In "Bushwhackers", Trotter references "Victims" 6 times, so yes, some of "Bushwhackers" is based on Paludan's work concerning Shelton Laurel. Thank goodness Trotter isn't as dry. :)

I'm not quite sure how or why we lept from two books on WNC history to a fictional movie loosely based on an historical incident, but I'll certainly take your word for the fiction's historical inaccuracies.
Penny