A special presentation titled “The Boys of Camp Calhoun,” exploring the history of a Union Civil War encampment in the Green River Valley, is coming to the Owensboro Museum of Science and History at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26.
The talk will be led by Harold Wilson and is based on the book “The Boys of Camp Calhoun,” written by his late brother Don Wilson. The presentation highlights the soldiers who trained at Camp Calhoun during the early stages of the Civil War in Kentucky.
“I have heard nothing but praise for this presentation,” said Isaac G. Settle, executive director of the Owensboro Museum of Science and History. “This program is a great opportunity for those who missed it, and for anyone interested in local Civil War history.”
The history of Camp Calhoun became a personal mission for Don Wilson, who grew up along the Green River at the foot of the former encampment. As a child, he discovered military artifacts and remnants of trenches near his home, sparking decades of research into the men who passed through the camp.
His work documented that Kentucky’s first Civil War battle was launched from the same hillside where he lived.
According to a release from the museum, in December 1861, Union General Thomas Crittenden’s 3rd Kentucky Cavalry rode from Camp Calhoun to engage Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry at the Battle of Sacramento. The release said 200 and 400 Union troops faced more than 800 Confederates. The Union lost 13 soldiers, while Forrest’s forces suffered higher casualties. The soldiers who trained at Camp Calhoun later took part in major battles during Ulysses S. Grant’s western campaign.
Wilson also restored the long-neglected Union Civil War cemetery at the site, clearing overgrowth and setting more than 140 of approximately 600 tombstones in concrete. He died of brain cancer in 2015, before the cemetery restoration and his research could be published. Ten years later, Harold Wilson completed and published the book, now available online.
The presentation will be held at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History at 122 E. 2nd St. Admission is $5 at the door, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.
