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 Mill Springs, Kentucky in which the Confederate troops were pushed back into Tennessee.