May 29 2012
Hatfields and McCoys
So not sure if you are watching the mini series on the Hatfields & McCoys on the History channel, but if you aren’t – you might should get on it!
It’s one of the biggest feuds in history and is very interesting, although very stupid! It basically begins during the Civil War – where different parts of families went to different sides! Then of course, there is the famous pig trial! And I haven’t gotten to the part of the miniseries yet with the Hatfield boy and the McCoy girl – other than some fucking but that would definitely put another wall up, now wouldn’t it?
According to the miniseries, I haven’t really made my decision on who was right and who was wrong – and to be honest, it seems that both families had their “trouble makers” and the family just went along with it! I’ll let you know at the end of the series, if my mind is changed on that one!
So, anyways, go watch it – it’s interesting! I’m gonna give it 2 thumbs up, so far!
Kisses ~ Kristine
The Hatfields
The McCoys
I have seen the first segment 4 times now and the second one twice. It is good to know that it was a bad blood feeling that started in the war and took 15 or so years to fester into gunfire. much more sensible story than the stolen pig short story given by the History channel about a decade ago.
but I still want to kick that lawyer in the pooper with a sharp pointed shoe. I dont like most lawyers generally but this one seems particularly slimey
I completely agree – apparently even some of the McCoys thought going to court over the stupid pig wasn’t the best idea! But it seems like the lawyer is stirring up a lot of needless trouble!
Hi Kristine,
I’ll definitely have to check it out. My morning radio buds Drake and Zeke have also been talking about the series. I enjoy American history and learning how we developed as a society. The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s seems to be an example of all that can go wrong between familes when fairly small differences get out of hand. Thanks for the suggestion.
Speaking of rural families that like to fight do you watch “Justified”? I don’t like most cop shows but a show set in rural Harlan, Kentucky is something that’s a little different from most of what is on cable.
Paul
Never even heard of it! lol But you do have to see Hatfields & McCoys – it seems to be very good!
I wont comment completely comment until you say you have seen the entire show to the end. I really enjoyed it.
the show cleared up a bunch of misinformation about how the entire sequence of events happened. The why is less crystal clear. The story in history so far has been that two backwards hillbilly families had a border skirmish civil war style over an unproven claim of a wayward pig that may have ended up in the wrong family food pantry. When in fact it was a quasi legal activity. A vigilanti action by the Hatfields (in a matter that would have resulted in death of the three in Kentucky anyway) resulted in a series of ‘warrants’ with cash bounties to be issued on the entire Hatfield family that lasted decades before ending. They never did say what happened to all of those warrants after they declared a truce.
I had some admiration for the character of Devil Hatfield even tho his coddling of his uncle’s ruthless activity furthered the feud further than it woud have gone on it’s own momentum. I also had some good admiration for the Hooker Nancy who literally and figuratively went “undercover” into the enemy camp to allow more Hatfields to be “arrested” by the bounty hunter who actually did most of the killing for the McCoy side other than their murdering of several people on their own. The McCoys always called the Hatfields thieving scheeming and knieving but the McCoys were drunken brawling killers who always tried to weasle their way out of responsibilites.
I’ve only seen the first 2 episodes, so I’m gonna wait to completely comment on this – however I can already say I completely agree with you about Uncle Jim – he was just stirring the pot almost as bad as the McCoy lawyer. Should have put both of them in a room and let them fight it out between them!
Uncle Jim was a hands on ruffian who would have ripped the lawyer up the belly like a field dressed pig. The Lawyer used the law to do the same things. Just differently because he wore a suit and didnt get his hands dirty. That he actually pretended to ‘defend’ the accused Hatfields was laughable at best. That he forced them to mail letters home extorting legal fee payment from their families is typical in him being the only one who actually profited from the feud he perpetuated. I dont have any doubts that the lawyer got slicker with his fraud and carpet baggery as time went on. The same way I am sure that there were more altercations on both sides between families than the 15 or less deaths reported for the entire feud.
they made great pains to introduce the bounty hunter as being “a criminal” that rode with the James Brothers. When the feud started early after the civil war and The Frank and Jesse James didnt start being bank robbers until 5 to 7 years after the war. The James’s rode with the Cantrells during the war. They were irregular troops and raiders who had an area of assigned responsibility that included Iowa Missouri Arkansas and Kansas. Their mission was to be a genuine pain in the side of the union commanders and force them to commit troops to conter them that would otherwise be used in general forces against the confederacy. The James brothers took exception to the federal government’s 40 acres and a mule gift to freed slaves. You cant just print up 40 acres of real estate it has to come from somewhere and somebody elses family. And since the union won, the confederacy and their p[ublic supporters kindly “donated” their property. Devil Hatfield commanded his own group called the Logans. They served the same function as the Cantrell group. Uncle Jim was a home guard commander during the war. He was supposed to maintain security behind the front lines which means he went around intimidating anybody he saw as somebody he didnt like and killed them because dead prisoners didnt need to be fed clothed or sheltered. What nobody mentioned was that the Klu Klux Klans started up right about that time frame also. I only saw one black actor in the entire show about an area that was supposed to be a slavery stronghold.
but I lliked the show.