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Hatfield, Cap sketch FB250905HMcCFeud

20250916GHLn-
Hatfield and McCoy Feud
September 5 2025

· "CAP EMERGED AS THE FIERCEST PLAYER OF THE FEUD"

LOGAN COUNTY, WV — By the 1880s, William Anderson "Cap" Hatfield Jr., the second child of Anderson "Devil Anse" and Levicy Hatfield, was no ordinary mountain son—he was a national name, etched into the bloody legend of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, one of the most well-known family conflicts in American history.

Born February 6, 1864, in Logan County, West Virginia, Cap was the second child of the formidable William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield and Levicy Chafin Hatfield. First nicknamed “Lil’ Captain” after his Civil War veteran father, the title was eventually whittled down to just “Cap”—a name that would soon command fear and respect across Appalachia.

As the feud erupted, Cap emerged as one of its fiercest players. Alongside his father, Devil Anse, and his older brother Johnse, he became a cornerstone of the Hatfield defense. He wasn’t just a fighter—he was an Appalachian gunslinger, celebrated for his uncanny accuracy with both pistol and rifle, and for his ability to rally his kin in the cycle of retaliation that defined the feud’s darkest years.

For nearly a decade, the shedding of blood ran through the Tug Fork valley—revenge killings, ambushes, courtroom showdowns, and backwoods justice. Cap Hatfield was in the thick of it, facing down the McCoys of Pike County, Kentucky, in skirmishes that carved his name into the folklore of the hills.

But once the feud cooled and a fragile peace took root, Cap charted a different course. Though hardened by violence, he turned his restless energy toward business and, remarkably, toward the law. In middle age, he taught himself to read, studied tirelessly, and transformed from a feud marksman to a Mountain State attorney and lawman.

Even so, shadows of the feud never left him. His grandson, Dr. Coleman C. Hatfield, remembered Cap as a man who had been hunted too long, scarred by suspicion and quick to anger when provoked. Later serving as Logan County’s chief deputy, Cap carried an intimidating presence well into old age—a man few dared to cross.

Cap passed on August 22, 1930, but his legend lives on. To this day, his name rides with the folklore of Appalachia, forever bound to the brutal, unforgettable saga of the Hatfields and McCoys.

— By Keith Davis, Logan County, WV
— Image, line drawing of Cap Hatfield

— For an additional story on the second son of Devil Anse Hatfield, see the article, "Cap Hatfield Led An Interesting Life” by Dwight Williamson, local reporter and historian:
https://loganwv.us/cap-hatfield-led-an-interesting-life/ See less
Comments
Joe Hatfield
His dad was devil anse Hatfield the leader of the Hatfield clan. That was my great grandfather.
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Rick Heise
Joe Hatfield Devilanse was my great grandmother's brother
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Tammy Lewallen
He was my 5 times cousin on my grandma side of the family
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Rick Heise
He's my distant cousin also on my grandma's side
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Lois Perry
Levicy Chaffin, Hatfield was my great aunt, sister of my paternal grandpa.
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Lynn Dempsey
Lois Perry and Levicys father was a brother to my great great grandmother.
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Lois Perry
Lynn Dempsey hello Cuz!!
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Lynn Dempsey
Lois Perry yes, we are and I love finding my family
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Debra Yates-Fleck
Lois Perry i just found last night that I'm related to her too. Grandma always told me I was related to both sides.
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Lois Perry
I have found a lot of relatives on Facebook.
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Lynn Dempsey
Lois Perry me too
1w
Reply

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