by Dr. William M. Pritchett, edited by John W. Pritchett.

The Virginia Regimental Histories Series. (VARosterC) Published in 1987

Enlist Date:        State:

10 July 1861       Virginia

Promoted to Full Sergeant
Enlisted as a Private on 10 July 1861 in Brunswick, VA
Enlisted in Company E, 56th Infantry Regiment Virginia on 10 July 1861
POW on 16 February 1862 at Fort Donelson, TN
Hospitalized on 25 November 1862 at Richmond, VA
Returned on 08 December 1862 at
Confined on 27 October 1863 at Point Lookout, MD
Exchanged on 03 May 1864 at (Paroled)
POW on 06 April 1865 at Burkeville, VA
Oath Allegiance on 30 June 1865 at Point Lookout, MD (Released)

Buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Lawrenceville, VA.

Tombstone Photo take Sept. 11, 2001 by:  Margaret Trotter Edwards

Sgt. Isham Edward Trotter (1838-1923) was a son of Col. Isham Trotter and his wife, Agnes Thweatt Manson, who wed in Lunenburg County 19 December 1816. Col. Trotter, an officer of the Brunswick County Militia for many years, was born 1 January 1792 and died 30 October 1856. Agnes was born 9 December 1793 and passed away 17 December 1861. They lie buried in the Trotter Family Cemetery back of the home on Highway 616 in north Brunswick County where Douglas Moore lived in the 1970's.

Col. Isham Trotter and wife Agnes Thweatt Manson had nive children:

Mary Ann Catherine Trotter, Martha Elizabeth Trotter, Susan Jane Agnes Trotter, Julianna Pegram Trotter, Henrietta Thweatt Trotter, William Augustus Trotter, Amelia Manson Trotter, Isham Edward Trotter and Lucy Eleanor Trotter.

Captain Taylor enlisted him in the Ebenzer Grays at Sturgeonville 10 July 1861. Isham was with his company when they went to Richmond where they became Co., E, 56th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He went with his regiment to Tennessee in 1862 to help defend Fort Donelson. The soldiers at Fort Donelson fought to defend the fort, but the Confederate commander surrendered anyway. The men captured here were imprisoned at Camp Morton, Indiana. Isham Trotter was at Camp Morton as late as 24 August 1862, but was later taken down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Vicksburg where he was exchanged.

Isham found his way back to Virginia and back to his regiment in the Army of Northern Virginia. With his regiment when General Lee marched into Pennsylvania in 1863, he fought in the Battle of Gettysburg where he was captured. From here he was imprised at Gettysburg where he was captured. From here he was imprisoned at Fort McHenry, Maryland, and then at Fort Delawar, and finally at Point Lookout, Maryland.

Isham was exchanged again 3 May 1864, after which he returned to fight again for the Confederacy. At Petersburg during the siege and on The Retreat, he was captured at Burkeville 6 April 1865 and taken again to Point Lookout Prison where he was parloed 30 June 1865.

William Burch Short* was captured wounded at Gettysburg and died in a Union Hospital. He wrote letters to his wife, Barbara Short in Brunswick County, and in one of his letters he reported that Isham Edward Trotter was captured at Gettysburg 3 July 1863.

Isham came home from Federal prison, returned to farming and in 1880 he was living in Totaro District. He was unmarried, now 42 years old, and had two nephews, Henry Isham Orgain* and Edward Pegram Orgain, farming with him.

Isham wrote his will in 1892, when he was living at LaCrosse. In 1906 he signed the pension application of William Mormon Abernathy* and he attended the reuion of Confederate veterans held in Lawrenceville in 1908. He was adjutant and treasurer of the Brunswick Camp of Confederate Veterans.

                                                                                                                                    Here

                                                                              Isham Trotter is the third man form the front row right side with the beard .

SGT. Isham Henry Trotter (c 1820 – 1875)

This information on who his parents were is not something that I agree with. I have checked out what information that I have and so far can not verify that he would be the son of Isham Trotter b. 1744 and Elizabeth Whitehead. This is not to say that he is being ruled out as one of their sons. "just can not find the proof to verify it."

This is being typed as it is found in the book "Civil War Soldiers from Brunswick County, Virginia.

"was a son of Isham Trotter and Elizabeth Whitehead who were married in Brunswick County in 1795.

Isham Henry Trotter had a brother named Richard B. Trotter who evidently moved to Tennessee, at least his children were living there after the Civil War and were landowners in Brunswick County. Isham also had sisters named Eliza Jane Trotter, Martha R. Trotter, and Catherine Trotter. Martha served as postmistress at Kennedy;s Post Office for several years. Neither of the sisters married.

In 1860 Isham was living in north Brunswick County and was clerking at Kennedy’s Post Office. He was 40 years old.

During the latter part of the Civil War, when the need for men in the Confederate Army was acute, Isham enlisted in Co., C, 44^th Virginia Infantry, Reserves, called the Petersburg Battalion. It was organized in November 1863 and was a reserve battalion. Co. C was comprised largely of men from Brunswick and Lunenburg counties, and Anderson B. Morrison* from Lawrenceville was captain. Isham was promoted to sergeat of Co. C.

He served around Petersburg during the siege and was on The Retreat, surrendering at Aponmattox Court House 9 April 1865.

Isham came home from the war and was a merchant and farmer. Living with him in 1870 were his sisters, Eliza Jane and Martha. In 1875 Isham was appointed postmaster at Kennedy’s Post Office, succeeding his sister Martha who resigned.

Isham probably suffered ill health in 1874, for he wrote his will in March of that year. In his will he mentioned his sisters and "the children of my brother Richard." He died unmarried in 1875 at about 55 years of age.

PVT. Thomas Henry Trotter (c1845-1929)

Was born about 1845, a son of Thomas Rufus Trotter* and his wife, Mary L. ---, identified in the following topic.

Records show that during the latter part of the Civil War, Thomas served in Co. C, 44^th Virginia Infantry, Reserves. Brunswick County records also show him in this company.

"Tom" apparently lived in Mecklenburg County after the Civil War. Years later he was living at Forksville, Virginia, and from here he went to the Old Soldiers Home in Richmond, Virginia. He died there 7 January 1929 at 84 years of age and lies buried in the Soldiers Section of Hollywood Cemetery.

Thomas’ death record says he served in Co. B, 14^th Regiment, it probably was at the beginning of the war.

PVT. Thomas Rufus Trotter (c1820-1861)

Was a son of Henry Trotter and Elizabeth Morgan who wed in Brunswick County in 1818 (his marriage bond dated 13 May). He has a sister named Mary V. Trotter (c1825 ) who in 1860 was a school teacher and was residing in Thomas; home.

Thomas married Mary L. --- in North Carolina 2 February 1843 and before the Civil War they lived Crichton’s Store in the southern and western part of Brunswick County.

Thomas and Mary Trotter, both natives of Virginia, had a large family born as follows: Thomas Henry Trotter*, Lucy V. Trotter (c1847-Edc 1926), William A. Trotter (c1848), Anna M. Trotter (c1849), Mary Elizabeth Trotter (c1852-1853), Ida Trotter (c1855), Clement M. Trotter (c1856), Zora M. Trotter (c1858), and James A. Trotter (c1859). Born later was Robert Trotter (---4 Jul 1911).

Thomas Henry Trotter served in the Confederate Army.

Lucy V. Trotter married Confederate veteran John Jones Dugger* 3 October 1866 and lived at Grandy, or near where Meredithville is today.

It is not known what became of some of the other children in the Trotter family. Perhaps some died during the Civil War, and perhaps some moved away. In 1880William, his mother, Mary, his sisters, Ida and Zora, and his brother Robert were living in Totaro District. William was still living here in 1914.

Robert married Maria Jones (--5 Oct 1967) and they lived in Mecklenburg County. They had at least for children: Ida Lee Trotter married William White, Thomas Rufus Trotter (5 Dec 1907—7 Feb 1923), Nannie Trotter married and Edwards, and Robbie Edna Trotter (15 Feb 1912—11 Jan 1953). Thomas, Edna, Robert, and Maria lie buried in Oakwood Cemetery in South Hill, Virginia.

When the Civil War came, Thomas Rufus Trotter enlisted 2 July 1861 at Richmond in the Brunswick Grays who became Co. G, 21^st Virginia Infantry Regiment. The 21^st Infantry Regiment was part of a force sent to western Virginia (now West Virginia) to meet the challenge of some Federals there. The 21^st Regiment was comprised of ten companies under the command of Col. William Gilliam of Virginia Military Institute. About 850 men were in the regiment.

On 18 July the regiment left Richmond for Staunton, Virginia, arriving there the next day. The Regiment resumed its march on the 21^st into western Virginia to join the force under the command of General Loring, arriving at Huntersville, in Pocahontas County, on 26 July. An epidemic of measles and typhoid fever broke out, and by 3 August when the regiment left Huntersville at least one-third of the regiment was hospitalized. One of those who died there 30 September 1861 at 42 years of age.

Charles Trunbull, an attorney, filed a claim on behalf of Thomas; widow, Mary Trotter, and she received $58 from the Confederate Government.

In 1880 Mary was living in Totaro District with her sons, William and Robert, and daughters, Ida and Zora. They were farming.

In 1888 Mary was living at Meredithville when she applied for a Civil War widow’s penjsion. In her pension application she recalled the death of her husband at Huntersville in 1861. At this time Mary was about 61 years of age. We have not discovered when she died or where she lies buried.