Differences in opinion about Champ Ferguson

In the picture above is the historical marker at the France Cemetery in Sparta, Tennessee. Read it, do you notice any bias? The first thing that sticks out to me is that the words "Confederate Guerrilla" are in parentheses. Why is that? Could it be an attempt to alter the legacy of Champ Ferguson? The second thing that stands out to me is that Champ is referred to as Cap't Champ Ferguson. Ferguson as was mentioned in an earlier post was never a captain. There is no evidence of him enlisting in either army. The third and final thing that I noticed is that the text of the sign tends to portray Champ as an all around good guy. In reality Champ Ferguson was a scoundrel. I believe he thought he was doing the right thing, but he was not the Hickory Valley's only protection during the Civil War. He did protect the people of Sparta against William Stokes and his Union cavalry, but other then that he hurt the people of Sparta more then he helped them. There was an incident where Ferguson rode his horse into the Cherry Creek Baptist Church, and threatened to kill anyone who was a Union sympathizer. The true protector of the Hickory Valley was Gen. George Dibrell (see my earlier post on Dibrell). I believe that was more of an incident of hurt then help. Overall this sign does a good job of attracting tourists, but these tourists need to be aware of the historical accuracy of Champ's life.

                                                                           
Above is a picture of the historical marker in Albany, Kentucky about Champ Ferguson. Do you notice any differences between this sign and the one above? The first difference I see is that at the top it says "Civil War Terrorist." This leads one to believe that the people in Albany do not care for Ferguson very much. The sign basically says that even though Champ was born here, he was a scoundrel and we do not want anything to do with him. As a historian I can see why. Most of Ferguson's raids took place in Kentucky. Murders such as that of Jim Reed, and Fount Zachary took place in Kentucky. The relatives of these people probably still live in Albany and have heard the stories of the heinous acts Champ Ferguson committed. This sign was probably put up for tourism purposes, but again these tourists should be aware of the historical accuracy of Champ Ferguson's life.

It is amazing how these signs are completely opposite. Champ was someone who should not be considered a hero, but he was not a terrorist. He was a human being who was doing what he thought was right in order to protect his family, friends, and the region he loved.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about other tales from Tennessee and beyond.