Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence in the Appalachian South cover art

Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence in the Appalachian South

New Directions in Southern History

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence in the Appalachian South

By: T.R.C. Hutton
Narrated by: Gary L Willprecht
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.99

Buy Now for $27.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

The notorious conflict between the Hatfield and the McCoy families of West Virginia and Kentucky is often remembered as America's most famous feud, but it was relatively brief and subdued compared to the violence in Breathitt County, Kentucky.

From the Reconstruction period until the early 20th century, Breathitt's 500 square miles of rugged upcountry land was known as "the darkest and bloodiest of all the dark and bloody feud counties" due to its considerable number of homicides, which were not always related to the factional conflicts that swept the region.

In Bloody Breathitt, T. R. C. Hutton carefully investigates instances of individual and mass violence in the county from the Civil War through the Progressive era, exploring links between specific incidents and broader national and regional events. Hutton explains how their causes and implications often reflected distinctly political intentions.

By framing the incidents as "feuds," those in positions of authority disguised politically motivated murders by placing them in a fictive past, preventing outsiders from understanding the complex reality. Hutton's timely study reminds listeners that the nation's political stability has had a tremendous cost in terms of bloodshed.

Winner of the Weatherford Award for nonfiction. Winner of the Appalachian Writers Association Book of the Year for nonfiction. The book is published by The University Press of Kentucky.

©2013 The University Press of Kentucky (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks
State & Local United States Kentucky Gilded Age West Virginia

What listeners say about Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence in the Appalachian South

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.