John Pemberton Gatewood was a notorious Confederate bushwhacker whose tale is both brutal and riveting.
Born in Fentress County, Tennessee, in the 1840s, Gatewood’s life took a dark turn after a Union attack on his family led him to abandon the Confederate army and become a guerrilla fighter. Leading his own ruthless unit in north Georgia and known as the long-haired, red-bearded beast, Gatewood left a trail of chaos and violence, driven by his thirst for revenge after the brutal assault on his family.
Gatewood’s fate after the war remains shrouded in mystery, with unconfirmed tales of his death in California in 1875.
John Pemberton Gatewood, a figure whose story is one of the Stories of Appalachia.
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