 Like his father, Ferguson became a farmer but also earned a reputation for violence even before the American Civil War.On August 12, 1858, an altercation that would culminate in a feud between Ferguson and the Evans brothers, Floyd and Alexander, resulted in the death of James Reed, the Evans' cousin and acting constable of Fentress County, Tennessee and the near death of Floyd Evans.Both men were stabbed repeatedly by Ferguson as he attempted to flee mob justice, which the Tennesseans had meant to inflict on Ferguson after cornering him on their side of the border.