rum, and joined with us in our dancing and feasting. We gave them some things which we had taken from the boat, particularly books and papers. They started the next morning, promising to return in a few days with a large body of soldiers. We went to work under the direction of the men left with us, and dug up the ground in two places to put the big gun in, that the men might remain in with it and be safe. We then sent spies down the river to reconnoitre, who sent word by a runner that several boats were coming up filled with men. I marshalled my forces and was soon ready for their arrival. I resolved to fight, as we had not yet had a fair fight with the Americans during the war. The boats arrived in the evening, stopping at a small willow island, nearly opposite to us. During the night we removed our big gun further down, and at daylight next morning commenced firing. We were pleased to see that almost every shot took effect. The British being good gunners, rarely missed. They pushed off as quickly as possible, although I had expected they would land and give us battle. I was fully prepared to meet them but was sadly disappointed by the boats all sailing down the river. A party of braves followed to watch where they landed, but they did not stop until they got below the Des Moines Rapids, where they came ashore and commenced building a fort. Modern times The 2014 bicentennial of the Battle of Credit Island spurred renewed interest in the battlefield, including a research project to try to identify the location of fighting on the island. Today, Credit Island is a community park under the jurisdiction of Davenport Parks and Recreation. It features: a disc golf course, rugby, soccer, baseball and softball fields. There is also fishing, picnic shelters, a bicycle trail and is the scene of many public events. Credit Island is also popular for sight-seeing and eagle watching. In May 2010, the city of Davenport received a grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa to conduct an archaeological study of one of the Mississippi River islands near the Iowa shoreline. In 2012, construction began on a bridge on the west side of the island, linking the Mississippi River Trail bike path to Concord Street in