Hello Nancy:

I read Rick Bryant's response to you and appreciate his nod to the Fort Delaware Society! Since you haven't contacted us, I thought I would respond here anyway.

The Fort Delaware Society database contains a brief entry confirming that Benjamin F. Trousdale was a POW held at Fort Delaware. I was able to examine BFT's Compiled Military Service Records and can confirm that there are no Confederate muster records or any other CSA records to document his Confederate enrollment. The only records in the 35th Alabama Infantry CMSR are Federal POW transfer records. He was captured at Champion Hill on 16 MAY 1863 and sent north via Memphis, and Cairo, Illinois to Camp Morton at Indianapolis, IN. From there Benjamin was sent east with some 1,700 others POWs and arrived at Fort Delaware on 9 JUN 1863. He was one of 1,697 Confederate POWs paroled for exchange on 3 JUL 1863, sent away from Fort Delaware on 4 JUL 1863 and delivered to Confederate authorities at City Point, Virginia on 6 JUL 1863. This was the last release from Fort Delaware of able bodied POWs paroled for exchange until the end of the war. One of the Fort Delaware records contains a War Department archivist's hand written note stating that the name appear on that particular roll as "T. S. Trousdale". Earlier Society researchers picked up the name as "T. L. Trousdale" citing NARA Roll 144 which is probably the same record I found in the CMSR.

There should have been Confederate records of his presence in Camp Lee near Richmond, Virginia soon after his delivery in July 1863, and of his transfer back to the 35th Alabama Infantry which was stationed in Mississippi. But there are none. I double checked the Miscellaneous cards under both Alabama and Confederate headings without finding the name.

I did a quick check of ancestry.com and found several tidbits of information which seem to be for the same individual. Benjamin F. TROUSDALE was born 2 MAR 1835, married to Sallie (no maiden name found) in 1858, and died 29 AUG 1918. He was buried in Ford City, Colbert County, Alabama. In 1900, Benjamin and Sallie were residing in Brickville, Colbert County, Alabama. Wikipedia tells us that Colbert County emerged from Franklin County after the Civil War.

The 35th Alabama Infantry was formed in April 1862 from men recruited in Lauderdale, Franklin, Limestone, Madison and Lawrence counties in Alabama. The regiment was part of Buford's Brigade, Loring's Division at Champion Hill and marched to Crystal Springs, Mississippi the night of 16/17 MAY 1863 thereby avoiding the Siege of Vicksburg. The absence of any Company A muster roll records with Benjamin's name on them is puzzling. His enrollment in Company A recruited primarily from Lauderdale County is a puzzle also. Company B was recruited primarily from Franklin County according to other research I found online. Can you confirm his place of residence in 1860?

According the ancestry.com records I found, he did apply to the State of Alabama for a Confederate pension on 24 JAN 1908 based upon his service in Company A, 35th Alabama Infantry. Sallie was listed as the pensioner and they were residents of Colbert County. You got a copy of this record in 1973.

Hope this all helps!

Hugh Simmons
Fort Delaware Society
Website: www.fortdelaware.org
E-mail: society@fortdelaware.org