Hatfields and McCoysâ??their surnames evoke visions of gun-toting vigilantes hell-bent on defending their kinfolk, igniting bitter grudges that would span generations. Yet many people familiar with these names may know little about the faded history of these two families and the legends they inspired. Who were the Hatfields and McCoys, and what was the source of their bitter clash?
This Memorial Day, HISTORY will dramatize the story of this legendary feud in an action-packed, gritty, and intense scripted miniseries. The mini-series features a star-studded cast that includes Kevin Costner, Bill Paxton, Mare Winningham, and Tom Berenger. Hatfields & McCoys will bring the hot-blooded feud into full color, showing how and why these families exploded into violence in the wake of the American Civil War.
Untangling the story of these feuding families is not simple. Lore has it that the feud was sparked by many different eventsâ??a stolen hog, a star-crossed romance, a Southerner who dared fight for the Union during the Civil War, and a heated election-day brawl drenched with alcohol. Each of these events has been cited as the source of the conflict. In truth, all of these events may have contributed to the deep resentments between the families that erupted into the historic feud that transpired against the changing canvas of the Appalachian mountain community in the last decades of the 19th century.
The Hatfield-McCoy conflict had geographical as well as social and political dimensions. Both families lived along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River, which snaked along the boundary between Kentucky and West Virginia. This unique location would later stoke the flames of the feud as authorities in each state marshaled their powers to try to bring justice to those who they felt were wronged. While both Hatfields and McCoys lived on either side of the river at various times, the majority of Hatfields resided in West Virginiaâ??s Logan County while most of the McCoys lived on the Kentucky side in Pike County.
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