William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield

[CSA Today]

"At the start of the War for Southern Independence in 1861, Hatfield was a 21-year old farmer from present day Logan Coun...ty, West Virginia. Hatfield's documented Confederate service begins in 1862 when he was commissioned a First-Lieutenant of Cavalry in the Virginia State Line. This regional unit was formed in May 1862 in order to protect the territory along the Kentucky & Virginia border. The Virginia State Line eventually disbanded in 1863 and Hatfield enlisted as a private in the newly formed 45th Battalion, Virginia Infantry. He was quickly appointed to the position of First-Lieutenant of Company B, and it appears that he was later made Captain. Early in 1864, dozens of soldiers, including Hatfield deserted their unit for unknown reasons. Some sources maintain the desertions occurred because the 45th Battalion had been ordered to move out of the area and the men were not willing to leave their homes unprotected from Yankee Bushwhackers. Hatfield family tradition, however, holds that Devil Anse left after refusing an order to execute one of his uncles for being absent without leave. Although he left the 45th Battalion, Devil Anse Hatfield did not stop fighting for the Confederacy. He and several members of his former unit joined a partisan unit "Logan Wildcats" that continued to operate in the Tug River Valley region of the West Virginia & Kentucky border. Oral tradition holds that Hatfield fought alongside "Rebel" Bill Smith, the leader of a guerrilla unit in the Logan County area of West Virginia. As the War between the States ended, so did the border tensions in the region, Devil Anse, along with other former Confederates, took his Amnesty Oath on May 4, 1865. His remaining years, however would be legendary to the ages by the events that occurred during the Hatfield & McCoy Feud."

 

[rhettbutler1865]

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"At the start of the War for Southern Independence in 1861, Hatfield was a 21-year old farmer from present day Logan Coun...ty, West Virginia. Hatfield's documented Confederate service begins in 1862 when he was commissioned a First-Lieutenant of Cavalry in the Virginia State Line. This regional unit was formed in May 1862 in order to protect the territory along the Kentucky & Virginia border. The Virginia State Line eventually disbanded in 1863 and Hatfield enlisted as a private in the newly formed 45th Battalion, Virginia Infantry. He was quickly appointed to the position of First-Lieutenant of Company B, and it appears that he was later made Captain. Early in 1864, dozens of soldiers, including Hatfield deserted their unit for unknown reasons. Some sources maintain the desertions occurred because the 45th Battalion had been ordered to move out of the area and the men were not willing to leave their homes unprotected from Yankee Bushwhackers. Hatfield family tradition, however, holds that Devil Anse left after refusing an order to execute one of his uncles for being absent without leave. Although he left the 45th Battalion, Devil Anse Hatfield did not stop fighting for the Confederacy. He and several members of his former unit joined a partisan unit "Logan Wildcats" that continued to operate in the Tug River Valley region of the West Virginia & Kentucky border. Oral tradition holds that Hatfield fought alongside "Rebel" Bill Smith, the leader of a guerrilla unit in the Logan County area of West Virginia. As the War between the States ended, so did the border tensions in the region, Devil Anse, along with other former Confederates, took his Amnesty Oath on May 4, 1865. His remaining years, however would be legendary to the ages by the events that occurred during the Hatfield & McCoy Feud."

Nice post! Learn a lot every day here...

 

[Cumpston1862]

Great post.

I did not know the units William Hatfield was in or that he was an officer. Thanks!

 

[alexjack]

Excellent post CSA Today.

 

[16thVA]

1900 Reunion of the "Logan Wildcats". It's also the name for the local high school sports teams.