Origin
Silas “Bitter Ridge” Hedgepeth was one of the men recruited by General Hume during the American Civil War. He was given one of The Six by General Hume, he received The Fourth, which has the ability to summon souls of the men and women killed by the weapon. A long standing member of General Hume’s inner circle, he has a great loyalty to Hume and the rest of his team members.
Creation
Bitter Ridge was created by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt for their series, The Sixth Gun. He serves as one of the villains during the first story arc.
Major Story Arcs
Cold Dead Fingers
Bitter Ridge and the rest of General Hume’s Four Horsemen had been instructed by Missy Hume to locate and obtain General Hume’s body, needing it if they were to revive him and recollect the Six. He aided in the assault on the monostary, killing Father Arturo alongside the other Horsemen. Once they had collected General Hume’s body they traveled to the town of Brimstone. Here they encountered Drake Sinclair, Billjohn O’Henry and Becky Montcrief, a fight broke out; however, Drake and his friends were able to escape, thus beginning the chase.
After Will Arcene was killed by the Thunderbird the group headed to the Maw, Silas scouted ahead and because of this was caught in one of Sinclair’s traps. Wounded and alone, he was no match for Sinclair and was killed on the spot.
Sons of the Gun
Bitter Ridge tried to leave his Civil War past behind him, moving to a smaller town that had been plagued by sickness. The townspeople believed Bitter Ridge to be the personification of Death and asked him to cure them, not with medicine, but with bullets. Using his weapon he killed any and all who became sick, collecting their souls for future use. Eventually Bitter Ridge had killed the entire town, thus giving him an entire army of souls to use in battle.
When Bitter Ridge met up with the other Horsemen his army proved to be useful, swarming their foes and using sheer strength in numbers to win. He and the other Horsemen were then contacted by Missy Hume to locate the body of General Hume.
Skills & Abilities
Bitter Ridge was given basic training for the Civil War and has average marksmanship abilities. He is also able to ride horses with an average skill level.
Equipment
Bitter Ridge was given one of the Six, The Fourth, a gun with massive power.
- The Fourth – One of the Six, this weapon has the ability to summon the souls of those whose lives it has claimed to fight for the wielder. The souls are generally seen in the form of stone/mud/snow golems.
Bitter Ridge lost this weapon after being killed by Drake Sinclair.
Alternate Versions
An alternate version of Bitter Ridge was seen during Becky Montcrief’s spirit walk.