Hospital Rock - Lava Beds National Monument, CA - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

Behind the natural fortification of HOSPITAL ROCK (R), 54.6 m. (4,051 alt.), wounded soldiers were sheltered. The cavalry camped nearby in 1873.

~ California: a guide to the Golden State

Today, this historical location has been marked by a historical marker that highlights the attack at Hospital Rock. This historic location was the scene of a skirmish between the Modoc Indians and a contingent of the U.S. Army that had set up camp here, close to Captain Jack's Stronghold, where the Modoc leader, Captain Jack, had been hiding out and refusing to give up the fight against the Army during the Modoc Indian War of 1872-3. This site also was temporarily used as a field hospital and where Lieutenant Sherwood died after being attacked by Modoc Indians nearby.

The historical marker placed at this site reads:

It was April 11, 1873, the middle of the Modoc War. Though greatly outnumbered, Modoc warriors had easily defeated the Army in the first battle for the Stronghold in January, and soldiers had waited through the winter while peace talks dragged on. At last, the restless troops were moved to Hospital Rock and Gillems Camp, much closer to the Modoc.

At midday, soldiers spotted three Modoc crossing the lava beds (in front of you) waving a white flag. When two officers approached them, they opened fire. Moving the camps had driven the Modoc to act; this offensive would spark the second battle for the Stronghold.

At the time of the attack, the Modoc had been living for months in the Stronghold caves instead of their usual warm winter dwellings. In spring when they saw the Army camps moving closer, some became concerned. They called for an end to negotiations. It seemed apparent that the whites would never grant their wish to be left alone in their homeland.

Lieutenant William Sherwood was mortally wounded, and died several days later at the crude field hospital that gave Hospital Rock its name. An urgent message warning of treachery was sent to the peace commissioners meeting nearby. Unfortunately, it arrived too late--they too had been attacked.

If one visits the visitor center within the Lava Beds National Monument, they will see a large display of Lieutenant Sherwood's personal chest as well as his rifle, revolver and sword. In reference to the peace commission which was attacked by Modocs, the result was two men died in that attack, one of them being General E.R.S. Canby, the only U.S. General to to be killed in an Indian War. General Canby's death would spark another battle at Captain Jack's Stronghold and drag out the Modoc War for many more months.

More information regarding the history of the Modoc War can be accessed at this link.