This image is the cover for the book Watauga County, North Carolina, in the Civil War, Civil War Series

Watauga County, North Carolina, in the Civil War, Civil War Series

Some say that Watauga County's name comes from a word meaning "beautiful waters," yet during the Civil War, events in this rugged western North Carolina region were far from beautiful. Hundreds of the county's sons left to fight gloriously for the Confederacy. This left the area open to hordes of plundering rogues from East Tennessee, including George W. Kirk's notorious band of thieves. While no large-scale battles took place there, Boone was the scene of the beginning of Stoneman's 1865 raid. The infamous Keith and Malinda Blalock called Watauga County home, leading escaped POWs and dissidents from Blowing Rock to Banner Elk. The four brutal years of conflict, followed by the more brutal Reconstruction, changed the county forever. Join Civil War historian Michael C. Hardy as he reveals Watauga County's Civil War sacrifices and heroism, both on and off the battlefield.

Michael C. Hardy

Michael Hardy is a historian and author, who has written an array of articles, blog posts and over 17 books including Civil War Charlotte, North Carolina in the Civil War and A Short History of Watauga County.Hardy was awarded the 2010 Historian of the Year by the North Carolina Society of Historians.

The History Press