Brevet Major Augustus Plummer Davis (May 10, 1835 – May 21, 1899) was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He is best known as the founder of the

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) is an American congressionally chartered fraternal organization that carries out activities to preserve the history and legacy of the United States Armed Forces veterans who fought during the Civil ...

Early life

Davis was born in

Gardiner, Maine Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture. Gardiner ...

and was the son of Anthony and Mary Davis. His father was of Welsh extraction. He had ancestors who served in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. At the age of 14 Davis left home and travelled to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

as part of the 1849

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. His dreams of finding a fortune did not come to pass and he returned his career as a sailor in 1850. He worked on various ships over the next five years. He enlisted in the Royal Navy for four years during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. He was discharged from the Royal Navy in 1860 and returned to his family in Maine later that year.

Civil War service

Shortly after the attack on

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battl ...

in April 1861, Davis volunteered to serve in the 11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was elected as captain of Company F on May 11, 1861. Shortly afterwards, the 11th Maine was sent south to serve with the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River (Virginia), James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. Histor ...

. In April 1862 Davis was detached from the 11th Maine and detailed as Provost Marshal of the division commanded by Major General

Silas Casey Silas Casey (July 12, 1807 – January 22, 1882) was a career United States Army officer who rose to the rank of major general during the American Civil War. Early life and military career Casey was born in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. He gradua ...

. He was wounded in action at the

Battle of Fair Oaks The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, nearby Sandston, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was th ...

and spent several weeks recovering in the hospital. On March 7, 1863, Davis resigned from the Army and returned to Maine. The resignation was accompanied by a surgeon's certificate dated the same day and signed by Dr. D. W. Hand, Surgeon and Medical Director of General Peck's Division. In reference to Davis, Dr. Hand wrote, ''...he has tubercular deposits in the right lung, with pleuritic adhesions on that side. In consequence, I believe the exposure incident to field service will very soon assuredly break down his health.'' Soon after Davis' arrival in Maine, on April 24, 1863, he was appointed as Provost Marshal for the 3rd District of Maine and re-commissioned as captain. He held this position until he was honorably discharged on August 15, 1865. On June 22, 1867 Davis received a brevet (i.e. honorary promotion) to the rank of major to date from March 15, 1865.

Veteran organizations

After the war, Davis joined Alexander Hays Post 3 of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

in Pittsburgh. On January 14, 1880, he was elected as a Veteran Companion of the First Class of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

(MOLLUS). He was assigned MOLLUS insignia number 1981.

Post-war life

In 1866, Davis married Mary Ann Gilpatrick. They had one son, Herbert Anthony Davis, born on January 27, 1868. Mary Ann died suddenly on March 11, 1872. Three months later, Davis married Lizzie E. Parks. Shortly after his second marriage, Davis moved to

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

on the advice of his doctor to live in a drier climate. In Pittsburgh, Davis pursued a career as an insurance executive. Davis' second son, Charles K. Davis, was born in Pittsburgh shortly after his arrival. Davis and his wife divorced in 1876. That same year, Davis' disability pension was denied since he had a respiratory condition since childhood. Davis' pension was eventually restored in 1886.

Sons of Union Veterans

On November 12, 1881, Davis organized the first camp (i.e. local chapter) of the Sons of Veterans of the United States of America (SV) which would later be renamed as the

(SUVCW). In Davis' original conception, the SV was to be a military training program for young men aged 14 and above. In addition to instilling discipline and patriotism, the SV was also intended to be a military reserve force which could be called on in time of war. Although Davis was ineligible for membership in the SV, in August 1884 Davis was declared by the SV's Commander-in-Chief to be a Past Commander-in-Chief and a Past Grand Division Commander and was given the privilege of joining the camp of the SV of his own choosing. In the first two decades since its founding, the SV grew to have departments (state organizations) in most states other than those which were part of the Confederacy. Its membership peaked in 1904 when it had about 200,000 members. Although the SV was never officially affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), the ties between the two organizations were strong. On February 13, 1954, Albert Woolson, the last surviving member of the GAR, signed a deed of conveyance giving all remaining GAR property to the SUVCW.

Later life

Davis died in Pittsburgh in 1899. He was buried at

Allegheny Cemetery Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a historic rural cemetery. The non-sectarian, wooded hillside park is located at 4734 Butler Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood, and boun ...

in Pittsburgh.

Memberships

Davis belonged to numerous military, veteran, patriotic and fraternal societies which included the following - *

* Sons of Veterans *

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

Society of the Army of the Potomac The Society of the Army of the Potomac was a military society founded in 1869 which was composed of officers and enlisted men who served with the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. History After the conclusion of the Civil War, a ...

* Society of the Army of the James *

Union Veteran League Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''U ...

Union Veteran Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''U ...

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky. A non-prof ...

General Society of the War of 1812
*

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

(insignia number 102) Register of the Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States. National Commandery. New York. 1900. pg. 137.

References

External links

Biography of Augustus P. Davis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Augustus P. 1835 births 1899 deaths Burials at Allegheny Cemetery General Society of the War of 1812 People from Gardiner, Maine Union Army officers