Simon Cameron

ID: 621
This file appears in: First USCT Recruits at Camp Nelson
Simon Cameron

In December 1861, Secretary of War Simon Cameron (pictured here) suggested the use of slaves as soldiers. In response to this proposal the Kentucky General Assembly wished for Cameron to be replaced. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

This file appears in: First USCT Recruits at Camp Nelson

By Tim Talbott
Historical Marker #2388 in Danville notes the African American community's contributions to the U.S. Army during the Civil War. In many instances, enslaved and free men of color who tried to join the Union army faced substantial danger. The…