Places

A map of Camp Nelson showing the US Army base in early 1866.

National Archives and Records Administration

An Incipient City

At its height, Camp Nelson experienced one of the largest concentrations of people in Kentucky during the Civil War. The US Army base served a multitude of roles: logisitical and supply depot; hospital and convalescent camp; horse and mule rehabilitation center; and major recruitment centers for soldiers in the Department of the Ohio. It fueled military operations in East Tennessee, Western Virginia, and Georgia. Tens of thousands of soldiers, civilians, refugees, and enslaved people found themselves at the 4,000 acre post during its 3-year existence [1863-66]. Camp Nelson was comprised of multiple places, both small and large, and designed for military and civilian use. Each one provides an insight into the struggle to determine the course of America's future during and after the Civil War. The military installation is long gone, but the places that defined Camp Nelson continue to reveal the stories of people who worked, struggled, died, and survived here.

 

Places

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  Supply Facilities

  One of Camp Nelson's primary roles was to provide the diverse materials of war to US Army forces.

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  Horse and Mule Center

  Camp Nelson was a major source of horses and mules during the Civil War.

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  Defenses of Camp Nelson

  Camp Nelson was defended by an elaborate system of earthen fortifications.

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  Oliver Perry House (White House)

  This house is the only building from the Civil War that remains at Camp Nelson National Monument.

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  Hospitals

  Camp Nelson had one of the largest military medical complexes in Kentucky during the Civil War.

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  Officers' Spring

  Military officers at Camp Nelson made use of this natural spring during the Civil War.

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  Water World: Pump Station and Reservoir

  One of the most remarkable industrial facilities built at Camp Nelson was the waterworks system.

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  Military Prison

  Camp Nelson contained a military prison to hold both Confederate prisoners of war as well as US soldiers and civilians.

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  Camp Nelson National Cemetery

  One of the wartime graveyards at Camp Nelson became a national cemetery.

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  Community of Ariel / Fee Memorial Church

  A free African American community was created on the former site of the Home for Colored Refugees at Camp Nelson after the Civil War.