Rock Island Confederate Cemetery

GPS Coordinates: 41.517667, -90.533989
County: Rock Island
Record count: 1,950

Ownership: National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Directions: From Moline, IL, take the Rodman Ave Bridge to Rock Island Arsenal. The cemetery sits along Rodman Ave., about 100 feet west of Rock Island National Cemetery.

Background: Rock Island Confederate Cemetery, located near Rock Island National Cemetery in Illinois, was established during the Civil War to bury Confederate prisoners who died at the Rock Island prison camp, which operated from December 1863 to July 1865. Over 12,000 prisoners passed through the camp, and approximately 1,950 died—mainly from disease and exposure due to poor conditions and inadequate drainage. While Union guards were buried separately in what became Rock Island National Cemetery, this cemetery became the final resting place for Confederate dead. After the war, the prison buildings were transferred to the Rock Island Arsenal and later destroyed, leaving the cemetery as the only surviving part of the camp. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and a memorial obelisk was added in 2003 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Transcriptions

We have 1 transcription for this cemetery.

• Veterans Affairs Database, compiled by Interment.net, April 17, 2025, (1,950 records)