Battle of Credit Island

Battle of Credit island
Part of the War of 1812
Credit Island, 1838 GLO map.
Date September 4-5, 1814 Location Davenport, Iowa Result British/Sauk Victory
Belligerents
Great Britian British allied Sauk	United States
Commanders and leaders
Lieutenant Duncan Graham Sauk Chief Black Hawk	Major Zachary Taylor
Strength
800-1,200 Native Americans 25-30 British regulars	334 regulars 8 keelboats
Casualties and losses
Unknown	5 killed 11 wounded

The Battle of Credit Island was fought between during the War of 1812 between the United States against the British and Sauk alliance. The War's westernmost battle ended in a American defeat.

Battle

The battle began on September 4, as 334 American troops and eight keel boats led by future-president Zachary Taylor attempted to wrest control over the Upper Mississippi River from British-allied Native American control. The American plan was to destroy a Indian village on the Rock river upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. When Taylor realized his artillery would not be effective from his gunboats and a large number of Indians would not let his troops to disembark, he decided to feint movement upstream towards Prairie du Chien. While doing so a strong storm blowing downstream forced the Americans to stop for the night at Pelican island. Two of the American boats had poor anchors and were tied off on the shore.

At first light on September 5, a number of Indians waded to Pelican island from Credit island. A American sentry was shot and killed. In a skirmish the Americans disembarked a force to repel the attack and clear enemy presence on Pelican island. Taylor instructed Captain Rector to handle one of his boats in between the channel between Pelican and Credit island to keep the Indians from launching another attack. And to ground his boat and pour broadside after broadside from his swivel guns into any foe in range.

At about the same time, the British transferred a 3-pound cannon and two swivel guns downstream in position on a knoll across clear view of Taylor's keelboats. An artillery barrage commenced inflicting serious damage, the first shot hitting directly in Taylor's boat. By one account 51 to 54 shots hit the boats. The barrage continued for the next hour until Taylor realized he needed to retreat from his untenable position. The flotilla raced downstream back to St. Louis while the British being low on ammunition and supplies did not pursue the Americans.

In the aftermath three of the 13 wounded American soldiers died of wounds.