Samuel "Champ" Ferguson was born on November 29, 1821, in Clinton County, Kentucky. He was the oldest of ten children in his family. Clinton County is located near the Tennessee border and is part of an area known as the Kentucky Highlands. This region mainly had yeomen farmers, who were people that worked on their own land and typically owned few slaves.

As he grew up, Ferguson followed in his father's footsteps and became a farmer. He earned a reputation for being violent even before the American Civil War began. In the 1850s, he became a slave owner. On August 12, 1858, a serious conflict happened between Ferguson and the Evans brothers, Floyd and Alexander. This confrontation led to the death of James Reed, who was their cousin and the acting constable of Fentress County, Tennessee. During this altercation, Ferguson attacked both men with a knife as he tried to escape from the angry crowd seeking justice for the attack.

In the 1850s, Ferguson moved with his wife and their family to the Calfkiller River Valley in White County, Tennessee. This area was a different part of the state where he continued to farm and live with his family. 

Samuel "Champ" Ferguson was involved in a series of violent acts during the Civil War. He organized a guerrilla band that targeted individuals he believed supported the Union. His group often worked with Confederate military leaders and engaged in many violent acts, including killing civilians and wounded soldiers.

Ferguson's actions were not limited to combatants. He was known for his brutal methods, and stories of his sadism included decapitating prisoners. Reports indicated that he did not hesitate to kill elderly individuals if he considered them a threat. He was arrested once, charged with murder, but not convicted.

After the war, Ferguson returned home but was quickly captured by Union troops. A military trial was held in Nashville, where he faced charges for 53 murders. During this highly publicized trial, Ferguson admitted to killing over 100 men but claimed these actions were within his duty as a soldier. His main rival, "Tinker Dave" Beatty, testified against him.

A particularly notorious incident linked to Ferguson was his group's involvement in the execution of wounded Union soldiers after the Battle of Saltville. They were accused of killing prisoners in their hospital beds. Only the intervention of another military group stopped further killings.

On October 10, 1865, Ferguson was found guilty of war crimes. He was sentenced to hang, a punishment he received on October 20, 1865. Ferguson was one of only three men executed for war crimes during the Civil War. After his execution, his claims of self-defense were published, and he insisted that many of the men he was accused of killing had died by other means. He felt he had not received a fair trial, especially questioning the credibility of many witnesses against him. Ferguson was buried in France Cemetery in White County, Tennessee.