Type
Historic Site
Location
41.8347°N 121.4711°W
Hospital Rock was a U.S. Army camp and field hospital during the Modoc War, set between Gillem's Camp and the Modoc stronghold. It took its name from the crude hospital where wounded soldiers were treated.
Details
- Type
- Historic Site
- Accessibility
- Limited accessibility
The camp
Soldiers were stationed here, along with Gillem's Camp, after both were established in April 1873 to move forces nearer the Modoc in the stronghold caves. Lieutenant William Sherwood was mortally wounded near here and died several days later at the field hospital that gave the rock its name.
In the war
When the Modoc saw the Army camps shifting closer, tensions rose. On April 11, 1873, Modoc fighters attacked officers approaching under a white flag, setting off renewed combat at the stronghold and the simultaneous attack on the peace commissioners.