View source for Camp Nelson National Cemetery

{{Short description|Historic cemetery in Jessamine County, Kentucky}}
{{For|other places named Camp Nelson|Camp Nelson (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox cemetery
| name        = Camp Nelson National Cemetery
| image       = Camp Nelson NC-2.jpg
| imagesize   = 260
| caption     = Camp Nelson National Cemetery on Memorial Day, 2003.
| map_type    = Kentucky
| map_size    = 260
| map_caption = Camp Nelson National Cemetery
| established = 1866
| country     = United States
| location    = 6890 Danville Road, [[Nicholasville, Kentucky]]
| coordinates = {{coord|37.7871555|-84.6024583|source:GNIS|format=dms|display=it}}
| type        = Veterans
| owner       = [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Department of Veterans Affairs]]
| size        = {{convert|30.2|acre}}
| graves      = 12,000+
{{Infobox NRHP
  | embed = yes
  | name = Camp Nelson National Cemetery
  | nrhp_type =
  | image =
  | caption =
  | architect = Montgomery C. Meigs
  | architecture = Second Empire
  | added = September 3, 1998
  | mpsub = {{NRHP url|id=64500016|title=Civil War Era National Cemeteries MPS}}
  | refnum = 98001134<ref name="nrhp">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''Camp Nelson National Cemetery''' is a [[United States National Cemetery]] located in southern [[Jessamine County, Kentucky|Jessamine County]], [[Kentucky]]. It was originally a graveyard associated with the [[U.S. Army]]'s [[Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park|Camp Nelson]], which was active during the [[U.S. Civil War]] and its aftermath. The camp was named for [[Major General]] [[William "Bull" Nelson]], commander of the Civil War [[Army of Kentucky]], who was murdered by a fellow officer in 1862.<ref name=sears>{{Cite book|last= Sears |first= Richard D. |title= Camp Nelson, Kentucky: A Civil War History|year = 2002 |publisher= The University Press of Kentucky | place=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn= 0-8131-2246-5|page=4}}</ref>

Administered by the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]], the cemetery encompasses {{convert|30.2|acre}}, has a capacity for 15,000 graves,<ref name=josh/> and currently contains over 12,000 interments, nearly all of which were, at death, either [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. Armed Forces]] personnel on active duty, [[veteran]]s of the Armed Forces, or their [[Military dependent|dependent]] family members. There are 2,452 burials that date to the [[U.S. Civil War]], and of those, 837 are known to be the graves of African-American soldiers.<ref name=cnel/><ref name=mcbride>{{Cite web |last= McBride |first= Stephen W. |title= Closing of the Depot |url= http://www.campnelson.org/history/closing.htm |work= Camp Nelson, Civil War Heritage Park |publisher= Camp Nelson Restoration and Preservation Foundation |access-date= 22 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110725133947/http://www.campnelson.org/history/closing.htm |archive-date= 25 July 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Their gravestone are marked with the letters "USCT" over their names; the designation stands for "[[United States Colored Troops]]".<ref name=mcbride/>

==History==
The cemetery was created in 1863 as a place to bury [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] soldiers who died while serving in and around Camp Nelson during the Civil War. The first cemetery was located near the camp hospital, and 379 people were buried there between June 1863 and July 1865.<ref name=va>{{cite web| url  = http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/campnelson.asp | title = Camp Nelson National Cemetery: Historical Information | first = | last = | author = | date = 6 January 2011| work = Cemeteries| publisher = United States Department of Veterans Affairs| location = Washington, D.C.| access-date = 22 January 2011}}</ref> A plot of land for the second cemetery, designated "Graveyard No. 2", was selected, and is now at the core of the present national cemetery.<ref name=va/> There were 1,183 soldiers and affiliated civilian employees buried there between the summer of 1865 and February 1866.<ref name=va/><ref name=sign/>

After the end of the Civil War, there was a federally mandated program to recover the bodies of Union soldiers from scattered and expedient battlefield graves across the country, and have them re-interred at national cemeteries as a gesture of respect and in order to facilitate the maintenance of graves.<ref name=va/> As part of this program, the federal government appropriated {{convert|8|acre}} for use as a cemetery and the roadway leading from the cemetery to the old Danville Pike, and it was designated a National Cemetery in 1866.<ref name=va/> In 1867 and 1868 a stone wall was built to enclose the cemetery.<ref name=sign>{{Cite web |last1= Hibberd |first1= Grover |last2= Pitts-Hibberd |first2= Jayne |title= Camp Nelson National Cemetery |url= http://www.signsofhistory.com/kentucky/Jessamin/campnels.htm |work= Signs of History |year= 2002 |publisher= Georgetown College |access-date= 22 January 2011 |archive-date= 16 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716070841/http://www.signsofhistory.com/kentucky/Jessamin/campnels.htm |url-status= dead }}</ref> During June and July 1868, the remains of 2,023 Union soldiers were recovered from battlefield graves in [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]], [[Richmond, Kentucky|Richmond]], [[Battle of Perryville|Perryville]], [[London, Kentucky|London]], and [[Covington, Kentucky|Covington]];<ref name=cnel>{{Cite web|title= Camp Nelson National Cemetery|url= http://www.campnelson.org/history/cemetery.htm|work= Camp Nelson, Kentucky|publisher= Camp Nelson Restoration and Preservation Foundation|access-date= 22 January 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110104072952/http://www.campnelson.org/history/cemetery.htm|archive-date= 4 January 2011|url-status= dead}}</ref> then brought to Camp Nelson and re-interred with honor.<ref name=mcbride/><ref name=va/>

===Confederate graves===
During the same time as the reburial program for the remains of Union soldiers, the remains of Confederate soldiers buried at Camp Nelson were exhumed, and re-buried in a designated section of the public cemetery in nearby [[Nicholasville, Kentucky|Nicholasville]], or in private cemeteries elsewhere.<ref name=va/> During the 1990s, genealogical evidence was presented to the cemetery director that the remains of two Confederate soldiers recovered from a Covington battlefield were mistakenly assumed to be Union soldiers during the post-war recovery program, and were buried at Camp Nelson.<ref name=we>{{Cite news|title=We're Simply Here to Honor American Soldiers|newspaper= Lexington Herald-Leader|date=September 29, 1997|page= B1}}</ref> As exhumation and re-burial of the 130-year-old graves was considered impractical, their headstones were simply replaced by VA-approved Confederate gravestones,<ref name=we/> which have peon (pointed) tops<ref>{{Cite book|title= Memorial Specification Guide|publisher= National Association of Memorial Masons|place= Warwickshire, UK|year= 2003|url= http://www.namm.org.uk/pdfs/memorial_specifications_guide.pdf|access-date= 27 January 2011|page= 3|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120317080511/http://www.namm.org.uk/pdfs/memorial_specifications_guide.pdf|archive-date= 17 March 2012|url-status= dead}}</ref> and are marked by a [[Southern Cross of Honor|Confederate emblem]].<ref>{{cite web| url   = http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm/hmcivil.asp| title   = Pre-World War I Era Headstones and Markers| date   = March 15, 2010| work   = Cemeteries| publisher   = United States Department of Veterans Affairs| location   = Washington, D.C.| access-date   = 22 January 2011| archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20110128095831/http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm/hmcivil.asp| archive-date   = 28 January 2011| url-status   = dead}}</ref> These are the only two (alleged) Confederate graves at Camp Nelson National Cemetery.<ref name=va/>

===From Reconstruction to the present===
The area of Camp Nelson National Cemetery has expanded several times since its inception.  In 1874 an additional adjoining acre was purchased. In 1875, a house was built near the stone wall as a residence for the superintendent of the cemetery.<ref name=cnel/> The two-storey brick house with open entry porch was designed by [[Quartermaster General (United States)|Quartermaster General]] [[Montgomery C. Meigs]] in the [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]] architectural style.<ref name=cnnc/>

Camp Nelson National Cemetery interred the remains of armed forces personnel and veterans who served in conflicts from the late 19th century until it closed to new burials in 1964.<ref name=josh/> In 1975, the donation of {{convert|10|acre}} just outside the cemetery's stone wall allowed it to begin accepting new burials again. The purchase of additional land since then has enabled the cemetery to accommodate newly deceased World War II veterans and the recent influx of fatalities from the wars in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq War|Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite web | title= Archive for the 'Kentucky' Category | url= http://freedomremembered.com/index.php/category/states/kentucky/ | work= Freedom Remembered: Remembering our Troops | year= 2009 | access-date= 26 January 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110123213336/http://freedomremembered.com/index.php/category/states/kentucky/ | archive-date= 23 January 2011 | url-status= dead }}</ref>

During the late 1980s, cemetery directors chose to commute to the cemetery from private residences rather than live on site. In 1995 the resident superintendent's house was renovated for use as the cemetery's main office and visitor center.<ref name=cnel/><ref name=cnnc/> In 1995, the [[Daughters of the Union]] erected a granite monument dedicated to the memory of Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War.<ref name=va/> In 1997, a new flagpole with surrounding assembly area was erected on a knoll within view of the road.

A committal shelter was built for the observance of funeral services.<ref name=cnnc>{{cite web |title= Camp Nelson National Cemetery: 6890 Danville Road Nicholasville, Kentucky 40356 |url= http://www.cem.va.gov/pdf/cnelson.pdf |publisher= United States Department of Veterans Affairs |date= July 5, 2001 |access-date= 26 January 2011 |pages= 52, 53 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110622013033/http://www.cem.va.gov/pdf/cnelson.pdf |archive-date= 22 June 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/maps/campnelson833.pdf |title =Cemetery Map (pdf) |work= Cemeteries – Camp Nelson National Cemetery |publisher= United States Department of Veterans Affairs |date= September 2008|access-date= April 12, 2021}}</ref> The committal shelter, or funeral shelter, is a roofed pavilion, open on three sides, and was intended to make graveside services unnecessary, as elderly mourners may have difficulty walking over uneven ground. The shelter can mitigate the inconvenience of inclement weather. Within the shelter is a [[bier]] for the casket, and space to accommodate twenty chairs for family members.<ref>{{Cite web | title= Cemetery Components – What is a Committal Shelter? | url= http://www.cem.va.gov/scg/sgm_shelter.asp | publisher= United States Department of Veterans Affairs | date= November 9, 2009 | access-date= 26 January 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110628223410/http://www.cem.va.gov/scg/sgm_shelter.asp | archive-date= 28 June 2011 | url-status= dead }}</ref> In 1998, Camp Nelson National Cemetery was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (Reference #98001134).<ref name="nrhp"/><ref name=va/>

In 2010, an additional {{convert|21|acre}} of land was purchased from the [[Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park]], located next to the cemetery and owned by Jessamine County. The plot of land is located to the rear of the current cemetery. It is expected to double its capacity, bringing the total projected capacity to 30,000 graves.<ref name=josh/> The purchase was made possible with a grant from the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Department of Veterans Affairs]]' National Cemetery Administration and the co-operation of various local organizations.<ref name=josh/>

==Annual events==
[[File:Camp Nelson NC Memorial Day 2010.JPG|thumb|Memorial Day ceremony at Camp Nelson National Cemetery (May 2010)]]
Ceremonies are held annually on [[Memorial Day]] and on [[Veterans Day]] at Camp Nelson National Cemetery.<ref name=josh>{{Cite news |last= Kegley |first= Josh |title= Memorial Day at Camp Nelson: Veterans' families take time to remember |newspaper= Lexington Herald-Leader |date= June 1, 2010 |url= http://www.kentucky.com/2010/06/01/1287778/memorial-day-at-camp-nelson-veterans.html#more |access-date= 26 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100909072924/http://www.kentucky.com/2010/06/01/1287778/memorial-day-at-camp-nelson-veterans.html#more |archive-date= 9 September 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name=program>{{Cite web |title= Memorial Day 2010 (Program) |url= http://www.campnelson.org/PDF/mem_day_2010_camp_nels.pdf |date= 2010-05-24 |access-date= 26 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110725134035/http://www.campnelson.org/PDF/mem_day_2010_camp_nels.pdf |archive-date= 25 July 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref> In the past these were held in the walled-off old section, but since 1997, they have been held at the assembly area at the flagpole near the front gates.<ref>{{Cite news| title= Honoring Those who Fell in Battle, Ceremony Pays Tribute to War Dead |newspaper= Lexington Herald-Leader |date=May 27, 1997 |page= B1}}</ref>

At the Memorial Day ceremony, a keynote speaker is typically part of the program, as is a local high school band, a [[bugle]]r who plays ''[[Taps (bugle call)|Taps]]'', and a [[cannon]] salute. Representatives of [[American Civil War reenactment|reenactment units]] in [[Uniform of the Union Army|Civil War-period uniforms]] are usually present to act as an [[honor guard]]. Represented units have included members from the re-enacted [[54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry|54th Massachusetts Infantry]], the all-black regiment that earned fame in the Civil War and fresh recognition from its depiction in the 1989 film ''[[Glory (1989 film)|Glory]]''. In the past, the cannon salute was fired by representatives from a [[U.S. Army Reserve]] or [[Kentucky National Guard]] [[artillery]] unit. In recent years, the salute has been fired from a replica 19th-century [[cannon]], fired by Civil War re-enactors. The ceremony has been augmented by a [[procession]] of a horse-drawn [[limbers and caissons|limber-and-caisson]] bearing an empty, flag-draped [[coffin]], symbolic of the many military personnel who have died in the service of the country. This is followed by a soldier leading a [[riderless horse]], an homage to their loss.<ref name=program/> In 2010, over 1,000 people attended the Memorial Day ceremony.<ref name=josh/>

==Eligibility==
Any veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces who was [[Military discharge|discharged]] from the military under conditions other than "[[Military discharge#Dishonorable discharge (DD)|dishonorable]]" is eligible to be buried at Camp Nelson. A veteran's spouse and dependent children are likewise eligible to be buried. The grave plot, headstone, perpetual maintenance of the grave, and labor involved with burial are provided at no cost to the veteran or the family.<ref name=burial>{{Citation  |title= Burial Benefits |work= Veterans Services: Burials and memorials |publisher= United States Department of Veterans Affairs |date= September 3, 2010}}</ref> Starting in the 1990s, inexpensive plastic [[burial vault (enclosure)|burial vaults]] have been used to enclose the casket within the grave, and are provided at no additional cost to the family.<ref>{{Cite web |title= Burial Vault Basics |url= http://www.deathcare.com/2009/burial-vault-basics.html |work = Deathcare.com |date= May 20, 2009 |access-date= 23 January 2011}}</ref> These vaults protect the casket from being crushed, and are effective at preventing collapse of the surface of the grave due to soil compaction.<ref>{{Cite web |title= What is a Burial Vault? A Consumer's Guide |url= http://whatisaburialvault.com/ |year= 2010 |publisher= DNL, LLC |access-date= 26 January 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110208010133/http://whatisaburialvault.com/ |archive-date= 8 February 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

At the funeral service of a veteran, an American flag will be draped over the casket. At the end of the service, it is ceremonially folded, and presented to the veteran's next-of-kin. "Taps" will be played at the veteran's funeral service at the request of the family.<ref name=burial/>

==Staff==
[[File:CampNelson.jpg|thumb|Tree in the old section at Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Kentucky.]]
Camp Nelson National Cemetery is overseen by one cemetery director. The director and one administrative assistant work in the office, communicating with families and funeral homes to schedule funeral services and burials, coordinate with various agencies for the annual ceremonies, maintain records, and to answer questions or address concerns made by the general public. The staff includes six full-time [[Cemetery#Grave digging|cemetery caretakers]], though the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hires temporary workers almost every summer to augment the staff by about fifty percent. These caretakers prepare graves with a [[backhoe]] or hand held tools (pick and shovel), take custody of and transport a casket to its grave, lower the casket into the grave, seal it within a [[Burial vault (enclosure)|burial vault]], and fill in the grave. Caretakers also receive delivered headstones, set and align them at the head of the appropriate graves, and maintain the grounds; duties include cutting the grass, pruning trees, clearing the roads of leaves in the autumn and snow in the winter, preparing the funeral shelter for services, disposing of litter, and interacting with the public to answer questions or find graves.<ref>{{Cite web|title= VA Specialized Skilled Occupations – Trades Careers |url= http://www.va.gov/JOBS/career_types/skilled.asp#top | publisher= United States Department of Veterans Affairs |date= November 9, 2009 |access-date= 23 January 2011}}</ref>

==Access==
Camp Nelson National Cemetery is best accessed by motor vehicle. It is located about {{convert|15|mi}} south of [[Lexington, Kentucky]]. The  nearest airport is [[Blue Grass Airport]] in Lexington. From there, one can take [[Man o' War Boulevard]] east for about five miles to Nicholasville Road. After turning south toward Nicholasville ([[U.S. Route 27]]), follow that road for about {{convert|15|mi}}, and the cemetery will be on the left side, just before the bridge over the [[Kentucky River]].<ref name=va/>

Camp Nelson National Cemetery is open to visitors everyday from dawn until dusk. The office and visitors' center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 4:00pm, except on federal holidays.<ref name=va/>

==Notable interments==
* [[William Fowler (Brothertown Indian)|William Fowler]] (1815–1862), first non-white Wisconsin legislator; sergeant in Company I, [[21st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment]], died of wounds suffered at [[Battle of Perryville]].
* [[William M. Harris (Medal of Honor)|William M. Harris]] (1850–1878), Medal of Honor recipient; [[Private (rank)|Private]], Company D, [[7th U.S. Cavalry]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ML52CQAAQBAJ&dq=william+harris+camp+nelson&pg=PT52 ''Hidden History of Kentucky Soldiers'']</ref> for action during the [[Battle of the Little Big Horn]], [[Montana]], during the [[Great Sioux War of 1876|Great Sioux War]].<ref name=va/>

==See also==
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Jessamine County, Kentucky]]
* [[List of cemeteries in Kentucky]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/campnelson.asp Camp Nelson National Cemetery]
* [http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/maps/campnelson833.pdf Map of Camp Nelson National Cemetery (pdf)]
* [http://www.cem.va.gov/ National Cemetery Administration]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091227225314/http://www.campnelson.org/home.htm Camp Nelson, Civil War Heritage Park]
* [http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=kyead;cc=kyead;view=text;rgn=main;didno=kukav77pa102 Guide to the Camp Nelson photographs]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} housed at the [[University of Kentucky]] Archives.
* {{GNIS|type=retired|488708}}
* {{Find a Grave cemetery}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American Civil War army posts]]
[[Category:Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky]]
[[Category:American Civil War cemeteries]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Jessamine County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:United States national cemeteries]]
[[Category:African-American historic places]]
[[Category:African-American history of the United States military]]
[[Category:Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Jessamine County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Kentucky in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Kentucky]]
[[Category:1863 establishments in Kentucky]]