Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and Social Change in Appalachia, 1860-1900

Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies

by Altina L. Waller

The Hatfield-McCoy feud, the entertaining subject of comic strips, popular songs, movies, and television, has long been a part of American folklore and legend. Ironically, the extraordinary endurance of the myth that has grown up around the Hatfields and McCoys has obscured the consideration of the feud as a serious historical event. In this study, Altina Waller tells the real story of the Hatfields and McCoys and the Tug Valley of West Virginia and Kentucky, placing the feud in the context of community and regional change in the era of industrialization.Waller argues that the legendary feud was not an outgrowth of an inherently violent mountain culture but rather one manifestation of a contest for social and economic control between local people and outside industrial capitalists—the Hatfields were defending community autonomy while the McCoys were allied with the forces of industrial capitalism. Profiling the colorful feudists "Devil Anse" Hatfield, "Old Ranel" McCoy, "Bad" Frank Phillips, and the ill-fated lovers Roseanna McCoy and Johnse Hatfield, Waller illustrates how Appalachians both shaped and responded to the new economic and social order.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, 19th Century, American History, Social Science

332 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

Reviews

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful, well-written history that avoids the mountaineer stereotype. It puts the famous feud into the context of Kentucky/West Virginia politics and shows how the conflict was exacerbated by economic pressures (timber, railroads, coal) that were transforming the Tug River Valley in the latter decades of the 19th Century.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific! I was so pleased to see a serious analysis of America's most famous feud, and I was even more pleased to see that Waller's analysis boils down to what should be obvious, on a much grander scale, by now: people only kill each other in any sort of collective fashion over access to resources. None of that irrational/petty/backwards/violent hillbillies nonsense. As someone who was born in West Virginia, I was interested to see that Waller seemed so partial to Devil Anse and the other Hatfields, and I didn't terribly mind that she seemed to take that side. It would, however, be interesting to read another history written from a perspective more sympathetic to the McCoys and Kentucky.

[Audra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was well researched especially when you realize it was written before the internet. The version of the feud we have been given is totally inaccurate. It was a tad hard to read in that there was a lot of legal text and it was written by a college professor but still great to read as a descendant of valentine hatfield.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Academic but a good read.

"...the McCoys had become pawns in a large struggle for economic and cultural control of the Tug Valley. It was a struggle eventually lost by both the Hatfields and McCoys."

[Emma Denton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very informational read, but it was incredibly detail heavy. It took a while for my brain to process all of the information thrown at me.

[Michael Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting telling of the famous feud. This book goes into the social and economic factors that relate to the feud. She makes a lot of assuptions based on scant evedence and puts a pro Hatfield spin to the feud. But, still with these shortcomings I still rate it a 5. I loved the attemp at quanifying the record. Very good for 1988 and scant data,

[Eryn C · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the writing is pretty dry and academic, the content is really fascinating and debunks lots of myths about the feud in particular and Appalachia in general.

[Max Ostrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent retelling of the Feud from a historian's eyes - a remarkably well rounded account at that.

[Brie Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for class and it was decently interesting, only a little slow at parts

[April Mighells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good research material and enjoyed the photos. Gives insight into the social culture of that time period in the Appalachian territory. Can be a bit dry at times.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many others, I was inspired to read this book after viewing the History Channel's recent miniseries. Waller's book is impeccably researched, and she views the feud in a fundamentally different way than so many of the sensationalist stories did.

Waller's interpretation of the Hatfield-McCoy feud was a fascinating one. Looked at against the backdrop of social change and industrialization, the feud becomes less about family pride and more about the drive to "modernize" Appalachia and exploit its resources on a national level. Or, at least, that's what the second phase of the feud shows. The earlier, first phase of the feud did seem a bit more about two families snarling at each other over slights and insults, real and imagined.

Looking at the second phase of the feud, though, Waller seems of the opinion that it would not have happened had men like Perry Cline not stirred everything up again (in Cline's case, in the name of revenge over Devil Anse Hatfield acquiring Cline's family land from him on a legal technicality). In this period, both sides seem to have become pawns in the hands of men looking to make names and fortunes for themselves.

Waller also does an excellent job shedding new light on some of the most famous aspects of the feud, such as the "Romeo and Juliet" romance of Johnse Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy. Explaining the social mores of the time period, their doomed "romance" suddenly makes a great deal more sense.

An absolutely fascinating read. It took me a while to get through the book in its entirety, as I had to read it slowly to understand some of the concepts that Waller was introducing, but it was well worth it. Definitely worth the time to read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great exploration of the Hatfield-McCoy feud and the social factors that are the likely causes (which are not what popular myth would hold them to be). It's highly detailed and well researched and comes to some interesting conclusions about Appalachian culture and how it intersected with the growing industrialization of the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is not, however, a book that will probably be interesting to a wide audience- it is definitely an academic history book and while I found it engaging, it is not the book for someone who is not a social history geek and who just wants the story of the feud.

[Joy]

I'm reading this after watching the Hatfields and McCoys three-part movie on the History Channel this past May and feeling like the movie was somewhat contrived (typical Kevin Costner stuff) based on my understanding of the history of the feud. My mother's family comes from that area and was/is descended from the Hatfields, so I heard stories when I was growing up that were different than what I saw in the movie. This book seems to be one of the better researched ones to date, so I'm looking forward to seeing what it holds for me.

[Lizzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know and joke about the Hatfields and McCoys as they are a part of our modern popular culture, yet we rarely delve deep into the subject. This books highlights what was going on in that community to cause such a lasting rift. After reading this it was easy to see how this feud was inevitable given the changing landscape of land, inheritance, and economy.

[Rhonda Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This text goes far beyond the commonly-known version of the famous feud. It provides scholarly research into mountain culture and the feudalism brought on by environmental, political and social change resulting from the encroachment of "outsider" oppression on the traditionally close-knit Appalachian culture.

Recommended.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

My quick take on the book: This is a interesting read for those new to the Appalachian region, but I found the explanations about the larger forces at work to be lacking. A much better portrait of the region, the reason for some of the feuds, and the impact on America can be found in the book, The Road to Poverty.

[Lisa Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I haven't read much about the Hatfields or the McCoys, I thought this book was an excellent, and very thorough account of the plight of the mountainmen in the Gilded Age. It describes the feud in great detail but it also portrays the repercussions of industrialization and the establishment of the elite in Appalachia very well.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scholarly book that is clearly and engagingly written. Waller is not from Appalachia but describes a nineteenth-century Appalachian world with sensitivity and insight. It's as if she were one of us, as if she understood our collective memories and fears. It's astonishing.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best books of Appalachian history. In telling the story of the famous feud, it tells the story of the coming of industrial capitalism to the mountains. Miraculously close reading of the archive.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a very informative book that shed a light of truth on a conflict that is confused in the minds of many Americans. My only issue with it, however, was that it was a bit of a slow read.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very intersting and really well-written social history of this feud. Academic, but still interesting if you want to know more about the Hatfield and McCoy's or about the history of Appalachia in this time period (late 1800s).

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the History Channel mini-series I wanted to know more about the Hatfields and McCoys. This book is dense with historical information about the families and the period in which their disagreements took place. The book includes a lot of photos too - I enjoyed seeing the real people involved.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at 19th century Appalachia culture. Well written. Although I don't agree with her economic analysis, I thought she did a fair job of analyzing the overall situation.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to read this because I am a descendant of Devil Anse Hatfield.

[A Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gang warfare in rural Appalachia. Very short academic read.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't make it through the whole book because it got very political and I'm not reading this for a course so I don't have to read every word! Woo!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes history interesting, but seems thoroughly researched. It makes a story that has been exaggerated and explains it pretty well while keeping me engaged.