Champ Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Samuel "Champ" Ferguson was a notorious Confederate
guerrilla
during the American Civil War
. He claimed to have killed over 100 Union soldiers and pro-Union civilians.
, Kentucky
, on the Tennessee
border. He was the oldest of ten children. Like his father, he became a farmer. Ferguson had a reputation for violence even before the war. Reportedly, in 1858, his men tied a Fentress County Tennessee Sherriff named James Read (or Reid/Reed) to a tree and Ferguson rode his horse around the tree, hacking at Read with his sword for each round until he was dead. He also reportedly stabbed a man named Evans at a camp meeting. Evans survived. In the 1850s, Ferguson moved with his wife and family to the Calfkiller River
Valley in White County, Tennessee
.
For reasons still debated, Ferguson developed a passionate hatred for the Union cause. Local tradition claims Federal soldiers may have raped his wife and daughter. Another theory is that he maintained grudges against local individuals who supported the Union. Ferguson himself later said Confederate officials had promised him they would ignore a previous murder charge if he supported the southern war effort.
. Even families were often divided. One of Champ Ferguson's brothers was killed as a member of the Union's 1st Kentucky Cavalry
.
At the start of the war, Ferguson organized a unit and started attacking civilians believed to support the Union. Occasionally, his guerrilla band cooperated with Confederate military units led by Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan
and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler
. Some evidence indicates Ferguson was actually made a captain of partisan rangers by Morgan. However, Ferguson's men were seldom subject to military discipline and frequently violated the normal rules of warfare.
There are legends of Ferguson's alleged sadism, including stories that he decapitated prisoners and rolled their heads down hillsides and was willing to kill elderly and bedridden men. He was once arrested by Confederate authorities for the murder of a government official and was detained for two months in Wytheville, Virginia
, though he was finally released.
for 53 murders, an attempt to document his wartime activities. His trial attracted national attention and became a major media event. One of Ferguson's main adversaries during the conflict, "Tinker Dave" Beaty, testified against him—just as Ferguson had led a band of guerrillas against any suspected or real pro-unionists, Beaty had led a band of guerrillas against any suspected or real pro-Confederates. Not surprisingly, each had done his best to kill the other. Ferguson acknowledged his band had killed many of the victims named and admitted killing over 100 men personally. Nevertheless, he insisted it was only part of his military duty.
The number of wounded men and prisoners his band killed after the Battle of Saltville
is still a matter of dispute. These were mostly members of the all-black 5th United States Colored Cavalry
and their white officers. Ferguson and his men supposedly murdered the wounded in their beds at the hospital, and only the arrival of Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders
prevented further slaughter. Ferguson departed as soon as he heard that regular Confederate troops had arrived.
On October 10, 1865, Champ 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." He was hanged on October 20, 1865. His body was buried in the France Cemetery on Highway 84 (Monterey Highway) north of Sparta
, Tennessee.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare in the American Civil War
Guerrilla warfare in the American Civil War followed the same general patterns of irregular warfare conducted in 19th century Europe. Structurally, they can be divided into three different types of operations—the so-called 'People's War', 'partisan warfare', and 'raiding warfare'...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He claimed to have killed over 100 Union soldiers and pro-Union civilians.
Early life and origins of Confederate stance
Ferguson was born in Clinton CountyClinton County, Kentucky
Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1836. As of 2000, the population was 9,634. Its name is in honor of the seventh Governor of New York State, DeWitt Clinton. Its county seat is Albany, Kentucky, and it is a prohibition or dry county...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, on the Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
border. He was the oldest of ten children. Like his father, he became a farmer. Ferguson had a reputation for violence even before the war. Reportedly, in 1858, his men tied a Fentress County Tennessee Sherriff named James Read (or Reid/Reed) to a tree and Ferguson rode his horse around the tree, hacking at Read with his sword for each round until he was dead. He also reportedly stabbed a man named Evans at a camp meeting. Evans survived. In the 1850s, Ferguson moved with his wife and family to the Calfkiller River
Calfkiller River
The Calfkiller River is a tributary of the Caney Fork of the Cumberland River in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Via the Caney Fork and the Cumberland and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....
Valley in White County, Tennessee
White County, Tennessee
White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 23,102. Its county seat is Sparta.-History:...
.
For reasons still debated, Ferguson developed a passionate hatred for the Union cause. Local tradition claims Federal soldiers may have raped his wife and daughter. Another theory is that he maintained grudges against local individuals who supported the Union. Ferguson himself later said Confederate officials had promised him they would ignore a previous murder charge if he supported the southern war effort.
Guerrilla activities
During the Civil War, East Tennessee, a mostly mountainous region, was divided over secession from the Union. The terrain and lack of law enforcement due to the war gave guerrilla fighters and irregular military groups significant freedom in the region. There are substantial numbers of recorded incidents of guerrilla and revenge attacks, especially on the Cumberland PlateauCumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
. Even families were often divided. One of Champ Ferguson's brothers was killed as a member of the Union's 1st Kentucky Cavalry
1st Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry
The 1st Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 1st Kentucky Cavalry was organized at Liberty, Burkesville, and Monticello, Kentucky and mustered in for a three year enlistment on October 28, 1861...
.
At the start of the war, Ferguson organized a unit and started attacking civilians believed to support the Union. Occasionally, his guerrilla band cooperated with Confederate military units led by Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler was an American military commander and politician. He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces: first as a noted cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and later as a general in the...
. Some evidence indicates Ferguson was actually made a captain of partisan rangers by Morgan. However, Ferguson's men were seldom subject to military discipline and frequently violated the normal rules of warfare.
There are legends of Ferguson's alleged sadism, including stories that he decapitated prisoners and rolled their heads down hillsides and was willing to kill elderly and bedridden men. He was once arrested by Confederate authorities for the murder of a government official and was detained for two months in Wytheville, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, though he was finally released.
Trial and hanging
At the war's end, Ferguson returned home to his farm. He was promptly arrested by Union troops and was tried in NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
for 53 murders, an attempt to document his wartime activities. His trial attracted national attention and became a major media event. One of Ferguson's main adversaries during the conflict, "Tinker Dave" Beaty, testified against him—just as Ferguson had led a band of guerrillas against any suspected or real pro-unionists, Beaty had led a band of guerrillas against any suspected or real pro-Confederates. Not surprisingly, each had done his best to kill the other. Ferguson acknowledged his band had killed many of the victims named and admitted killing over 100 men personally. Nevertheless, he insisted it was only part of his military duty.
The number of wounded men and prisoners his band killed after the Battle of Saltville
Battle of Saltville I
The Battle of Saltville , was fought near the town of Saltville, Virginia, during the American Civil War. The battle was fought by both regular and homeguard Confederate units against regular Union troops, including one of the few black cavalry units, over an important saltworks in the town. The...
is still a matter of dispute. These were mostly members of the all-black 5th United States Colored Cavalry
5th United States Colored Cavalry
The 5th United States Colored Cavalry was a regiment of the United States Army organized as one of many "Colored" units during the American Civil War. The 5th USCC was one of the more notable "black" fighting units and it was officially organized, after its first two battles, in Kentucky in October...
and their white officers. Ferguson and his men supposedly murdered the wounded in their beds at the hospital, and only the arrival of Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders
Thomas' Legion
Thomas' Legion, also known as Thomas' Legion of Cherokee Indians and Highlanders, Thomas' Legion of Indians and Highlanders, and the 69th North Carolina Regiment, was a unit of the Confederate Army in the American Civil War...
prevented further slaughter. Ferguson departed as soon as he heard that regular Confederate troops had arrived.
On October 10, 1865, Champ 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." He was hanged on October 20, 1865. His body was buried in the France Cemetery on Highway 84 (Monterey Highway) north of Sparta
Sparta, Tennessee
Sparta is a city in White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,599 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of White County. It was the hometown of Lester Flatt of the bluegrass music legends Flatt and Scruggs.-Geography:...
, Tennessee.
External links
- See http://www.genforum.genealogy.com/ferguson/messages/8445.html {reference only}
- "Guerilla Warfare in Kentucky" — Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush