire."
When the United States government (under the act of 1862) commenced the
construction of Rock Island Arsenal
in 1863, all that remained of Fort Armstrong was removed. The first
building erected stands nearly on the site of the old fort, and the window
frames of the basement, of this building are made of oak obtained from the
old fort.
Early Settlements of Rock County
Source: Historic Rock Island County, pub. Kramer & Company, Rock Island, Illinois, 1908