Common Misconceptions about Champ Ferguson

Contrary to what some people think Champ Ferguson was never a "captain", he never enlisted in the Confederate army.

He most likely was a self proclaimed captain, who answered to no one.

It has been rumored that Champ was offered $1,000 to assassinate military governor Andrew Johnson.

It has also been rumored that Champ got a last minute reprieve, and was released through a trap door. The "conspiracy theory" goes on to say that Champ and his wife Martha and daughter Ann went west to Oklahoma and became homesteaders under different identities.

It has been debated as to why Champ served in the Confederate army instead of the Union army like his brothers did. The most common misconception is that his wife and daughter were raped and his son was murdered by Union troops. There is no evidence of this however. The most widely accepted reason by historians is that Ferguson thought he could get forgiveness for his past crimes if he served with the Confederates.

I personally do not believe in any of these "theories", I choose to believe what I have been taught by historians with even greater knowledge then myself on the subject.

If Champ really got a last minute reprieve and went west to Oklahoma, then who is buried in the grave above? Spooky right?