Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand
The Renowned Missouri Bushwhacker
Edited by Kirby Ross
Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand (Civil War in the West)
Edited by Kirby Ross
available from Amazon.com |
Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand
Edited by Kirby Ross
Non-fiction
Hardcover: 290 pages
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press (December 15, 2005)
ISBN: 1557287996
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.0 inches |
“I make no apology to mankind for my acts of retaliation; I make no
whining appeal to the world for sympathy. I sought revenge and I found it;
the key of hell was not suffered to rust in the lock while I was on the
war path.“I pity the poor miserable, sniveling creature who would
tamely have submitted to it all.”
--Sam Hildebrand
Also by Kirby Ross:
The True Life Wild West Memoir of a Bush-Popping Cow Waddy |
Reviewed by D. H. Rule
“Hooray for Hildebrand,” the bandits at the
Ste. Genevieve robbery
(presumably the ultimately famous James-Younger gang) shouted as they rode out
of town. That piece of history as much as anything secured Sam Hildebrand’s
place in memory. If an outlaw would say “Hooray for Hildebrand” in 1873, I would
say “Hooray for Kirby Ross” today for bringing the Autobiography of Samuel S.
Hildebrand back from obscurity, and working it into a splendid new, and
eminently useful, form.
Sam Hildebrand
came to fame—or infamy—during the bloody struggle for Missouri during the Civil
War. He went from being a farmer raising a large family in south-eastern
Missouri to becoming one of the most renowned of the Confederate bushwhackers.
Hildebrand was sometimes compared to Rob Roy, sometimes vilified as a bloody
murderer. He is a rare figure for many reasons, not the least of which is
Hildebrand published an autobiography of his exploits.
Written in 1870,
the illiterate Hildebrand dictated his story to two journalists. Shortly after
its publication, Hildebrand was shot and killed, dying as violently as he had
lived. His autobiography went from a brief surge of interest to fade into almost
complete obscurity. For myself, I know how rare and difficult to obtain the
Hildebrand account was. The nearest copy I could find was in a special
collections over one hundred miles away. At that, even once acquired the 1870
edition of Sam Hildebrand's autobiography would be at best an interesting
historical novelty.
Here lies the
great virtue of this edition of the Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand
as edited by Kirby Ross—over one-third of this volume consists of Kirby Ross’s
notations about the historical truth of Hildebrand’s words. The research and
notes are nothing short of excellent. Far from being an historical novelty, the
Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand is now a valuable addition to the
history of the war in Missouri, in particular of the convoluted guerilla
warfare. No library of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi can now be
considered complete without this volume.
Kirby Ross—with
whom we, the editors of Civil War St. Louis website, have had the pleasure of
working with for many years, hosting many of his fine articles—is a
thorough, exacting researcher and historian. His work on the Autobiography of
Samuel S. Hildebrand shows this same high quality of work we’ve come to
expect.
The
Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand as edited by Kirby Ross consists of
two reading experiences. The first is the unchanged narrative as told by Sam
Hildebrand loaded with adventures, violence, rationalizations, excuses, myths
and reality. It’s good reading. The second, equally enjoyable reading
experience, is the extensive narrative notes written by Kirby Ross breaking down
the tale into reality, confirming or denying Hildebrand’s claims. Thank you,
Kirby Ross, for this superb research and writing!
This review of
the Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand is long overdue, but this book
will be a timeless addition to the history of the Civil War in Missouri.
Highly
recommended.
Articles by Kirby Ross on Civil War St. Louis:
 James
O. Broadhead: Ardent Unionist, Unrepentant Slaveholder
The St. Louis Mutiny of the Provisionals
Federal
Militia in Missouri by Kirby Ross
1.
Home Guard 1861
2.
Six-Month Militia
1861
3.
Missouri State
Militia 1861-1865
4.
Enrolled
Missouri Militia 1862-1865
5.
Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia 1863-1865
6.
Provisional Enrolled Militia (G.O. #107) 1864-1865
7.
Missouri Militia (G.O.
#3) 1865
8.
Missouri Militia (State Convention) 1865-late 19th century
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From the webmasters of Civil War St. Louis...
Noted Guerrillas and, the extremely rare,
A Terrible Quintette
on a searchable CD-ROM:
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