Champ Ferguson
Samuel Ferguson | |
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War crimes | |
Criminal penalty | Death |
Samuel "Champ" Ferguson (November 29, 1821 – October 20, 1865)[1] was a notorious Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War. He claimed to have killed over 100 Union soldiers and pro-Union civilians.[2] He was arrested, tried, and executed for war crimes by the U.S. military after the war.
Early life
Ferguson was born in Clinton County, Kentucky, on the Tennessee border, the oldest of ten children. This area was known as the Kentucky Highlands and had more families who were yeomen farmers and generally owned few slaves. Like his father, Ferguson became a farmer but also earned a reputation for violence even before the American Civil War. He became a slave owner in the 1850s.[3][4]
On August 12, 1858, an altercation that culminated in a feud between Ferguson and the Evans brothers, Floyd and Alexander, resulted in the death of James Reed, the Evans' cousin and acting constable of
Guerrilla activities
During the Civil War,
Early in the war, Ferguson organized a guerrilla company and began attacking any civilians that he believed supported the Union. Many local vendettas were prosecuted in occupied Tennessee under the guise of war. His men cooperated with Confederate military units led by Brig. Gen.
Stories circulated about Ferguson's alleged
Trial and hanging
At the war's end, Ferguson disbanded his men and returned home to his farm. As soon as the Union troops learned of his return, they arrested him and took him to Nashville, where he was tried by a military court for 53 murders. Ferguson's trial attracted national attention and soon became a major media event. One of Ferguson's main adversaries on the Union side, David "Tinker Dave" Beatty, testified against him.[10] Just as Ferguson had led a guerrilla band against any real or presumed Unionists, Beatty led a guerrilla band against any real or presumed confederates. Both did their best to ambush and kill the other. Ferguson acknowledged that his band had killed many of the victims named and said he had killed over 100 men himself. He insisted this conduct was simply part of his duty as a soldier.[2]
A notorious incident was Ferguson and his guerrilla band's involvement in killing wounded Union men and prisoners after the
On October 10, 1865, Ferguson was found guilty and sentenced to hang. He made a statement in response to the verdict:
I am yet and will die a Rebel … I killed a good many men, of course, but I never killed a man who I did not know was seeking my life. … I had always heard that the Federals would not take me prisoner, but would shoot me down wherever they found me. That is what made me kill more than I otherwise would have done. I repeat that I die a Rebel out and out, and my last request is that my body be removed to White County, Tennessee, and be buried in good Rebel soil.
— Johnson, James, Execution of Champ Ferguson, James K. Polk Papers, Box 1, Folder 9. (Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville Dispatch, 22 October 1865).
He was hanged on October 20, 1865, one of only three men to be tried, convicted, and executed for war crimes during the Civil War. The others were Captain
After his execution, Ferguson's statements to the Nashville Dispatch were published; The New York Times classified his letter as a confession. He admitted to killing at least ten people. Ferguson claimed nine of the men were killed in self-defense. He believed that one was committing murders and robbing private houses. Ferguson also stated that he had been convicted of the murders of several men who were killed by other members of his group. He denied some of the charges, including the killing of 12 soldiers at Saltville, and said that many of the men he was accused of killing had died in battle or been killed by bands other than his own. Ferguson felt that his trial had been neither just nor fair. Knowing that he would be sentenced to death, he questioned the reliability of all but two of the witnesses.[14]
References
- ^ Stacey Graham (January 4, 2010). "Samuel 'Champ' Ferguson (1821–1865)". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- ^ a b McDade, Arthur (March 2001). "Tennessee Guerrilla Champ Ferguson Killed More Than 100 Men Before Facing The Hangman's Noose". America's Civil War. Vol. 14, no. 1.
- ^ a b "Notorious Characters – The Fergusons – Atrocious Murders, Etc." The Patriots and Guerrillas – Chapter II. WebRoots.org.
- ProQuest 215785841.
- ISBN 9780809328604. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ p 43 Studies in Tennessee Politics, Tennessee Votes 1799-1976
- ^ a b Margaret D. Binnicker, "Scott County", Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture Encyclopedia, Tennesseeencyclopedia.net, retrieved February 8, 2011
- ^ "Bryan S. Bush Books :: Articles by Bryan S. Bush - Article: Guerilla Warfare in Kentucky". October 9, 2009. Archived from the original on October 9, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
- ^ " 'I took time by the Forelock' Champ Ferguson's war" Archived July 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- better source needed]
- ^ Smith, Troy D. (December 2001). "Champ Ferguson: An American Civil War Rebel Guerrilla". Civil War Times. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-137-37425-7.
- ^ "Clipped From The Courier-Journal". The Courier-Journal. October 21, 1865. p. 3. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Anonymous (October 29, 1865). "CHAMP FERGUSON.; Confession of the Culprit. (abbreviated title)". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
External links
- Media related to Champ Ferguson at Wikimedia Commons