Camp Trousdale Site
Encyclopedia
Camp Trousdale, in Portland
, Sumner County
, Tennessee
, was an early staging and training area for Tennessee Confederate units
during the American Civil War
, used from June through November 1861. A number of units of the Confederate Army of Tennessee
trained in the camp before it was abandoned under pressure from the Union
invasion of central Tennessee.
. It also had a temperate climate and was close to large open fields which were convenient for the training of volunteers who would later serve in the Army of Tennessee
. Camp Trousdale and similar sites such as Camp Moore
in Louisiana
were often the places where raw volunteers received their first training in military drills, in the form of intense daily practice.
Trousdale also served as a staging area for the military campaigns along the Tennessee-Kentucky
border. Felix Zollicoffer
, who was appointed commander of Camp Trousdale in July, 1861, used units from the camp to strengthen Confederate defenses near the Cumberland Gap
. This campaign led to Zollicoffer's death when he mistakenly crossed into Union lines during a battle near Camp Springs, Kentucky
in which the Confederate troops were pushed back into Tennessee.
As with many military camps during the war, disease was a common problem. One of the units that used the camp early in its existence was the Third Tennessee Infantry Regiment. The regiment was moved to the camp in hopes that a change of venue would relieve an epidemic
of measles
and other diseases that had beset its soldiers. However, even after its move to the camp on July 16, 1861, the soldiers of the Third Tennessee suffered from a variety of illnesses. This prompted the construction of a military hospital
, although the hospital was located in a tent rather than a more permanent building. Archaeologists have speculated that the hospital site may provide modern researchers with a variety of artifacts related to the military, medicine, burials, and domestic life.
Despite the vagaries of training, disease, and what one soldier described as "mighty tight rools" (sic), the occupants of Camp Trousdale found time for recreation. One Tennessee soldier wrote that dances were a nightly event at the camp.
The camp was abandoned in November 1861 due to the Union invasion of middle Tennessee
.
Portland, Tennessee
Portland is a city in Sumner and Robertson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is also a part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area The population was 10,986 according to 2007 estimates by the US census bureau.-History:...
, Sumner County
Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 130,449. Its county seat is Gallatin, but its largest town is Hendersonville...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, was an early staging and training area for Tennessee Confederate units
Tennessee Civil War Confederate Units
This is a list of Tennessee Civil War Confederate Units.-Infantry:* 1st Infantry* 1st Infantry* 1st Zouaves* 2nd Infantry * 2nd Infantry* 3rd Infantry* 4th Infantry* 5th Infantry...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, used from June through November 1861. A number of units of the Confederate Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
trained in the camp before it was abandoned under pressure from the Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
invasion of central Tennessee.
Training camp
Camp Trousdale was a convenient site for training soldiers. The area had previously served as a station on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. and was located in relatively close proximity to a major city, Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. It also had a temperate climate and was close to large open fields which were convenient for the training of volunteers who would later serve in the Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
. Camp Trousdale and similar sites such as Camp Moore
Camp Moore
Camp Moore, north of the Village of Tangipahoa near Kentwood, Louisiana, was a Confederate training base and principal base of operations in eastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi. The base was named for Louisiana Governor Thomas Overton Moore and operated from May 1861 to 1864 during the...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
were often the places where raw volunteers received their first training in military drills, in the form of intense daily practice.
Trousdale also served as a staging area for the military campaigns along the Tennessee-Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
border. Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Kirk Zollicoffer was a newspaperman, three-term United States Congressman from Tennessee, officer in the United States Army, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War...
, who was appointed commander of Camp Trousdale in July, 1861, used units from the camp to strengthen Confederate defenses near the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
. This campaign led to Zollicoffer's death when he mistakenly crossed into Union lines during a battle near Camp Springs, Kentucky
Camp Springs, Kentucky
Camp Springs is an unincorporated community in rural Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, ten miles southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio. During the mid-19th century, the area was settled by German immigrants from the Rhine River wine districts.-History:...
in which the Confederate troops were pushed back into Tennessee.
As with many military camps during the war, disease was a common problem. One of the units that used the camp early in its existence was the Third Tennessee Infantry Regiment. The regiment was moved to the camp in hopes that a change of venue would relieve an epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
of measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
and other diseases that had beset its soldiers. However, even after its move to the camp on July 16, 1861, the soldiers of the Third Tennessee suffered from a variety of illnesses. This prompted the construction of a military hospital
Military hospital
Military hospital is a hospital, which is generally located on a military base and is reserved for the use of military personnel, their dependents or other authorized users....
, although the hospital was located in a tent rather than a more permanent building. Archaeologists have speculated that the hospital site may provide modern researchers with a variety of artifacts related to the military, medicine, burials, and domestic life.
Despite the vagaries of training, disease, and what one soldier described as "mighty tight rools" (sic), the occupants of Camp Trousdale found time for recreation. One Tennessee soldier wrote that dances were a nightly event at the camp.
The camp was abandoned in November 1861 due to the Union invasion of middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
.
Confederate Units in training
The following Tennessee Confederate Units trained at Camp Trousdale:-
- 7th Infantry Regiment - Hatton
- 16th Infantry Regiment - Savage
- 18th Infantry Regiment - Palmer
- 20th Infantry Regiment - Battle
- 24th Infantry Regiment - Stewart
- 32nd Infantry Regiment - Bushrod JohnsonBushrod JohnsonBushrod Rust Johnson was a teacher, university chancellor, and Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was one of a handful of Confederate generals who were born and raised in the North.-Early life:...
- 41st Infantry Regiment - Tillman
- 44th Infantry Regiment - McDaniel
- 1st Cavalry Battalion - McNairy
- 2nd Cavalry Battalion - Samuel Jones