Bushwhackers: The Civil War in North Carolina: The Mountains

Not much has been written on the Civil War in the Appalachians, where, as William Trotter so eloquently puts it: "The killers had names, the victims had kin, and everybody had a gun." Bushwhackers is the best-researched, most thorough account of the mountain war that I have found. When I was researching "Ghost Riders", my novel about the Civil War in the mountains, I found that Mr. Trotter's book was the most useful guide to the chronology of events and their significance. In addition to primary source material and histories, I consulted his book at every turn to make sure that my narrative on Zebulon Vance and Malinda Blalock agreed with the historical record. When other authors disagreed on some point of information, and I had to chose whom to believe, I always chose Trotter. This book is a distinguished piece of scholarship, and an invaluable resource to the Appalachian historian. Highly recommended!

Bushwhackers; The Civil War in North Carolina The Mountains written by William R. Trotter is an epic backrop for the great military war that occured behind the scenes in the Mountainous regions of the western North Carolina Appalachian's. The book attempts to document much of the voilence that did take place such as Fratricidal Raiding and Bushwhacking skirmishes that took place amid small bands of men whom operated under no regular military command. There was no Official Reports filed on most of this fighting. Major connections to East Tennessee, as well, this book is a pleasure and more a treasure for anyone interested in history and genealogical findings on their ancestors that traveled thru the southern states to freedom.

Bushwackers is a reader friendly account of the civil war in the mountains of North Carolina. Besides the historical accounts, Trotter includes stories that have been passed down and are rich fodder for storytellers. Trotter has a creative non-fiction style that brings this time and place alive. :)Mary Z. Cox

A very good book---makes you feel as if you in the mountainsduring those times. I would recommend this book to anyone thats lovesgood mountain air END

In this thoroughly researched and well written history, Trotter relates the little known story of the Civil War in the western mountains of North Carolina. In this history (gleaned from official accounts, personal memoirs, and oral tradition), you will find no romantic stories of martial glory, but the bitter realities and confused allegiances of partisan warfare; this is quite literally the story of brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. But still, there are heroes as well as villains, and people who struggle to maintain their morality despite the atrocities which surround them.This book is especially interesting to readers of Charles Frazier's wonderful novel Cold Mountain. Trotter not only describes the overall setting in which the novel takes place, but Frasier seemes to have borrowed scenes directly from Trotter's book.Two other books by Trotter (which I have not read) relate the Civil War history of the North Carolina piedmont and coast.