User:Ervin 2007/Fort Armstrong (Illinois)

Lead
General Use of Fort Armstrong.

Fort Armstrong really served five purposes of the United States. First, as a U.S. Army base of operations as mentioned earlier. Second, it was the regional headquarters location for the Indian Agent. The Indian Agent served in a liaison capacity between the regional Native American tribes and the United States government. Third, the regional interpreter who served both civilians and Soldiers at the request of both Americans and Native Americans. Fourth, the trade industry that thrived between civilians (settlers), U.S. Army Soldiers, and local Native Americans. Fifth, the U.S. Army surgeon was stationed there that really served as the regional hospital.

Article body
This was to be the second US fort between St. Louis and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. The US wanted to establish a military presence to dissuade the French and English Canadians (who traded in areas nearby) from encroaching upon the unorganized territory. After its losses at several forts during the War of 1812, the US Army wanted to increase its presence on the Mississippi frontier. The fort also would serve to protect American settlers within the area and to help control or remove the Sauk, a Native American people in the region. The Sauk disapproved of its construction; Black Hawk wrote in his memoir, "When we arrived we found that the troops had come to build a fort on Rock Island. This, in our opinion, was a contradiction to what we had done– 'to prepare for war in time of peace.' We did not object, however, to their building their fort on the island, but were very sorry."

On May 10, 1816, soldiers arrived to begin construction of Fort Armstrong. It was named after John Armstrong, the Secretary of War under President James Madison. The army assigned 600 soldiers and 150 laborers to the project. After the construction was completed, fewer than 200 soldiers garrisoned the post. Between 1824 and 1836, the garrison was reduced to fewer than 100 troops. From 1840-1845 it served as a military depot, where the U.S. Army would keep war time supplies. Fort Armstrong was destroyed by fire in 1855.

Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War, (May 1832 to September 1832) named after the Sauk Chief Black Hawk, was a result of rising tensions between Native Americans in the greater territory areas of Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. As British and Spanish influenced waned, the United States started to expand. This expansion led to incursions against Native Americans land, their people, and their livelihood. As a result, several tribes, including Black Hawk's Sauk, fought back.