BASILE TRUDEL, Jr. -- 60th INFANTRY, 6th U. S. CAVALRYBASILE TRUDEL, Sr. -- 16th U. S. INFANTRYNY INFANTRY and U. S. CAVALRY - Basile Trudel was born in 1842 inNapierville, Quebec, to Basile Trudel and Eleanor Gobin. By 1850, thefamily had moved from La Prairie to Coopersville and the elder Basilewas supporting his family as a wheelwright. In 1860, Eleanor diedleaving six children ranging in age from 4 to 18.Basile the oldest of the children enlisted in the 60th Infantry inSeptember 1861 and was registered as Bossell Trudell to serve for threeyears. While he was with the 60th, he was in two of the major battlesof the war -- Antietam and Gettysburg. Basile deserted from the 60thon October 24, 1862, a month after Gettysburg while they were encampedat Louden, VA, near Harper's Ferry. The 60th had been ordered to go toTennessee before going on to the Atlanta Campaign.The reason for Basile's desertion was his enlistment in the 6th U. S.Cavalry on October 28th while they were camping nearby. His newregiment had taken tremendous casualties at Gettysburg and were lookingfor new men. Basile mustered out after fighting in the Shenandoah Valleyand participating in the Appomattox Campaign in April 1865.While his son was still in the Army, in 1863, the elder Basile left hissix children in Coopersville and went to war himself when he was 42years old. He enlisted in the 16th U. S. Infantry. Four years later hedied of dropsy and inflammation of the lungs at Savannah, GA. Hischildren scattered, most went to New England for work and one marriedand went to Ontario and one went back to Quebec.After the war, young Basile married Marceline Thibault in 1870 and thecouple ended up living in Richford, VT, where he died in 1902. His wifelived another 20 years and died in Springfield, MA, where she went tolive to be near their son, Arthur.
