Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery is a historic cemetery
located near Cabot
in northern Lonoke County, Arkansas and is the site of Confederate
military camp
where 1,500 Confederate soldiers died during an epidemic
during the fall of 1862.
Camp Nelson is located on Rye Drive, just off Cherry Road, just off Mt. Carmel Road in north Lonoke County about 2 miles east of Cabot.
Camp Nelson was a central staging point in central Arkansas
for Confederate troops gathering from Texas
and Arkansas. The camp was named for Brigadier General Allison Nelson
who was in command of the 10th Texas Infantry Regiment.
During the fall of 1862 an epidemic of measles
and typhoid fever
ran rampant through the troops congregated there. Approximately 1,500 Arkansas and Texas soldiers died of disease during a two month period including Brigadier General Nelson himself.
Approximately 1,500 of these soldiers were buried in unmarked graves in the surrounding hills.
During the early years of the 20th century Confederate veterans placed markers in honor of the unknown soldiers and erected a 12-foot obelisk to their memory at the site. The cemetery was not properly maintained and was soon overtaken by the forest undergrowth and became just a local curiosity out in the forest.
In the 1980s local residents, including members of the ROTC and local high school students, began a restoration project on their own and returned the cemetery to its original condition.
Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located near Cabot
Cabot, Arkansas
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,269 people, 5,432 households, and 4,329 families residing in the city. The population density was 798.2 people per square mile . There were 5,712 housing units at an average density of 298.8 per square mile...
in northern Lonoke County, Arkansas and is the site of Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
military camp
Military camp
A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
where 1,500 Confederate soldiers died during an epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
during the fall of 1862.
Camp Nelson is located on Rye Drive, just off Cherry Road, just off Mt. Carmel Road in north Lonoke County about 2 miles east of Cabot.
Camp Nelson was a central staging point in central Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
for Confederate troops gathering from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Arkansas. The camp was named for Brigadier General Allison Nelson
Allison Nelson
Allison Nelson was the ninth mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a brigadier general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War....
who was in command of the 10th Texas Infantry Regiment.
During the fall of 1862 an epidemic of measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
and typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
ran rampant through the troops congregated there. Approximately 1,500 Arkansas and Texas soldiers died of disease during a two month period including Brigadier General Nelson himself.
Approximately 1,500 of these soldiers were buried in unmarked graves in the surrounding hills.
During the early years of the 20th century Confederate veterans placed markers in honor of the unknown soldiers and erected a 12-foot obelisk to their memory at the site. The cemetery was not properly maintained and was soon overtaken by the forest undergrowth and became just a local curiosity out in the forest.
In the 1980s local residents, including members of the ROTC and local high school students, began a restoration project on their own and returned the cemetery to its original condition.
Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.