Champ Ferguson

Samuel "Champ" Ferguson (November 29, 1821 – October 20, 1865)

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 Fentress County, Tennessee and the near death of Floyd Evans. The other two traditional grand divisions of Tennessee had different sympathies concerning the war. West Tennessee, the one region with large plantations, heavily supported the Confederacy, whereas Middle Tennessee was heavily divided. In the rich soil belt around Nashville, sympathies heavily favored the Confederacy, whereas the counties in the hillier country- such as White County, where Ferguson lived at the outbreak of the war- had a mixed opinion. While there were some who were true believers in the Confederate cause, there were others whom were just as opposed to secession, and many more who were indifferent to either side. As the war progressed, the side that a man chose to fight on often depended more on his family's sympathies than any political reason.

The historical division made East Tennessee a target of informal engagements by both sides. Confederate troops fought engagements with local partisans, which took place far from the front. Ferguson was buried in a comb grave in the France Cemetery north of Sparta, White County, Tennessee. This site is now bordered by Highway 84 (Monterey Highway).

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.