Kris's Civil War Story
					This is a photo of the monument at Shelton Laurel.
			During the Civil War in 1862, people in Madison County faced hunger. The weather had been bad, so harvests where poor. "Bushwhackers", who where raiding troops had stolen most of the livestock and food during raids in the area. The worst hardship was the lack of salt. Salt was the only way to preserve meat because people didn't have refrigeration back then. Whithout salt there would be no meat to eat or sell in North Carolina that winter. Salt prices climbed from $12 to $100 per sack. The only salt was controlled by Confederate forces. People in Madison County sided with the Union. This was one way the cofederates were punishing the citizens for siding with the North. A band of men from Shelton Laurel took matters into their own hands when they raided the town of Marshall in January in 1863. If they could get enough salt their families could survive the winter. The raiders stole salt and wounded Captian John Peek. They also attacked the Captain's house along with several others in town. The local Confederate General, Henry Heath received permission to lead an expedition into Shelton Luarel, He killed 13 men in Shelton  Laurel during this incident.  The monument above was erected in their memory. from Bushwhackers: The Civil War in North Carolina: The Mountains by William R. Trotter.
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