Samuel S. Hildebrand

Samuel S. Hildebrand (1836-1872) was a notorious Missouri guerrilla fighter during the American Civil War, known as the 'Big River Bushwhacker.' Though completely illiterate, he dictated his autobiography, published in 1870, which provided a firsthand account of guerrilla warfare in the Ozarks and his violent campaign of revenge against Union forces and vigilantes who killed his family members. He was shot and killed by Deputy John Ragland in 1872.