For Harold Wilson, the history of Camp Calhoun isn’t something he just read in a book — it’s part of his own family story. On October 11, he’ll share that history with the public during a new driving tour that highlights one of Kentucky’s largest Civil War training camps.
The Boys from Camp Calhoun Tour, hosted by the McLean County History Museum, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and feature six stops along the Green River. The event is free, followed by lunch at the museum on Main Street.
“This tour is going to be unbelievable,” Wilson said. “From the top of that hill, our grandfathers marched straight into battle. Thousands never came home, but their stories live on.”
Wilson’s passion for preserving the camp’s legacy stems from his late brother, Don Wilson, who spent 10 years researching the site before passing away just as he completed a 400-page manuscript. Harold carried the project across the finish line, recently publishing “The Boys from Camp Calhoun.” The book will be available for purchase during the tour.
Camp Calhoun was one of three major training camps in Kentucky during the Civil War. Wilson said more than 15,000 soldiers gathered there from counties across Kentucky and Indiana before marching into battles at Fort Donelson and Shiloh. McLean County itself had only about 7,000 residents at the time, yet more than 2,000 men joined the Union cause.
Wilson said the tour also explores how the Green River acted as a dividing line, with many farms south of the river supporting the Confederacy and much of the land to the north siding with the Union. His own ancestors embodied that divide: one fought for the Union cavalry, another joined the infantry, and a third enlisted with the Confederacy’s famed Orphan Brigade.
“I grew up right in the middle of it, playing in old trenches without realizing what they were,” Wilson said. “Now I know those places shaped the lives of my own family and thousands of others.”
In case of rain, the event will be held indoors with a lecture, and the tour will shift to October 18. Participants are encouraged to bring chairs for the stops, and water will be provided.
For more information, contact Anita Austill at 270-499-0166, David Scott at 270-702-0476, or Harold Wilson at 270-302-7504.
