Champ Ferguson convicted of war crimes by military tribunal
- When
- 1865
- Where
- Nashville
- Episodes
- 2
Samuel "Champ" Ferguson, a Confederate guerrilla, was tried by a U.S. military court in Nashville for 53 murders. Found guilty on October 10, 1865, he was sentenced to hang and executed on October 20. He was one of only three men convicted and executed for war crimes during the Civil War, alongside Henry Wirz and another guerrilla.
Episodes
- Trial in Nashville
Union troops arrested Ferguson and tried him in Nashville for 53 murders, finding him guilty on October 10, 1865.
- Execution on October 20
Ferguson was hanged on October 20, 1865, becoming one of only three men executed for Civil War crimes.
Background and detail
Background. Ferguson lived in White County, Tennessee, where opinions were mixed, unlike the pro-Confederate areas near Nashville. The mountainous terrain and lack of law enforcement allowed guerrillas significant freedom. Families were often divided; one of Ferguson's brothers fought for the Union. Ferguson led a guerrilla band against Unionists, committing murders similar to those committed by opposing guerrillas.
Trial and Conviction. After the war, Union troops arrested Ferguson and took him to Nashville for trial by military court on charges of 53 murders. On October 10, 1865, he was found guilty and sentenced to hang. He claimed he had been convicted for murders committed by other members of his group. His statements to the Nashville Dispatch were published, and The New York Times classified his letter as a confession.
People involved
- Samuel "Champ" Ferguson · Confederate guerrilla
- Henry Wirz · Confederate officer and war criminal
- Magruder (surname only; identity unresolved) · Confederate guerrilla fighter convicted of eight murders
Sources
- Champ Ferguson Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
- Henry Wirz Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.