According to journalist T.J. Stiles, Anderson was not necessarily a "sadistic fiend", but illustrated how young men became part of a "culture of atrocity" during the war. He maintains that Anderson's acts were seen as particularly shocking in part because his cruelty was directed towards white Americans of equivalent social standing, rather than targets deemed acceptable by American society, such as Native Americans or foreigners. In a study of 19th-century warfare, historian James Reid posited that Anderson suffered from delusional paranoia, which exacerbated his aggressive, sadistic personality. He sees Anderson as obsessed with, and greatly enjoying, the ability to inflict fear and suffering in his victims, and suggests he suffered from the most severe type of sadistic personality disorder. Reid draws a parallel between the bashi-bazouks of the Ottoman Army and Anderson's guerrillas, arguing that they behaved similarly. Anderson is loosely portrayed by Jim Caviezel as “Black John Ambrose” in the 1999 Ang Lee film Ride With The Devil. See also William Quantrill George M. Todd Partisan Ranger Act Notes References Bibliography Books Journals Newspapers External links 1840 births 1864 deaths People from Hopkins County, Kentucky People from Huntsville, Missouri Bushwhackers People of Missouri in the American Civil War People with sadistic personality disorder James–Younger Gang Deaths by firearm in Missouri American rapists Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War American mass murderers War criminals