Hatfields and McCoys
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Who were the Hatfields and the McCoys?
The Hatfields and McCoys were two Appalachian families whose feud grabbed the nation's attention in the 1880s and 1890s, leading to legal and police intervention.
The Hatfields, led by William Anderson ("Devil Anse") Hatfield, and the McCoys, led by Randolph ("Rand'l") McCoy, lived on opposite sides of the Tug Fork, which was the border between Kentucky and West Virginia.
The origins of the feud remain unclear, with some attributing it to Civil War hostilities and others to a dispute over a stolen hog. The conflict escalated in 1882 when Ellison Hatfield was killed by McCoys, leading to the retaliatory execution of three McCoy brothers.
The violence peaked in 1888, with attacks and counterattacks resulting in deaths and legal battles, including a Supreme Court case. Although flare-ups occurred later, the feuding gradually ended by the 1920s. A romantic affair between Johnse Hatfield and Rose Anna McCoy added to the legend, portrayed as a Romeo-and-Juliet romance by newspapers.
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Where did the Hatfield and McCoy feud take place?
The Hatfield and McCoy feud primarily took place in the Appalachian region along the Tug Fork River, which marks the border between Pike County, Kentucky, and Logan County, West Virginia (later Mingo County). The conflict between the Hatfield and McCoy families gained national attention in the 1880s and 1890s and involved legal and police actions, including a Supreme Court case in 1888.
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What started the feud between the two families?
The origins of the Hatfield-McCoy feud are not clear, though some attribute it to hostilities during the American Civil War, where the McCoys were Unionists and the Hatfields were Confederates. Others say it began with Rand'l McCoy's accusation that a Hatfield stole one of his hogs in 1878. Animosities escalated, and the first major bloodshed occurred in 1882. Ellison Hatfield was mortally wounded in a brawl with McCoys, leading the Hatfields to kidnap and execute three McCoy brothers. These murders intensified the conflict, with each family ambushing and killing one another.
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How long did the feud last?
The Hatfield-McCoy feud, a legendary conflict between two American families, attracted national attention in the 1880s and 1890s. While animosities and occasional fights occurred earlier, the first major bloodshed erupted in 1882, escalating into repeated ambushes and killings. A climax was reached in 1888 when the Hatfields attacked the McCoy home, leading to retaliatory raids and legal battles that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Although flare-ups occurred later, the feuding gradually subsided and ended by the second decade of the 20th century.
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What were some major events during the feud?
The Hatfield-McCoy feud was a conflict between two families in the Appalachian region of the United States in the 1880s and 1890s.
Key events:
* Animosities grew after the Civil War, but the first major violence occurred in 1882 when Ellison Hatfield was killed in a brawl with McCoys. In retaliation, the Hatfields murdered three McCoy brothers.
* On New Yearâs Day 1888, the Hatfields attacked the home of Randâl McCoy, killing two of his children and burning his house.
* In response, a posse of McCoys raided West Virginia, killing Jim Vance and others, and capturing nine Hatfields for trial in Kentucky.
* The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Kentucky could detain the accused for trial.
* Newspapers covered the feud, sensationalizing a romantic affair between Johnse Hatfield and Rose Anna McCoy.1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the Hatfield and McCoy feud eventually end and what is its legacy today?
The Hatfield-McCoy feud de-escalated by the early 20th century, following a Supreme Court ruling that allowed Kentucky to try Hatfields for their crimes, resulting in convictions and sentences. Though flare-ups occurred, the fighting diminished. The legend of the Hatfields and McCoys was embellished by a romanticized affair between Johnse Hatfield and Rose Anna McCoy, which newspapers portrayed as a Romeo-and-Juliet romance.
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Hatfields and McCoys, two American Appalachian mountaineer families who, with their kinfolk and neighbours, engaged in a legendary feud that attracted nationwide attention in the 1880s and â90s and prompted judicial and police actions, one of which drew an appeal up to the U.S. Supreme Court (1888).
The Hatfields were headed by William Anderson (âDevil Anseâ) Hatfield (1839â1921), and the McCoys by Randolph (âRandâlâ) McCoy (1839?â1921), each of whom fathered 13 children (some sources claim 16 for McCoy). The families lived on opposite sides of a border stream, the Tug Forkâthe McCoys in Pike county, Kentucky, and the Hatfields in Logan county (or Mingo county, formed from a portion of Logan county in 1895), West Virginia. Each had numerous kinfolk and allies in the respective counties in which they lived.
The origins of the feud are obscure. Some attribute it to hostilities formed during the American Civil War, in which the McCoys were Unionists and the Hatfields were Confederates, others to Randâl McCoyâs belief that a Hatfield stole one of his hogs in 1878. However, although animosities had built up and occasional fights had broken out, the first major bloodletting did not occur until 1882, when Ellison Hatfield was mortally shot in a brawl with McCoys and, in revenge, the Hatfields kidnapped and executed three McCoy brothersâTolbert, Phamer, and Randolph, Jr.
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These murders sharpened the backwoods warfare, and thereafter Hatfields and McCoys repeatedly ambushed and killed one another. Hatfields arrested in their home county and McCoys arrested in their home county were invariably released or acquitted of their deeds because of their respective local support and influence. Fighting reached a climax in 1888. On New Yearâs Day a group of Hatfields led by Jim Vance attacked the home of patriarch Randâl McCoy, missing him but shooting dead a son and a daughter and burning his houses. In retaliation, a posse of McCoys and neighbours, headed by a Pike county deputy sheriff, made successive raids across the border into West Virginia, killing Vance and at least three others, battling with a West Virginia posse, and eventually rounding up nine of the Hatfield clan for indictment and trial in Kentucky. West Virginia filed suit in federal court, charging kidnapping and lawlessness; Kentucky defended the abduction; and newspapers all over the country began carrying front-page stories of the feud and sending in reporters. Finally, in May 1888, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled (in Plyant Mahon v. Abner Justice, jailer of Pike County, Ky.) that Kentucky had the legal right to detain the accused for trial. The trials, later in the year, resulted in one sentence of death by hanging and eight sentences of imprisonment.
Although there were flare-ups thereafter, notably in 1896â97, the feuding gradually abated and had ended by the second decade of the 20th century. The Hatfield-McCoy legend was embellished by a brief love affair about 1880 between Johnson (âJohnseâ) Hatfield and Rose Anna McCoyâan affair that was opposed and eventually broken up by the McCoys. Newspapers turned it into a Romeo-and-Juliet romance.