Jefferson C. Davis

Jefferson Columbus Davis

Jefferson Columbus Davis (March 2, 1828 in Clark County , Indiana , † November 30, 1879 in Chicago , Illinois ) was a general of the Union Forces in the American Civil War .

Life

Early career

Davis was born in 1828 on a farm near Memphis, Indiana, to William Davis Jr. (1800–1879) and Mary Drummond (1801–1881), the eldest of eight children. His father was a farmer from Kentucky and, like many others , moved to Indiana with his family including President Abraham Lincoln . He grew up in the Clark County area on his father's farm. In 1846, Davis began his military career during the Mexican War as a soldier in the 3rd Indiana Regiment and took part in the Battle of Buena Vista . He was then appointed lieutenant in the 1st Artillery Regiment at Fort McHenry outside of Baltimore in October 1848 . He later moved his regiment south to Fort Washington, Maryland and the Mississippi border . He was promoted to lieutenant in February 1852 and transferred to service at Fort Monroe, Virginia. In 1857 he was again stationed at Fort McHenry and moved to Florida in 1858. In the summer of 1858 he received orders to transfer to Fort Moultrie near Charleston. In 1858 he was assigned to service in the Fort Sumter garrison , where he also served on April 12, 1861, when the Confederates began their 34 hour bombardment. Around 1860 he married Marietta Woodson Athon of Indianapolis , a daughter of Dr. James S. Athon (1811–1875), the couple had no children but adopted a niece, Ida Davis.

In the civil war

In May 1861 he was promoted to captain and took command of the 22nd Indiana Volunteer Regiment. In August he became a colonel in the Indiana 22nd Infantry Regiment and took part in the Battle of Wilson's Creek under Nathaniel Lyon . In late August 1861, Davis was supposed to replace the commander in chief of the armed forces in Northwest Missouri . General Fremont was concerned that the Confederate forces commanded by Generals Benjamin McCulloch and Sterling Price might be targeting St. Louis as a potential target. Davis headquarters was in Jefferson City and was threatened by about 16,000 Confederates. His command grew rapidly, with 12,000 at the beginning and 18,000 at the beginning of September, then 20,000 by the end of the month. Initially, Davis spent the time building fortifications to repel possible attacks on the capital. After his defense plan was completed, he planned an offensive campaign, but was denied any action. This fact had contributed to the Union losing the Battle of Lexington . In December 1861 he was promoted to Brigadier General in the Volunteer Army and took command of the 3rd Division, which was part of the Army of the South Western. He chased the Confederate troops through southern Missouri and forced the enemy to retreat to Arkansas. He commanded the 3rd Division in the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7 and 8, 1862 under General Curtis . Then he commanded the 4th Division under Halleck during the siege of Corinth . On August 12, 1862, Smith was assigned to the Mississippi Army under Rosecrans , who awarded General Davis a 20-day convalescence . Davis stated, "After twenty-one months of arduous service ... physical weakness and exhaustion have forced me to ask for a few weeks off from duty ...". While Davis went to Indiana to recover, the military situation in Kentucky became ominous. In August, two Confederate armies under Kirby Smith and General Braxton Bragg broke into Kentucky. On August 23, the Confederate cavalry defeated Union forces at the Battle of Big Hill. On August 29, 1862, parts of Kirby-Smith's army met forces of equal strength under General Nelson, who numbered between 6,000 and 7,000 men. The Battle of Richmond on August 30th was an overwhelming Confederate victory in all respects: the Union lost more than 5,000 men compared to the 750 Confederate casualties, and considerable ground was lost, including Richmond and the state capital, Frankfort . Brigadier General Mahlon D. Manson was also captured, and General Nelson, who was injured in the neck, was forced to retreat to Louisville.

Nelson's assassination

On September 18, Davis reported to General Wright at his headquarters in Cincinnati to offer his services. Wright ordered Davis to report to General William Nelson . Davis had recovered enough to regain command of the armed forces that were gathering against the Confederate threat outside Louisville . On September 22nd, he arrived at Galt House, where General Don Carlos Buell and Nelson had established their headquarters. The day began, as on the other morning, with the meeting of the military and civilian leaders. Nelson ordered Davis to take over the organization and arming of the citizens of Louisville to prepare for the defense. When Davis returned, the two got into conflict. When Nelson asked more questions and received only brief answers, which Davis did not give details, Nelson became angry. General James B. Fry , described as a close friend of Davis, was present and later wrote a report on the following events: Davis stood and remarked coolly, "General Nelson, I am a regular soldier and I want treatment which is due to me as an officer. " Davis then went to the door of the medical director's room, both doors open ... and said, "Doctor Irwin, I want you to witness this conversation." At the same time Nelson said, "Yes, Doctor, I want you to remember this." Davis then said to Nelson, "I ask you to be courtesy of my rank." Nelson replied, "I will treat you as you deserve. You have let me down; you were not worthy of the trust I have placed in you and I will immediately dismiss you. You are now released from service and can return to Cincinnati . " Davis made his way to Cincinnati and reported to General Wright within days. Davis arrived back in Louisville that afternoon on Sunday, September 28, and reported at Galt House early the next morning. A short time later Nelson entered the hotel and went to reception. Davis approached Nelson and asked for an apology, but Nelson snubly refused. Davis threw a wad of papers in Nelson’s face and wanted to confront him publicly, which would show his disrespect. What Davis hadn't factored in was Nelson's reaction, it got out of hand. Nelson hit Davis in the face with his palm and quickly left the room. The agitated Davis got himself a pistol and shot Nelson at close range. The bullet struck Nelson in the chest, fatally injuring him. Nelson still had the strength to reach the hotel stairs and climb a floor before collapsing. General Fry, a close friend of Davis, was present and later described the events surrounding Nelson's death. A crowd gathered at the scene and carried Nelson's body into a room to be laid on the floor. Davis did not escape, he was sporadically taken into military custody by Fry and imprisoned in an upstairs room at Galt House. General William R. Terrill wanted Davis hanging on the spot for the act, and Buell also saw the actions as a "gross violation of military discipline". According to military regulations, the defendant had to be formally charged within 45 days of his arrest, but this was not done. Through the efforts of Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton , Davis went unpunished and returned to active duty. Major General Horatio G. Wright also came to Davis' aid by ensuring his release and putting him back into service. He avoided conviction for murder because experienced field commanders were needed in the Union Army. Davis was released from prison on October 13, 1862. Fry stated in his diary of Wright's comments: Davis appealed to me and I told him to stop considering himself under arrest. I was satisfied that Davis was only acting defensively on the unfortunate matter, and I assumed that Buell was of very similar views as he did not take any action on the matter after he was arrested. He received the leadership of a division of the XIV. Corps under General Thomas and fought in the battles on the Stones River , Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign stood out under the command of General John M. Palmer on June 27, 1864 at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain ( Marietta ). That he was promoted to major general of the Volunteers on August 8, 1864, and was then appointed commander of XIV Corps during the Atlanta Campaign. During the march to sea, Davis's actions in passing Ebenezer Creek and his ruthlessness towards former slaves have caused controversy to tarnish his memory. As Sherman's army was advancing towards Savannah, Georgia on December 9, 1864 , Davis ordered a pontoon bridge to be removed before the African American refugees who followed his corps could cross the creek. Several hundred were captured by the Confederate cavalry or drowned in the stream. On March 20, 1865 he was promoted to brigadier general in the regular army.

After the civil war

After the war, Davis continued his service in the regular army and was appointed Colonel of the 23rd Infantry Regiment in July 1866. He was appointed first in command of the Department of Alaska on October 29, 1867 and established his headquarters at Fort Sitka , from where he commanded from March 18, 1868 to June 1, 1870. Davis became known again when he took command of the US Forces in California and Oregon during the Modoc War from 1872 to 1873 after General Edward Canby and Reverend Eleazer Thomas were murdered during peace talks. Davis 'presence on the field restored the soldiers' confidence after their recent setbacks against the Modoc. Davis' campaign led to the Battle of Dry Lake (May 10, 1873) and finally to the surrender of well-known leaders Hooker Jim and Captain Jack . During the general strike in St. Louis in 1877, he commanded 300 men and two Gatling cannons, which destroyed the St. Louis Commune in a few days. Davis died in Chicago in 1879 and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

literature

• Major Bruce V. Sones: Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis: Civil War General , Golden Springs Publishing 2014
• Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes Jr. and Gordon D. Whitney: Jefferson Davis in Blue: The Life of Sherman's Relentless Warrior , Louisiana State University Press, 2002.
• John H. Eicher and David J. Eicher: Civil War High Commands , Stanford University Press, 2001.
• Penny Hill Press (Ed.) / US Army Command and General Staff College (Author): Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis (The American Civil War), Create Space Independent Publishing 2015

Web links

Commons : Jefferson C. Davis  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

• https://books.google.at/books
• https://www.annmarieackermann.com/jefferson-c-davis-civil-war-general-murderer-interview-donald-clark/
• https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2018/12/20/the-murder-of-bull-nelson/