Madison County on border with Tennessee
From the Richmond Daily Dispatch January 17, 1863:
Tory Outrage in Western North Carolina.
–On Thursday night, 8th inst., a band of to [?] from the mountains of East Tennessee, and Laurel, N. C., attacked the village of Marshal, Madison county, N. C., taking the citizens prisoners, and robbing the whole town of whatever valuables were moveable. When they left they said their next raid would be upon the armory at Asheville, N. C., A force of 300 men, under Col. Allen, of the 64th N. C. regiment, has been sent from Knoxville, to capture the marauders.
“take no prisoners”
The 64th did more than capture the Unionists. You can read a good account of the Shelton Laurel Massacre at The Civil War 150th Blog.
There’s a lot of information about the massacre on the Internet. Renegade South points out that Lt Col. James A. Keith, who led the 64th in this action, claimed that Brigadier General Henry Heth “directed him to kill the Madison County Unionists and deserters, to take no prisoners, and to file ”no reports” of the matter.” Heth’s complicity is also discussed in an article at Our State, which tells the story in the present tense and says that Colonel Lawrence M. Allen was somehow involved with leading a second column.
