Trousdale County, Tennessee: History
Trousdale County was formed in 1870 from parts of Macon, Smith, Sumner and Wilson counties. It was named for William Trousdale (1790–1872), Brigadier General in the Mexican War, Governor of Tennessee, 1849–1851, and U.S. Minister to Brazil, 1853–1857. Hartsvillians had initially sought the creation of their own, separate county in 1849, but the effort failed.
On December 7, 1862, The Battle of Hartsville occurred within the boundaries of the county (although Trousdale County was not officially a county until 1870), with the Confederate forces under John Hunt Morgan defeating the Union forces of Absalom B. Moore in a surprise attack on their campsite. Morgan captured most of the Union forces and marched them South to Lebanon, Tennessee.
In the early part of the 20th century, a series of floods left the county seat devastated, with some floodwaters reaching flood stage of nine to twelve feet. There are photographs showing residents of the county canoeing in front of the flooded courthouse.
During the Second World War, American infantry often trained in Trousdale County, simulating battles and participating in minor war games on the countryside owned by local farmers. After the war, the county flourished with the railroad running through the county. However, after the trains stopped running through the county, business slowed and suffered economically.
In 2020, an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a privately operated prison, made Trousdale County the county with the highest per capita infection rate in the United States as of May 5, 2020. As of May 8, 1,284 prisoners at Trousdale had tested positive for the coronavirus, as had 50 employees and contractors at the facility.