William Nelson

Birth Date

1824-09-27

Death Date

1862-09-29

Gender

Race Description

White

Entity Type

Person

Mason County, Kentucky, U.S. Navy and U.S. Army soldier. Kentucky native. Attended Norwich Academy in Vermont from 1837 to 1839. Enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1840. Veteran of the Mexican-American War. Promoted to lieutenant by 1855. Ordered to recruit in Kentucky by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861, where he established Camp Dick Robinson in Garrard County, Kentucky, as a recruiting center. Promoted to brigadier general on September 16, 1861. Served in the 4th Division of the Army of the Ohio under General Don Carlos Buell. Promoted to major general on July 19, 1862. Commanded the Army of Kentucky. Wounded at the Battle of Richmond in Richmond, Kentucky. Shot by General Jefferson C. Davis at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. Died on September 29, 1862.

Ezra J. Warner, Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1988), 343-344.

Civil War Governors of Kentucky is always evolving. Help us improve the edition by suggesting a correction or addition to this record.

Suggest a correction