"Perched high atop the Kentucky River palisades in the central Bluegrass, picturesque Camp Nelson played an important, yet now largely forgotten, role in the tragedies and triumphs of the Civil War. The story of the sprawling camp ranges from panicked rumors of an impending raid by Gen. John Hunt Morgan to daring East Tennessee attacks, from petty bureaucratic bickering to the principled courage of men and women struggling to help former slaves adjust to the postwar world.".

"Originally designed as a Union supply depot, Camp Nelson became one of the nation's most important recruiting stations and training camps for black soldiers and Kentucky's chief center for issuing emancipation papers to former slaves. The increasing black population at the camp attracted white missionaries, led by Rev. John G. Fee of Berea, intent on bringing religion, education, and social equality to the newly freed people.".

"In this first study of Camp Nelson, author Richard D. Sears tells the story of the rise and fall of the camp through the shifting perspective of a changing cast of characters - soldiers, refugees, missionaries, and fleeing slaves and enlisted blacks who describe their pitiless treatment at the hands of slave owners and Confederate sympathizers. The diverse documents include carefully selected military orders, letters, newspaper articles, and other correspondence, most inaccessible until now.

Sears's introduction provides a historical overview of the camp and Civil War events connected to it, and helpful notes identify individuals and detail the course of events."--BOOK JACKET.