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Devil Anse Hatfield | |
|---|---|
 Hatfieldc. 1910 | |
| Born | William Anderson Hatfield September 9, 1839 Logan, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 1921 (aged 81) Stirrat, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 13 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 45th Virginia Battalion Infantry |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield (/ˈæns/; September 9, 1839 – January 6, 1921) was the patriarch of theWest Virginian Hatfield family who led the family during theHatfield–McCoy feud.
Hatfield was born September 9, 1839, in western Virginia (nowLogan, West Virginia), the son of Ephraim and Nancy (Vance) Hatfield.[1] His nickname "Devil Anse" has a variety of supposed origins. Among these are that it was given to him by his mother; that he was named it byRandolph McCoy, patriarch of the McCoy family; that he earned the nickname for his bravery during battle in theAmerican Civil War; or because it contrasted to his good-tempered cousin, Anderson "Preacher Anse" Hatfield.[2][page needed]
A supporter of theConfederacy, Hatfield enlisted in theConfederate Army during the American Civil War. He was commissioned a First Lieutenant ofCavalry in the Virginia State Line in 1862, a group made to protect the territory along theKentucky–Virginia border where resident loyalties to theUnion and Confederacy were mixed.[3] The Virginia State Line eventually disbanded in 1863 and Hatfield enlisted as a private in the newly formed 45th Battalion Virginia Infantry, before being appointed First Lieutenant and later Captain of Company B. His unit spent most of its time patrolling the border area againstbushwhackers sympathetic to the Union as well as engaging inguerrilla warfare against Union soldiers. Devil Anse has been connected to killings of several Union fighters, including trackers Ax and Fleming Hurley in 1863.[4]
Devil Anse and his uncle Jim Vance later formed a Confederate guerrilla fighting unit called the "Logan Wildcats."[5] One of the group's victims was Union General Bill France, killed in revenge for losing one of their members to France's unit.[6] In 1865, he was suspected of having been involved in the murder of his rival Asa Harmon McCoy, who had fought for the Union Army and was waylaid by The Wildcats on his return home. Hatfield had been home ill at the time of the killing, which was probably committed at the instigation of his uncle, Jim Vance. This may have sparked the beginning of the notorious feud between the two families.
Devil Anse deserted the Confederate Army in 1864 and returned home to his family in West Virginia where he began acquiring land. Despite beingilliterate, he managed to build a profitable lumber business, much of which was on thousands of acres of virgin timberland he had won in a lawsuit from McCoy relative Perry Cline.[7]
Devil Anse was the patriarch during the Hatfield–McCoy feud. His family and Randolph McCoy's fought in one of the bloodiest and most well-known feuds in American history.[8][unreliable source?] He was instrumental in the execution of McCoy boys Tolbert, Pharmer and Bud, as well as being present during theBattle of the Grapevine Creek before most of his sons and friends were arrested for the murder of the McCoys.
Hatfield was baptized on September 23, 1911, inIsland Creek by William Dyke "Uncle Dyke" Garrett and converted toChristianity (he had maintained a largely agnostic or anti-institutional view of religion prior to this conversion). He went on to found a Church of Christ congregation in West Virginia.[2] He was an uncle of the eventualGovernor of West Virginia, andUnited States Senator,Henry D. Hatfield.
Hatfield married Levisa "Levicy" Chafin (December 20, 1842 – March 15, 1929), the daughter of Nathaniel Chafin and Matilda Varney, on April 18, 1861, in Logan County, West Virginia (then Virginia). Their 13 children were:
| Name | Nickname | Lifespan | Son/Daughter | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Hatfield | Johnse | 1862–1922 | Son | Most known for his brief affair with Roseanna McCoy. Later married her cousin Nancy McCoy. |
| William Anderson Hatfield Jr. | Cap | 1864–1930 | Son | Killed Jeff McCoy in 1886. Deputy sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia |
| Robert Lee Hatfield | Bob | 1868–1931 | Son | Operated a saloon at Wharncliffe, Mingo County, during the 1890s |
| Nancy Bell Hatfield Vance-Mullins | Nannie | 1869–1939 | Daughter | Her first husband, John Totten Vance, killed James Thompson in 1897 |
| Elliott Rutherford Hatfield | 1872–1932 | Son | Physician in Kanawha County, West Virginia | |
| Mary Hatfield Hensley Simpkins Howes | 1873–1963 | Daughter | Her husband, Frank Howes, was a fiddler from Catlettsburg, Kentucky | |
| Elizabeth Hatfield Caldwell | Betty | 1876–1962 | Daughter | |
| Elias M. Hatfield | 1878–1911 | Son | Murdered in Fayette County, West Virginia | |
| Detroit W. Hatfield | Troy | 1881–1911 | Son | Murdered in Fayette County, West Virginia |
| Joseph Davis Hatfield | Joe | 1883–1963 | Son | Republican sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia |
| Rosada Lee Hatfield Browning | Rosie | 1885–1965 | Daughter | |
| Emmanuel Willis Wilson Hatfield | Willis | 1888–1978 | Son | Killed Dr. Thornhill in Mullens, West Virginia[citation needed] |
| Tennyson Samuel Hatfield | Tennis | 1890–1953 | Son | Republican sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia |
Hatfield died on Thursday, January 7, 1921, in Sarah Ann, Logan County, West Virginia at the age of 81 ofpneumonia at his home along Island Creek. He is buried in theHatfield Family Cemetery alongWest Virginia Route 44 in southernLogan County. His grave is topped by a life-sized statue of himself made of Italian marble. Levicy outlived her husband by eight years. Her great-nephew was the political kingpin and Logan County sheriffDon Chafin.
Hatfield was portrayed by actorKevin Costner in the 2012 miniseriesHatfields & McCoys. For his role, Costner won both theEmmy andGolden Globe for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Miniseries or TV Movie.[9]
In the 1975 TV movieThe Hatfields and the McCoys,Jack Palance played Devil Anse Hatfield oppositeSteve Forrest as Randall McCoy.
He makes a spectral appearance inManly Wade Wellman's 1963 collection of short stories,Who Fears the Devil?.
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