Welcome to Civil War 160th in 60
from the staff at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis, Missouri.
Behind us is the White Haven historic home where Julia Dent Grant, the wife of Ulysses S. Grant grew up.
It was here that as a young army officer, Ulysses S. Grant courted Julia while stationed with the army at nearby Jefferson Barracks.
White Haven later served as the home for Ulysses, Julia, and their children for five years after he left the army in 1854
to be with his family.
To support his family, Ulysses farmed here alongside enslaved African American men, women, and children.
When the Civil War began in 1861, Grant, like tens of thousands of other Unionists, chose to join the fight.
While originally fighting to preserve the Union, Grant came to believe that slavery had to be eliminated.
He supported emancipation as a war measure and African Americans serving in the military.
In 1864, Camp Nelson became one of twelve stations in Kentucky where African American could enlist in the U.S. military.
However, General Grant was critical of Camp Nelson, writing General John Schofield in 1864,
“I have had an inspection made of Camp Nelson and Mount Sterling. It shows a wasteful extravagance there and also that the points are badly selected.
It seems to me that Camp Nelson should be broken up entirely and the public property issued where it will be of service.
I would suggest that Brigadier-General Cox or some other intelligent officer be sent into that part of Kentucky,
with authority to make such changes as the public good may seem to demand.”
Despite Grant’s recommendation that Camp Nelson be closed, the site endured.
Camp Nelson became a vital recruitment and training center for United States Colored Troops—the 3rd largest in the country.
It also served as a refugee camp for enslaved people seeking freedom.
You can learn more from our friends at Camp Nelson National Monument.