Lewis Redmond, the Robin Hood of moonshiners.
Probably everyone knows the story of Robin Hood, the outlaw who stood up for the poor when England was being oppressed by the Normands. But have you heard about Lewis Redmond also known as the ‘Robin Hood of moonshiners’? He was a skilled moonshiner and bootlegger from the 19th century who became an outlaw after shooting a deputy U.S. marshall in North Carolina (USA). From then on he and his own merry men were hiding in the rough Appalachian mountains and became a hero to the poor locals, since he fought the tax collectors and supported them with the profits of the illegal liquor he made by moonlight.
Redmond was born in 1854 and 2 years later his family settled in the Middle Fork Community in Transilvania County, North Carolina. An incredibly rough part of the world where people had to struggle daily to survive. Most of the habitants were Irish immigrants who were already pretty accustomed to hard times. They tried to grow vegetables on the rocky ground of the Appalachians and further they relied on hunting and trading with other families. Nobody had an extra buck to spend but the system worked to keep most of them alive. That was until land taxes were introduced and people needed actual money. Most people saw only 2 options: leave the mountains and try their luck elsewhere or moonshining, distilling their own illegal liquor by the light of the moon.
Redmond was lucky enough to learn from some of the finest moonshiners in North Carolina, a state where the homemade spirits were known for their excellent quality. At age 21 he already had his own still hidden in the mountains and he had gained a reputation of making great whiskey, that he would deliver himself at customer’s homes. In 1876 one of these drop offs went horribly wrong as Redmond was stopped by deputy Alfred Duckworth. He spoke the legendary words “Allright, put up your gun Alf, I will go along with you” and then shot him in the throat with a small derringer. The 24-year old officer didn’t survive this shot and from then on Redmont became an outlaw with a 1.000 dollar reward on his head. A huge amount of money in those days.
Redmond instantly became a hero for many people in the Appalachian mountains, who had a serious problem with the law that made their lives so difficult. In other parts of the state and the country the Robin Hood of moonshiners was less loved but among his own people nobody seemed to be interested in the award for bringing him in. Redmond, who was part Indian, traveled from place to place leading a group of more than 30 men fighting the revenue officers. Or he hid himself in the mountains where he kept making moonshine. Since he couldn’t settle down and spend the money on himself, he helped out poor mountain families and became an even bigger hero to them. Newspapers (even national ones) gladly printed his latest adventures and even some books were written about him.
By 1879 Redmond moved into a mountain cabin near the Little Tenessee River. This hideout was raided three times by officers of the law until they finally caught the outlaw. The first time a friend warned him about the raid and Redmond escaped in a canoe down the river, just 20 minutes before the arrest team arrived. The second time was a close call. As the officers came in through the front door of the cabin, Redmond sneaked out a small hole in the back. The third time in 1881 the moonshiner didn’t ran from the confrontation but stormed out with a gun. He was shot 6 times but still he survived and was taken to the Bryson City jail. However he would only spend 3 years there as in 1884 President Chester A. Arthur would grant him a pardon.
After his release his days as an outlaw were over and he lived a quiet life until he died in 1906, leaving a wife and 9 kids. The production of whiskey had become legal and shortly before his death he was hired by a government distillery in Walhalla, South Carolina to improve it’s whiskey, which till then was of poor quality. No matter how many laws he had broken in the past, no goverment official could deny Redmond’s skills when it came to making liquor.
Micky Bumbar
Check out more Historical Stories and Mythical Tales
What a dude.
LikeLike
Indeed he was…. There are several other adventures. Actually he was captured once before the 3 times at th cabin, escaped and atacked the officers and liberated his friend too.
When in jail his wife smuggled in a gun and it almost came down to a gun fight in prison.
I would love to get my hands on a book about his life.
Cheers,
Micky
LikeLike
Really interesting. Thanks for sharing this, brilliant as ever. Cheers!
LikeLike
Thanks a lot. My pleasure! 🙂
LikeLike
Great story.
Thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Thanks. It was fun to do.
Cheers,
Micky
LikeLike
Interesting . I had some moonshiners in my family years before I was born and my hubbies family had some too but they got in trouble because they pour the drink in water I guess to hide it and some pigs got drunk..Lol! Can you imagine drunk pigs 😉 Bet if you was raising a hog like that it would give it flavor when served at the table..
LikeLike
Hahaha that must have been a fun sight. We made a post about 1 drunk pig before (see link) but a whole bunch of them… Oh boy!
Actually an English friend of mine had a husky dog who was quite the alcoholic. One time he smashed my glass of whiskey off the table with his forepaw and started licking it up from the ground. 🙂
Cheers,
Micky
https://lordsofthedrinks.com/2013/09/10/drunk-pig-gets-into-a-fight-with-a-cow/
LikeLike
That was funny;)Does sound Normal. Thanks for the story. That was a good one;)
LikeLike
Glad you liked it. 🙂
LikeLike
😉
LikeLike
Pingback: Top 20 home distilled drinks or ‘moonshines’ from around the world | Lords of the Drinks
Pingback: San Simon, the Guatemalan saint who drinks and smokes | Lords of the Drinks
Pingback: How Mahatma Gandhi killed thousands of Indians with his call for prohibition | Lords of the Drinks
Pingback: Xenophon’s beer experience in Armenia | Lords of the Drinks
Pingback: How New Zealand was saved from prohibition by its soldiers after World War I | Lords of the Drinks
Pingback: How a brave man and 3.25 liters of wine saved a German town | Lords of the Drinks
Pingback:
The DNA of the Redmond descendants does not show a single ounce of Indian blood. The man he killed brutally raped his wife. In those days a raped women was shamed forever. Major Redmond did not want her to suffer the shame of being a rape victim. He let the world think he shot that man because of illegal whiskey. The president knew the story from Wade Hampton and pardoned Major Redmond. My father was Louis Caredine Redmond his nephew born in 1897 and he knew the family secret of the rape.
LikeLike
Oh wow…. That is quite an interesting twist in the story. Would make him even more of a more modern Robin Hood. Thanks a lot for sharing this with us.
Cheers,
Micky
LikeLike
Hi Mary! Great info! But, I have some questions. The woman who was raped… what was her name? Was this Addie? They were officially married in Oct. 1878 a few months after the federal agents killed her brother Amos, but I believe they had children together before they were married. Any additional info would be great! Thanks!!!!
LikeLike
HI Mary – actually I would love to speak to you if possible… not sure how to get ahold of you! I am writing something on your great uncle and wanted to maybe chat! If that is OK!?
LikeLiked by 1 person