an icepick through the keyhole

Actually, one of the first thing that Waller tries to debunk in her book is the Civil War origins of the feud. While Asa Harmon McCoy did fight on the Union side, and was subsequently killed by guerrilas led by Devil Anse Hatfield after the former returned to Tug River, there was no retaliation from the McCoys.

And really, why should there be? Tug River was firmly on the Confederate side, and the community feelings weren't divided. It may be that even the McCoys tacitly approved of Asa's demise. The hog incident took place in 1878, some 13 years later - a long time if Asa's death was any where near a motivating factor.

[corrected because 1878 is later than 1865]