The Vances, Abner (My 4th great grandfather) and James, are grossly misrepresented in the feud yarns, and that includes the book by Professor Otis Rice. If the outrageous lies of popular novelists like Lisa Alther and Dean King were all we had to overcome, it would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, with the Vances—and much of the rest of the story– we also have a problem with the historians.
This essay, in its entirety, can be read in my book, “Lies, Damned Lies, and Feud Tales.” https://www.amazon.com/dp/1977716814/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511238586&sr=1-1&keywords=Lies%2C+Damned+Lies%2C+and+Feud+Tales