Major-General Joseph Robert Davis (January 12, 1825 – September 15, 1896) was a senior officer of the Mississippi National Guard who served as the commanding general from 1888 to 1895.[1][2] During the American Civil War, he served as aide-de-camp to the President of the Confederate States and commanded a brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia. He is best known for his role at Gettysburg.[3] A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Madison and Scott counties in the Mississippi Senate from 1860 to 1861.
Joseph R. Davis | |
|---|---|
.png) Official portrait, c. 1888 | |
| Birth name | Joseph Robert Davis |
| Born | January 12, 1825 Wilkinson County, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | September 15, 1896 (aged 71) Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Buried | Biloxi Cemetery, 30°23′52.1″N 88°54′27.2″W / 30.397806°N 88.907556°WBiloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Allegiance | |
| Service | |
| Years of service | |
| Rank |
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| Commands |
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| Battles | American Civil War |
| Alma mater | Miami University (BA) |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 2 |
| Relations | Jefferson Davis (uncle) |
Early life and education
Joseph Robert Davis was born on January 12, 1825, in Wilkinson County, Mississippi, to Isaac and Susan (née Hartley) Davis, who were of Welsh and Irish origin, respectively. He attended Miami University of Ohio. He engaged in private law practice until 1860, when he was elected to the Mississippi Senate.[4][3]
American Civil War
Entering the Confederate service as Captain of Militia from Madison County, Mississippi, Davis had no formal military training. He was soon made Lieutenant-Colonel of the 10th Mississippi Infantry, after which he served on the personal staff of his uncle, President Jefferson Davis, in Richmond, Virginia, as an aide-de-camp with the rank of Colonel of Cavalry.[3]
Commissioned a brigadier-general of the line to rank from September 15, 1862, and confirmed by the Confederate States Senate only after charges of nepotism were freely aired and his nomination once rejected, Davis was assigned a brigade in Heth's Division, 3d (Hill's) Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, which he led through some of the most bitter battles of the war. He fought at Gettysburg (where his brigade suffered heavily in the railroad cut on the first day of the battle and participated in Pickett's Charge on the third day), in the Wilderness Campaign, and at the Siege of Petersburg.[5]
Later life
Paroled at Appomattox Court-House on April 9, 1865, Davis returned to Mississippi. After the war he resided in Harrison County, his home most of the time being at Biloxi.[4] He died on September 15, 1896,[3] and is buried at Biloxi Cemetery.[5]
Personal life
Davis was married in 1848 to Frances H. Peyton, and secondly, in 1870, to Margaret C. Green. He had two daughters.[4]
Dates of rank
| Rank | Date | Service |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | January 28, 1861 | Mississippi Volunteers |
| Lieutenant-Colonel | April 12, 1861 | Confederate States Army |
| Colonel | August 31, 1861 | Confederate States Army |
| Brigadier-General | September 15, 1862 | Confederate States Army |
| Major-General | April 21, 1888 | Mississippi National Guard |
See also
References
- ^ "Gen. Ricks' Successor". Daily Commercial Herald. Vol. XIX, no. 97. Vicksburg, Mississippi. April 22, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved May 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Around the City". The Clarion-Ledger. Vol. 7, no. 90. Jackson, Mississippi. April 22, 1895. p. 4. Retrieved May 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Curry, J. L. M.; Garrett, William R.; Evans, Clement A. (1899). Evans, Clement A. (ed.). Confederate Military History. Volume I. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company. pp. 624–625. OCLC 1042405334 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi. Vol. I. The Goodspeed Publishing Company. 1891. pp. 626–627. OL 24157166M – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Warner, Ezra J. (1959). Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.
Further reading
- Eicher, John H.; Eicher, David J. (2001). Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
- Gottfried, Bradley M. (2012). Brigades of Gettysburg: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Gettysburg. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61608-401-1.
- Sifakis, Stewart (1988). Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
- Stewart, George R. (1959). Pickett's Charge: A Microhistory of the Final Attack at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. LCCN 59-8864.
- Williams, T. P. (1999). The Mississippi Brigade of Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis: A Geographical Account of its Campaigns and a Biographical Account of Its Personalities, 1861-1865. Dayton, Ohio: Morningside House, Inc. ISBN 0-89029-335-X.
External links
