Barry A. Crouch, History and Government

Gunfighter studies are no longer in vogue, but John Wesley Hardin (1853-1895) deserves a modern scholarly biography. Numerous legends exist about the exploits of Hardin, but he was the premier killer of all the fast-draw artists who ever lived. His confirmed kills number in the thirties.  Though he occasionally murdered indiscriminately this work will demonstrate that Hardin's victims were specific individuals who supported the federal government's attempt to reconstruct the post-Civil War South.  Hardin desired to reverse the results of the Civil War. With the assistance of a grant from the Gallaudet Research Institute I intend to complete all the necessary research for a Hardin biography and begin to draft various chapters for the projected book.