“160th Anniversary of the Establishment of Rock Island Prison Barracks" -- January 10.
Wednesday, January 10, 2 p.m.
Rock Island Public Library Downtown Branch, 401 19th Street, Rock Island IL
Wednesday, January 10, 6 p.m.
Davenport Public Library Eastern Avenue Branch, 6000 Eastern Avenue, Davenport IA
Presented as the first program in the Rock Island Arsenal's ASC series Civil War History, the January 10 presentation 160th Anniversary of the Establishment of Rock Island Prison Barracks will find a representative from the Army Sustainment Command Historian’s office detailing how December of 1863 marked the opening of the barracks on what would be known as Arsenal Island, its rocky start serving only as a prelude to its time-holding prisoners.
Rock Island was one of the largest and most notorious Union prison camps during the Civil War. The prison was opened in November 1863, and the first groups of prisoners arrived at the prison on December 3, 1863. There were 5,592 prisoners in all. They were from Camp Douglas and a captured Confederates from the battles at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. Rock Island was a government-owned island in the Mississippi River between Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. The island was three miles long and 1/2 mile wide, with a solid foundation of limestone rock. In 1862, the island was converted into an Union arsenal. The site on the island for the prison was at the center of the north side.
The prison consisted of 84 barracks surrounded by a rough board fence, and was described by their builder as "put up in the roughest and cheapest manner, mere shanties, with no fine work about them." Each barrack was to be 100-feet long, 22-feet wide, and 12-feet high with 12 windows, two doors, and two roof ventilators. At the west end of the barrack was a kitchen or cookhouse that was 18-feet long. The remaining part of the barrack was to be the sleeping/living quarters for the prisoners. Each barrack would have 60 double bunks and would house 120 prisoners. The barracks were built anywhere from 1 foot to 3 feet above ground. The planned capacity of the prison was to be 10,080 prisoners.
There were six rows of 14 barracks, built 30-feet apart, facing 100-foot wide streets. The fence surrounding the prison was to be 12-feet high with a boarded walkway along the outside, four-feet from the top, with guard boxes spaced out every 100 feet. Double-gate sally ports were built on the east and west ends of the prison and were the only openings into the prison. Guardhouses were built outside of the fence at each gate. In early 1864, a few barracks in the southwest corner of the prison were turned into the hospital barracks. Also, some "pesthouses" were built to house prisoners who got smallpox.
160th Anniversary of the Establishment of Rock Island Prison Barracks will be presented on January 10 at the Rock Island Public Library's downtown branch at 2 p.m., and also at the Davenport library's Eastern Avenue Branch at 6 p.m. Participation is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org, and calling (563)326-7832 and visiting DavenportLibrary.com.
