By the time William H. Davison was shot and killed at the end of the Civil War, people had marked him as a notorious pro-Confederate guerrilla.

Saddled with a $5,000 bounty on his head and called “the bloody-handed Davison,” the Louisville Daily Journal judged him to be “one of the most corrupt scoundrels unhung.”

Only three years earlier, he had been recognized for gallantry at the battle of Fort Donelson and Shiloh while serving as a captain in the Union army.

The Emancipation Proclamation, his anti-authoritarian streak, deep personal flaws and anger toward the policies of then-President Abraham Lincoln’s administration radicalized Bill Davison.

Stuart Sanders, history advocate with the Kentucky Historical Society, will illustrate how Bill Davison made the transition from hero to villain in the eyes of the Union during the June Local History Potluck Thursday at the Clark County Public Library.

Dinner starts at 6:15 p.m. and the program, The Radicalization of “Bloody-Handed” Bill Davison: How a Union Soldier Became a Pro-Confederate Bushwhacker, begins at 7 p.m.

According to a news release, if interested in joining the potluck meal, bring a dish. If only attending the program, arrive a few minutes before 7 p.m. Either way, register in person or by calling 744-5661 or go online to clarkbooks.evanced.info/signup.