PBS recently did a documentary of United States Colored Troops and Black refugees that sought refuge at the Union’s Camp Nelson in Kentucky in 1864 and 1865. In November of 1864, some 400 Black women and children were expelled from the camp. Many of the civilians died from exposure.
In January of 1865, a unit of the 5th United States Colored Cavalry was sent to escort cattle to Louisville. Confederate guerrillas attacked the African Americans and massacred them. The documentary shows the hunt for the hidden graves of the 5th United States Colored Cavalry and the dedication of a memorial to the dead.
The program uses reenactors to show what had happened, academic historians explaining the background of the massacred, archeologists using drones to identify where the bodies were buried, National Park Service rangers who help preserve the scenes that are uncovered, and ordinary citizens who helped drive the search along. If you watch the documentary you will enjoy it.
Note: I originally learned about this documentary from Kevin Levin at his site Civil War Memory.
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