160th Camp Nelson Anniversary Commemoration

Camp Nelson 1865

The US Army established Camp Nelson on April 29, 1863. Over the next three years, the site served as a fortified supply depot, hospital, recruitment and training center, and refugee camp. The National Park Service (NPS) commemorates the 160th Camp Nelson (2023-26) with a series of special events, programs, and multi-media presentations!

All programs are free and open to the public.

4th Annual Winter Lecture Series

Join the NPS for the 4th Annual Winter Lecture Series at Camp Nelson National Monument! The special programs feature guest speakers who present on a variety of topic related to the Civil War Era. The presentations take place at the park's Reconstructed Barracks on select Saturdays.. The 1.5 hour programs are free and open to the public.

Schedule of Events

The 2025 Calendar features 6 special programs!

January 18, 2025: "The Local Authorities Keep Up the Old Machinery of Slavery...': Slavery and the Law in Civil War Kentucky"
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Cameron Sauers, a dual title PhD student in the departments of History and African American and African diasporic studies at Pennsylvania State University, explores the legal culture of slavery in Civil War Kentucky. Through an analysis of civil and criminal court cases, as well as pardon petitions sent to Kentucky's Civil War Governors, this talk explores the "pro-slavery" dimensions of pro-slavery Unionism.

January 18, 2025: "Changes in Irregular Warfare in Kentucky, 1862-1865"
12:45 am - 1:30 pm

Irregular warfare in Kentucky saw drastic changes from 1862-1865. In the earlier stages of the war, there was much more civility and a respect toward the rules of war and non-combatants. By 1864 and into 1865, the brutality of guerrilla war seemingly touched every corner of the state and affected everyone from civilian Unionists, returning Union veterans, United States Colored Troops, Freemen, and sometimes, even Confederate sympathizers. Exactly how were the stages of irregular warfare different in Kentucky, and what brought about the drastic changes?

Derrick Lindow is an 8th grade US History teacher in Owensboro, Kentucky. He is the author of the recent book We Shall Conquer or Die: Partisan Warfare in 1862 Western Kentucky (2024) and runs the Western Theater in the Civil War website.



February 8, 2025: Beyond The Battlefield: Women and Community in Civil War Refugee Camps (African American Civil War Museum)
11:00 am - 12:30 pm (Virtual program hosted at Reconstructed Barracks)

Dr. Dawn Chitty and Marquette Milton of the African American Civil War Museum explore the lives and communities of women and children surrounding refugee camps during the Civil War. This discussion will highlight the families of soldiers stationed in DC and Camp Nelson, shedding light on the crucial roles women and children played in supporting the soldiers and furthering the fight for freedom. By sharing our research, we aim to honor their resilience and explore their contributions to this transformative period in history.


February 22, 2025: A Sacred Charge for a Grateful Nation: Union Dead and National Cemeteries in Kentucky
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Joseph E. Brent and Betty J. Gorin, co-authors of Union Civil War Burials in Kentucky (2024), will discuss the post-war efforts of Capt. Edmund Burke Whitman, Assistant Quartermaster of Volunteers, to locate the Union dead in the military Department of Tennessee as recorded in his and his associates’ journals, efforts that eventually led to the establishment of the National Cemetery System, including Camp Nelson in Jessamine County, Kentucky.


March 8, 2025: The 160th Anniversary of the Appomattox Campaign
10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Patrick A. Schroeder, Historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, delivers 2 presentations to commemorate the 160^th the campaign that sparked the end of the Civil War.

The Appomattox Campaign: Although relatively under-studied and largely forgotten, the campaign was the most decisive of the war. Revisit those battles from Five Forks and the fall of Petersburg to Sailor's Creek, and the battles of Appomattox. Personalities and incidents covered. This program will include the movements and actions of the 109^th and 116^th US Colored Troops organized in Louisville and at Camp Nelson.

Myths about Lee's Surrender: An hour-long talk covering some of the most interesting aspects from the books Thirty Myths about Lee's Surrender and More Myths about Lee's Surrender. An enlightening lecture telling what really happened at Appomattox—separating myth from fact.


March 29, 2025: Twilight of the Blue and Gray: United States Colored Troops at the 1938 Reunion at Gettysburg
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Christopher Gwinn, Chief of Interpretation and Education at Gettysburg National Military Park, explores the story of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Between July 1 - 4, 1938 over 1845 surviving Civil War veterans met at Gettysburg for the final Blue-Gray reunion. This last gathering of old veterans was the final chapter in the living memory of the story of the Civil War continues to shape our understanding of the conflict today. Among those in attendance were veterans of the United States Colored Troops, who had served at places like Fort Wagner, New Market Heights, & Camp Nelson. Their story, virtually unknown, provides a unique perspective on this storied event.


Location:
Camp Nelson National Monument
6614 Danville Loop 2 Road
Nicholasville, KY 40356

Hall Cemetery Wayside Dedication

DATE:
The event has been rescheduled from March 1, 2025, to another date this spring. We'll confirm the date as soon as possible.

The Camp Nelson Preservation and Education Foundation is unveiling a new interpretive wayside at Hall Cemetery TBD. The cemetery is the site of the Home for Colored Refugees and the final resting place for US Colored Troops [USCT] and their families and descendants.

The Camp Nelson Foundation is requesting that all attendees meet near the Fee Memorial Church, located southwest of Camp Nelson National Monument Visitor Center off US-27 and Hall Road. From there, visitors can carpool or walk to the cemetery. The parking area north of the Fee Memorial Church is at the intersection of Hall Road and Church Street.

The Unchartered Road to Freedom

After the Army of the Ohio’s successful liberation of East Tennessee, the US Army nearly abandoned Camp Nelson as fortified supply depot in March 1864. However, the army’s controversial decision to organize, recruit, and train US Colored Troops [USCT] at Camp Nelson and other centers in Kentucky sparked the destruction of slavery in the Bluegrass State.

Learn more about USCT HERE and African American Refugees HERE.

Army of Liberation

Click here to learn about the formation of the Army of the Ohio and its operations in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee over the course of 1863. The new army was organized to liberate Unionists in East Tennessee from Confederate occupation and it would ultimately achieve that objective, but it would require marching far and fighting hard. The 21st Massachusetts Infantry was only one of many regiments in the Army of the Ohio, but the experiences of its members reveal both the hardships and triumphs of the 1863 campaign.

Civil War 160th in 60

The National Park Service (NPS) commemorates the 160th Anniversary of Camp Nelson (2023-26) in a brand-new video series: Civil War 160th in 60!

The special presentations take viewers to battlefields and historic sites across the National Park Service System to highlight the stories and individuals connected to Camp Nelson during the Civil War. The short 1-2 minutes videos will premiere on the Camp Nelson National Monument Facebook page and will be featured here!