The Isolation Factor: Differing Loyalties in the Mountain Counties of Watauga and Buncombe During the Civil War

This work closely examined the Civil War in Watauga County and Buncombe County while comparing their situations to the each other and the rest of Appalachia. After making a geographical profile of Union and Confederate enlistees, it was clear that the higher in the mountains one lived, the more likely they were to support the Union due to their isolation. Those living in the more connected towns and bottomlands were more likely to support the Confederacy, and the larger the town or city was, the stronger its support. Nearly all of Buncombe County minus its fringes showed strong Confederate support, but Unionists in Watauga County held the majority outside of a few small towns.