Politics, opinions, and "the whys" of both in Western North Carolina is not simple. To anyone truly interested in this complicated subject, I would respectfully recommend "The Heart of Confederate Appalachia - Western North Carolina in the Civil War" (John C. Inscoe & Gordon B. McKinney; ISBN 0-8078-2544-1).

Pretty even-handed approach, well organized, well written.

Also recommended:
William R. Trotter's "Bushwhackers - The Civil War in North Carolina - The Mountains".

Excerpt from the latter's intro:
"The war in the mountains may not have been large, but it was vicious, and it took place on an all-too-human scale. There were vast regions of the mountain country that were more dangerous for an outsider who did not know the score than the areas near the front lines in northern Virginia. Someone who lived, for instance, in Ashe County, would have a pretty good idea of where it was safe to travel in the neighboring counties of Wilkes or Watauga. But if duty or business called him to Caldwell or Madison counties, he'd have to be extremely careful about who he spoke to and where he spent the night. Many men took the wrong fork in a road, went a mile too far down an unfamiliar cove, and were never heard from again.

It was this kind of war in the mountains: The killers had names, their victims had kin, and everybody owned a gun."

Good reading.

Regards,
Penny