The Deserter Kingdom Of Madison County

"I do not want to be troubled with any prisoners and the last one of them should be killed," Confederate Gen. Henry Heth is reported to have told one of his officers in January 1863. He was referring to a band of about 50 deserters from the 64th North Carolina Regiment. The men returned to their Appalachian Mountain home of Madison County, N.C. There, in the isolation of the mountains and with the support of their families, the deserters had banned together and created a so-called deserter kingdom.

Defying civil and military authorities, these men raided communities for supplies and then retreated to hideouts in nearby Laurel Valley. Co. Lawrence Allen of the 64th, whose home had been ransacked by the deserters, received the assignment to stop the plunder - a mission he undertook with a vengeance.

Allen marched his 64th Regiment through hip-deep snow into Laurel Valley. Before long his column was ambushed by deserters firing from behind trees and rocks. The return fire from Allen's men left 14 deserters dead and sent the rest into retreat. When Laurel Valley residents, mostly relatives of the deserters, refused to tell Allen where their men were hiding, he burned their barns, killed their livestock, and then began torturing the residents. Onus Riddle, an 85-year old man, and 70-year old Sally Moore were tied up and whipped. Another woman was tied to a tree, her baby left out in the freezing cold weather, until she finally revealed the location of the hideout. With this information, Allen soon had 13 more deserters in custody.

Alarmed by reports of the army's actions in Laurel Valley, Gov. Zebulon Vance wired Heth, "Do not let our excited people deal too harshly with these misguided men. Please have them delivered to the proper authorities for trial." His plea was ignored. The prisoners, including a 13-year old boy whose father and three brothers had already been killed, were executed by firing squad, their corpses left for the wild hogs.

Fascinating Fact: When the firing squad hesitated to shoot the deserters, they were ordered, "Fire or you will take their place." They fired.