When I read Cold Mountain several years back I was discussing it with a friend who grew up near Cold Mountain in North Carolina. He commented that a relative of his had been in school with Charles Frazier. Frazier had grown up in that area and hoped to capture something of a lifestyle that he had witness disappear within his lifetime. Supposedly Frazier's inspiration for the book came from family tales of a relative named Inman who decided to come home from the war. Some of you may be interested in what Frazier had to say about his novel. You can find his comments here:
Cold Mountain