Established in 1863 to house families of African American soldiers, Camp Nelson became the chief center issuing emancipation papers to former slaves. Many women and children in the refugee camp died from disease and exposure to weather in make-shift camp, and the brutal expulsion of refugees in the winter of 1864 was fatal to many. Only the efforts of Rev. John G. Fee and other humanitarian workers improved conditions. A school, a hospital, and permanent housing later served up to 3,000 African Americans in their transition to freedom. The army's withdrawal from the camp in 1866 exposed refugees to violence from white "regulators," who opposed the presence of freed African Americans.