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I get involved in my genealogy in spurts. Below is my line and a bit of information I have put togather about my ggg grandfather Lyndon.
Enjoy
David's Ancestor Information
Sydney Bowman
Joshua Michael Bowman (born Trogdon, name changed by Bowman grand parents)
David Edward & Rose Bowman - Joanne Locklear second wife, no children
Walter David & (1) DeEtte Bryson - (2) Marie Savage (1 daughter, Joyce Ann) - (3) Judy (2 children, Robbie and Tammy by previous marriage)
James William & Ora (Orie) Lee Sourther
Stephen Harrison b 27 Jul 1888 & Mattie Boyd
Linden (or Lyndon) A(llred) b24 Oct 1837 (The Confederate) & Susannah Kinney
Emsley b1802 d1877 & Sarah Stout b1807
Solomon b1760 d14 May 1826 & Tobitha York b1765
William b ca1730 d1805 (The Patriot)
William b1695 MD d1783
Thomas b ca1670 d by 1701
Home
Disclaimer
Because this is about the Civil War please do not immediately proclaim racism. The Civil War was as much about states rights, as it was the institution of slavery. There were true racists on both sides of the conflict. There were political and personal reasons for much of what occurred during the Civil War. There were as many reasons and views as there were people involved. Slavery was wrong from the beginning. The preservation of the Union verses the formation a new Confederation was the main reason for the war. The South never really had a chance from the beginning. They were out gunned, out manned and out resourced. At heart I wish there had never been a need for the war. I am glad the South lost. I am very proud of the UNITED States and that the atrocity that was slavery was abolished. It was a necessary step to insure the right of all people in this great land. At the same time I am proud of my heritage and the courage, integrity and ingenuity of the Confederate solider, of which my grandfather was one.
I have researched the following information on Linden Trogdon. It is a mix of bulleted items found regarding Linden Trogdons Civil War Service Record and other historical events pertinent to the time and place. I hope you enjoy.
The Confederate
The Story of Linden A. Trogdon
Linden Trogdon is my great, great grandfather. His son is Stephen Harrison whose son is William James whose son is Walter David who is my father.
The 1900 US Federal Census lists Linden Trogdon as the head of house in Bear Creek, Chatham County North Carolina with an estimated birth date of 1838. He was 62 at the time. This same census shows Susanna as his Wife, Ollie Virginia, Sarah R., Mary and Clara I. as daughters and Stephen H. as a Son. He is listed as a farmer who owns his farm and could neither read nor write.
The Military Records of Individual Civil War Soldiers includes the record of a Lyndon A Trogdon. The North Carolina Marriage Collection, 1741-2000 Record shows a record of Lyndon A Trogdon marrying Susannah Kiney on 1 Feb 1863. The North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 Record shows Susannah Kinney married Lyndon A Trogdon on 01 Feb 1863.
These records indicate a variation in name spellings but strongly indicate Lyndon A. and Linden A. Trogdon are the same individual and Susannah Kinney and Susannah Kiney are the same individual. The census recording that Linden A. could neither read nor write lends credence to this. The listener recording the information could certainly interpret the spelling of his spoken name differentially.
Linden and his wife Susannah are buried at Edwards Hill Friends Church located in Bear Creek Township on Edwards Hill Church Road. The grave is marked by an Obelisk and marked as follows:
LINDEN A TROGDON
Died OCT 24 1923
Age about 84 years.
"The honest man is the noblest work of God"
Photo of Linden's tombstone
SUSANAH
Love of
L.A. TROGDON
MAR 24 1844
JULY 20 1921
"She has faded away to shine brightly in Heaven".
Photo of Susanah's tombstone
Photo of both with Edwards Hill Friends Church in the background
I will defer to their grave markers as being the correct spelling.
Lyndon's (Linden) Civil War military record is of some interest. It states he Enlisted as a Private on 10 June 1861 at the age of 22. His estimated birth date of 1838 from the 1900 US Federal Census would have made him 24 or 25. His tombstone states he was about 84 years, at the time of his death on 24 Oct 1923, which would have placed his birth in 1839. That would have made him 22, as stated in his military record, at the time of his enlistment.
On 10 June 1861 he and four of his brothers enlisted. They were Solomon J. about age 35, Hezekiah C. about age 28, Jeremiah F. about age 25 and Samuel about age 21. Hezekiah fought until captured at Seven Pines. Jeremiah fought until captured at Gettysburg. Solomon was wounded twice and deserted once. Samuel was killed in action. re.The Randolph Hornets in the Civil War, Wallace E. Jarrell
Linden's military record states he enlisted in Company M, 22nd Infantry Regiment North Carolina of the Confederate States of America. The enlistment's at the beginning of the war were typically for one year though many were later "mustered" into service for three years or the 'duration of the war'. Company M was known as the Randolph Hornets and was under the command of Capt. John M. Odell. The men were recruited in the counties of Caldwell, McDowell, Surry, Ashe, Guilford, Alleghany, Caswell, Stokes, and Randolph. At the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on July 11th, 12 companies were mustered into the 12th Regiment N.C. Volunteers.
With nearly 1,000 men, the unit was ordered to Virginia and assigned to the Aquia District in the Department of Northern Virginia. Later it was brigaded under Generals Pettigrew, Pender, and Scales.
Thru September and November, the 12th Regiment N.C. Volunteers was reorganized more than once and ended up manning the defenses at Evansport Virginia. On November 14th, this regiment was redesignated the 22nd Regiment N.C. Troops.
After winter quarters at Evansport, the brigade was relocated to Fredericksburg Virgina, where it remained until mid-April 1862. From there the 22nd was moved to Yorktown when Union General McClellan started his Peninsula Campaign. The Confederates were pushed back toward Richmond where battle of Seven Pines ensued and a month later the "Seven Days Fight". An officer in describing the bearing of the Twenty-second at Seven Pines says: "In all my readings of veterans, and of coolness under fire, I have never conceived of anything surpassing the coolness of our men in this fight."
On 30 June, Linden's younger brother Samuel died as a result of wounds. Probably In the "Seven Days Fight", perhaps at Frazier's (or Frayser's ) Farm , also called the Battle of Glendale. In this fight the 22nd regiment was very conspicuous and suffered severely.
After the battle of Seven Pines, General Robert E. Lee was placed in command of the Army of Northern Virginia. Changes were made to unite troops from the same state into brigades. The 22nd North Carolina Infantry Regiment was assigned to General William D. Pender's brigade of General A.P. Hill's division. The new brigade was composed of the 22nd N.C., 16th N.C., 34th N.C., 38th N.C., 2nd Battalion Ark. Inf., and the 22nd Battalion Va. Inf.
After the Seven Days Fight, the regiment moved to a position south of the Chickahominy near the house of Dr. Friend, where it encamped and began construction of earthen work defensive lines. It was during this time that Gen J.E.B. Stuart conducted his infamous 48-hour reconnaissance raid around McClellan.
On 28-30 August the 22nd N.C. was engaged in combat at second Bull Run and again at Harpers Ferry on the 12-15 of September.
On or about 15 September 1862, Linden Trogdon is listed as absent. Absent was distinctly different from AWOL and desertion as the three are listed as a separate status on CSA military records. Linden was never listed as AWOL or as a deserter. Soldiers were fighting only a few hundred miles from home and it was not too uncommon for them to take a leave of absence for many reasons including time to recuperate from injury or wounds. Linden Trogdon had fulfilled his 1-year enlistment at this point and then some. Winter was coming, perhaps help was needed at home and then there was the news of Samuel's death. Perhaps he carried this burden with him back to Chatham County. Perhaps Susanah was on his mind as well.
Records show Linden was married on 1 February 1863 in Randolph Co, N.C. to Susanna Kinney about five months after being reported 'absent'. The honeymoon and absence apparently did not last very long. It appears Linden made it back to M Company in time for a march up the Shenandoah Valley with General Lee in June to arrive in Gettysburg on 1 July.
The next entry in Linden Trogon's military record indicates he was wounded on 3 July 1863 at Gettysburg, PA in the left foot. This was the third and last day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the day of Pickett's Charge. At the time, the 22nd North Carolina Regiment was led by future North Carolina Governor, Brigadier General Alfred Scales who in turn reported to Major General Isaac Trimble under A.P. Hill. Three confederate divisions were part of Pickett's Charge, Pickett's Pettigrew's and Trimble's. The 22nd was positioned to the rear and a bit left of center of the mile wide Confederate assault that would be known as Pickett's charge. The 22nd moved forward near the center while those on their left were virtually decimated. Pickett's division was in the lead and wheeled to the left, directly across and in front of the 22nd advancing. They too were decimated. By then the confederates were routed and in retreat.
The next entry in Linden s military record states he was taken as a prisoner of war on 14 July 1863 at Falling Waters, MD.
After the battle of Gettysburg, Hill's corps acted as a rear guard, and Scales' brigade barely escaped capture at Falling Waters on the 14th though approximately 200 men were captured. Losses of the 22nd N.C. during the campaign were 20 killed and 69 wounded.
One can imagine Linden, tired, battle worn, wounded in the foot and barely able to walk. Perhaps he was limping along as best he could or perhaps he was riding on a horse drawn wagon ambulance full of other wounded soldiers. Either way he was unable to make it back to the relative safety of Virginia when Union soldiers caught up with him.
Linden spent the next eight months as a POW at Point Lookout Maryland.
Point Lookout POW Camp (Camp Hoffman) was established after the Battle of Gettysburg to incarcerate Confederate prisoners. It was in operation from August 1863 through June 1865. Being only 5' above sea level, it was located on approx. 30 acres of leveled land at the southern tip of Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It was the largest Union prison camp for Confederates. Point Lookout was one of the most secure POW camps, being surrounded on three sides by water from the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Only an estimated 50 escapes were successful.
Prison conditions were deplorable. Rations were below minimal, causing scurvy and malnutrition. Prisoners ate rats and raw fish. It's recorded that one hungry Rebel devoured a raw seagull that had been washed ashore. Soap skim and trash peelings were often eaten when found. Lice, disease, and chronic diarrhea often resulted in an infectious death. Prisoners were deprived of adequate clothing, and often had no shoes in winter or, only one blanket among sixteen or more housed in old, worn, torn, discarded union sibley tents. In the winter of 1863, 9,000 prisoners were crowded into 980 tents. Even the Point's weather played havoc with the prisoners. Because of it's location, it's extremely cold with icy wind in the winter and a smoldering sun reflecting off the blinding, barren sand in summer. High water often flooded the tents in the camp area, resulting in knee deep mud. The undrained marshes bred mosquitoes. Malaria, typhoid fever and smallpox was common. The brackish water supply was contaminated by unsanitary camp conditions. There was a deadline about 10' from the approx. 14' wooden parapet wall. Anyone caught crossing this line, even to peek through the fence, was shot. Prisoners were also randomly shot by the guards during the night as they slept, or if they called out from pain.
http://www.plpow.com/PrisonHistory.htm
The next entry in Linden s military record states he was "transferred on 06 March 1864 at City Point, VA".
City Point is a small port town at the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers. U.S. Grant made it the headquarters of the U.S. Army On June 15 1864. City Point was the supply base for the Union forces fighting at Petersburg. Overnight the tiny village became one of the busiest ports in the world as hundreds of ships arrived off its shores bringing food, clothing, ammunition, and other supplies for the Union army. There are many reports of Confederate POW's being transferred or exchanged for Union POW's at City Point.
Linden returned home for the next seven and one half months to recover from his imprisonment and to start a family. His first two children are listed as Luben M. Trogdon, born 1864 and Ollie Virginia Trogdon born 4 May 1865 in Randolph County. Assuming he went directly home after being transferred at City Point, Luben was probably born very premature at 3 or 4 months during June or July 1864. OllieVirginia (documented to have died in 1902) probably was conceived in August or early September of 1864.
Linden's next service entry states he "returned on 15 September 1864". Linden had once again returned to active service for the Confederacy.
By now the Confederates were entrenched at Petersburg. On 30 September at Jones' Farm, Scales' brigade narrowly escaped capture when the Confederates failed to prevent the Federals from extending their lines. Hill's corps was involved in moves to oppose Federal advancement on Dec. 8th, 1864 , and on Feb. 5th, 1865, but both were brief and met with little success. During the attack on the Confederate line by Union forces on April 2nd, Scales' brigade was dislodged from their main line of entrenchment's. That night, the army evacuated the Petersburg defenses, and the army retired toward Amelia Court House. Gen. Scales was on sick furlough, so the brigade was commanded by Col. Joseph Hyman. Lee regrouped at Amelia Court House April 4-5. While moving through Farmville April 7th, Scales' brigade successfully drove off a cavalry attack on the retreating column. On the 9th at Appomattox Court House the cease fire was given and Lee surrendered. During parole of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 12, 1865, there remained only 111 members of the 22nd N.C. Troops of the nearly 1000 men that started.
The last entry in Linden's service record states he was "Paroled on 08 May 1865 at Greensboro, NC" Linden was paroled nearly a month after Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Greensboro was the site of a hospital for many Confederate wounded. Confederate regiments were retreating with the occupation of Raleigh by Sherman's troops and more Union troops approaching Durham from the South. With Grant and the Union Army coming into North Carolina from Appomattox, Greensboro was one of the last haven's for Confederate soldiers and many of the last to surrender, surrendered there including soldiers from regiments all over the South. Linden's parole date is also 4 days after his daughter Ollie Virginia was born.
The service of the 22nd continued valiantly until the end of the war. Linden Trogdon's service record finally states "DISTINGUISHED SERVICE".
From there Linden returned home to Bear Creek in Chatham County North Carolina, no doubt to find his recently born daughter. Perhaps is then she was christened with the name Virginia, the place Linden had spent the better part of the last four years. He returned to the farm life and continued to have children including:
George E. TROGDON b: 10 SEP 1866 in Randolph Co NC
Sara Rutha TROGDON b: 30 AUG 1869
Mary A. TROGDON b: 7 NOV 1872
Lula M. D. TROGDON b: 20 APR 1875
Clara Inia TROGDON b: 19 AUG 1879
Ruthie TROGDON b: ABT 1882
Stephen H. TROGDON b: 27 JUL 1888
Stephen Harrison was my great grandfather. I remember going to his home many times as a child. When he died in 1972 I was 20 years old. I wish I had taken time to talk to him far more than I did about his life and what he might have known about his father.
NOTE: Text in bold are facts as recorded in the Military Records of Individual Civil War Soldiers or U. S. Census. In-between are well recorded facts from a variety of sources about the civil war. There is some small amount of speculation. There is also a bias toward the actions of the 22nd NC Volunteers under the command of Brigadier General Alfred Scales, again factual.
Name: Lyndon A Trogdon ,
Residence: Randolph County, North Carolina
Enlistment Date: 10 June 1861
Distinguished Service: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
Side Served: Confederacy
State Served: North Carolina
Unit Numbers: 132
Service Record: Absent
Confined at Point Lookout, MD
Paroled
Returned
Enlisted as a Private on 10 June 1861 at the age of 22
Enlisted in Company M, 22nd Infantry Regiment North Carolina on 10 June 1861.
Absent on 15 September 1862 (Estimated day)
Wounded on 03 July 1863 at Gettysburg, PA (Wounded in left foot)
POW on 14 July 1863 at Falling Waters, MD
Transferred on 06 March 1864 at City Point, VA
Returned on 15 September 1864 (Returned 09/64 or 10/64)
Paroled on 08 May 1865 at Greensboro, NC
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