BGuthrie Photos: KY -- Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park

KY -- Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. CNELSO_100602_170.JPG: Violin (Fiddle) Guitar In the twentieth century, visitors from many counties would attend the Saturday night music and dance sessions held in the Benevolence Hall. The community name of Ariel was eventually changed to Camp Nelson, and later to "Hall," or "the Hall". The latter name is most likely in honor of the famed Benevolence Hall. Hall resident John Booker formed the Booker Orchestra with his brother Joe Booker and Hall resident Robert Steele. This string band played regularly at the local Benevolence Hall and elsewhere around the region. Brother Jim Booker was a member of another group, Taylor's Kentucky Boys. Both groups recorded a few songs in the 1920s, including Camp Nelson Blues, by the Booker Orchestra.
2. CNELSO_100602_305.JPG: Writing on wall believed to have been written y Nellie Perry and one of LC McMurtry's sons who helped wallpaper the house in 1900. Miss Nellie Perry would have been 22 years old at the time. "Pure as a (drawing of a rose) are the thoughts of Miss N. Miss Nellie _____ Perry. (Believed to be Miss Nellie's writing.) When this room is papered again In testimony where of _____ attached My signature and signed ____ ____ ____ ____ one who might be known. (Believed to be written by McMurtry's son) (Date and signature not legible) Miss Nellie Perry later married Sam Dean, son of William Harrison Dean who served in the 1st Kentucky Cavalry at Camp Nelson during the Civil War. They had one son Robert Perry Dean. Sam and Miss Nellie moved to Oklahoma shortly after their marriage where he practiced as a medical doctor until his death in 1961. Miss Nellie died in 1921. Their son died in 1946. All are buried in Maple Grove Cemetery.
3. CNELSO_100602_413.JPG: A view of the National Cemetery from the Camp Nelson grounds
4. CNELSO_100602_417.JPG: They were doing a show under the tent a few days from now
5. CNELSO_100602_446.JPG: Graveyard Number 1. There were four graveyards associated with the camp. The bodies of 217 US troops (including USCT troops) buried here during the war were later exhumed and moved to the Camp Nelson National Cemetery. There are still woman and children buried here.
6. CNELSO_100602_454.JPG: To Those Buried Here: Here lie the bodies of numerous unknown Tennessee white refugees and Kentucky African-American refugees who perished from disease while at Camp Nelson. These civilians sought freedom and protection within this U.S. Army Post.
7. CNELSO_100602_460.JPG: Tennessee Refugees Many wives and children of East Tennessee Union enlistees accompanied them into Camp Nelson in 1863 to escape Confederate occupation.
8. CNELSO_100602_463.JPG: "The Soldiers Are Buried At Either End..." The bodies of 217 Union soldiers, both black and white, were originally buried in this cemetery surrounding the civilian graves. They were moved to the Camp Nelson National Cemetery following its creation in 1866.
9. CNELSO_100602_467.JPG: African-American Refugees Thousands of African-American women and children, most of whom were families of U.S. colored troops, entered Camp Nelson in 1864-65 seeking freedom from slavery.
10. CNELSO_100602_484.JPG: Fort Putnam
11. CNELSO_100602_546.JPG: Government sheds and stables
12. CNELSO_100602_582.JPG: Fort McKee
13. CNELSO_100602_644.JPG: Fort Jones
14. CNELSO_100602_687.JPG: A turkey farm
Wikipedia Description: Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park is a 525-acre (2.12 km2) historical museum and park located in southern Jessamine County, Kentucky, 20 miles (32 km) south of Lexington, Kentucky. It was established in 1863 as a depot for the Union army during the Civil War and became a recruiting ground for new soldiers from eastern Tennessee and escaped slaves, many of whom trained to be soldiers.

Early history:

Camp Nelson was established as a supply depot for Union invasions into Tennessee. It was named for Major General William "Bull" Nelson, who had recently been murdered. It was placed near Hickman Bridge, the only bridge across the Kentucky River above the state capital (Frankfort, Kentucky). The site was selected to protect the bridge, to have a base of operations in central Kentucky, and to prepare to attack the Cumberland Gap and eastern Tennessee. The camp was also to train new soldiers for the Union army. The Kentucky River's steep palisades contributed to the selection of the site -- they would help defend the camp from Confederate attack.
Landscape of Camp Nelson

Camp Nelson may have been the best choice for a central Kentucky depot, but it was inadequate. When Union Major General Ambrose Burnside attacked the Cumberland Gap and Knoxville, Tennessee, Camp Nelson's distance from the Gap and Knoxville, combined with lack of railroads and the weather, hampered the Union advance. When overall Union commander Ulysses S. Grant visited Camp Nelson in January 1864, he was displeased, observing that "no portion of our supplies can be hauled by teams from Camp Nelson". The situation of the camp had not improved by spring of 1864, and Grant leaned towards abandoning it entirely. William Tecumseh Sherman advocated that its role be diminished instead, which saved Camp Nelson as it gave the camp time to establish itself for its role of training black soldiers.

In July of 1863 and June of 1864 it was feared that Confederate general John Hunt Morgan would attack the camp. However, in 1863 Morgan was headed for Indiana and Ohio in his most famous raid. It was never confirmed whether he intended to attack the camp in 1864.

Black history:

In August 1863 thousands of slaves forced to build railroads for the Union army were stationed at Camp Nelson. Called "contrabands", these former slaves, at least 3,000 in number, were the primary builders of Camp Nelson starting with fortifying Hickman Bridge on May 19, 1863. This impressment mean that Kentucky would not see its first black enlistment until 1864, while the other border states saw it in October 1863.

At Camp Nelson 10,000 blacks were given emancipation from slavery in exchange for service in the Union army. These soldiers sometimes brought their families to Camp Nelson; such "refugees" totaled 3,060 and were cared for by missionaries. At one point, in November 1864, Camp Nelson was not a legal place of refuge for slaves, forcing 400 women and children to leave the camp at Union army gunpoint; the refugees suffered 102 deaths due to weather until brought back to camp. Even then, 1,300 refugees died during Camp Nelson's existence. Camp Nelson was the smallest of the three locations where blacks were trained to become Union soldiers; the others were in Boston, Massachusetts, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Camp Nelson is the only one whose land was never developed.

The largest number of black recruits came between June and October of 1864, with 322 men enlisting on a single day on July 25. After that, the rest of 1864 saw only 20 new recruits, with January seeing only 15 and the period between February to April seeing only six. Among the companies raised at Camp Nelson were the 5th and 6th U.S. Colored cavalries and the 114th and 116th Colored artillery.

After the war, Camp Nelson was a center for giving ex-slaves their emancipation papers, causing many ex-slaves to consider the camp as their "cradle of freedom".

Today:

Presently, 525 acres (2.12 km2) of the original property are preserved as the Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park. Most of the buildings at the camp were sold.

Camp Nelson is currently controlled by the Jessamine County Fiscal Court. There are efforts to turn control of Camp Nelson to the National Park Service. These efforts were aided once Camp Nelson became part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, and U.S. Representative Ben Chandler is considering funding to see if such a transfer is feasible.

At the park is the Oliver Perry House, the only structure from its day at a camp that still stands. It was built in about 1846 for the newlywed couple of Oliver Perry and the former Fannie Scott. General Burnside confiscated the house during the war to serve as officers quarters. In many official letters, the house was called the "White House". It currently serves as a historic house museum for the park.

There is over a mile of walking paths at the park. Ghost tours are occasionally available.

Camp Nelson National Cemetery is two miles to the south.
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