Camp Nelson

 (1862-1862) - A Confederate camp established as Camp Hope in 1862 during the U.S. Civil War in Lonoke County, Arkansas. Named for Brigadier General Allison Nelson. Abandoned late in 1862.

History
A Confederate staging camp established as Camp Hope in the spring of 1862. It is estimated that as many as 20,000 Confederate troops camped in the area. A series of epidemics swept through the camp in the fall of 1862 that claimed the lives of some 1500 troops including Colonel Allison Nelson who had just been promoted to Brigadier General. The post was then re-named for the fallen Colonel. The camp was abandoned by the end of 1862.

Many of the 1,500 soldiers who died were buried in scattered unmarked graves. In 1905, 429 of the graves were located and the bodies were reinterred in Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery near the site of the original camp. An identical marker for each of the reinterred soldiers was placed in the cemetery although there is some evidence that all of the reinterred soldiers were buried in a common grave. Each of the markers read "Unknown Soldier CSA".

Current Status
Part of Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery, Lonoke County, Arkansas

Sources:
 * , page 55

Links:
 * North American Forts - Camp Nelson
 * Camp Nelson Cemetery
 * Encyclopedia of Arkansas