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Unionist Sentiment in Shelton Laurel

© Craig E. Hutchison

During the era of the Civil War, one might think that all the people living deep in the heart of the Southern Appalachians would be believers in secession from the Union. On the contrary, many of the folks there had pro-union feelings. At first glance, this may seem very odd, but by observing the lives of people in the mountain country it can be seen that their life's experiences brought on Unionist sentiment. For the most part, these pro-union ideals came into being because of the "past" of the mountain region. Historical forces played a small role. The difference between the past and history, for the purpose of this article, will be spelled out with the help of Philip Paludan's book, Victims.

To the residents of Shelton Laurel, the only past they were concerned with was their family tree. The past to them was more on a personal level. If someone had said to them, come and fight so the South can keep slaves or so the North can free slaves, their reaction would have been, if I fight, I do so to protect my family and my land, not for slavery. The people there did not care about the larger context of the Civil War. They were in the mountains because they liked being isolated, away from outside interference's.

Of course, one cannot altogether escape the forces of history. War swept through the mountains and "into their past and thirteen of their kin were systematically murdered" (xii). Lives that had been static for years were now turned upside down. So, in Mr. Paludan's mind, there is a clear distinction between "past" and "history". The past is the experience of local people whose lives are shaped by the region. History contains a larger context, forces that sweep across large areas and change things. Examples of these forces would be war and the market revolution.

Life in the mountain regions was based on tradition. As Mr. Paludan relates: "Traditionalism lay back of every aspect of [this community's] culture, sanctioning and accounting for the behavior, attitudes and valued ideals of the...people. Most of the beliefs and practices in these mountain neighborhoods were handed down relatively intact from one generation to another, and because they were the beliefs and practices of one's fathers and forefathers they were deemed right, they were prescriptions to be followed" (11-12). Generation after generation lived on the same plot of land and made a living the same way. The people were a part of the land. Their contact with the outside world was slight and they chose to have it that way. Given the isolation in which the people of Shelton Laurel lived, it is not surprising that they developed a strong individualism.

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