Speaker at Camp Nelson

Join the National Park Service (NPS) for the 5th 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 programs are free and open to the public.

March 28, 2026

11:00 AM – “As Humanity Will Permit”: The Closing of Camp Nelson in 1865-66

The US Army officially deactivated Camp Nelson in 1866 after the Civil War. The base was dismantled, the materials of war were removed, and most US soldiers were mustered out of service. However, the future for US Colored Troops soldiers and their families and other recently emancipated people was uncertain, precarious, and deadly as unofficial reconstruction emerges in post-war Kentucky.

Steve T. Phan, Chief of Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services at Camp Nelson National Monument, delivers the program.