John M. K. Davis (January 31, 1844 – May 20, 1920) was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. 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 ...

veteran of 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 ...

, after graduating from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1862 and initial military service with the 3rd Maryland Cavalry Regiment in 1863, Davis attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

. He graduated in 1867, and served until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in January 1908. Davis served primarily in Field Artillery assignments, was a veteran of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, and attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. A native of Washington, D.C., Davis graduated from

in 1862 and served in the 3rd Maryland Cavalry Regiment at the start of the

. Appointed to the

later that year, he graduated in 1867 and was appointed a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

1st Regiment of Artillery First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number 1 (number), one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, D ...

. Davis carried out coastal artillery assignments, primarily on the east coast of the United States, and was an instructor at West Point and at the Field Artillery School at Fort Monroe,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He carried out inspector general assignments at the start of the

, and commanded several districts and departments before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1908. In retirement, Davis was a resident of

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

. He died at his son's home in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, on May 20, 1920, and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Early life

John Moore Kelso Davis was born in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 1844, the son of Martha Anderson Kelso Davis (1804–1879) and Dr. Alexander McDonald Davis (1807–1872). He attended the schools of Washington and graduated from Gonzaga College High School in 1858. In 1862, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from

. In 1863, Davis joined the

for the

and received his commission as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in the 3rd Maryland Cavalry Regiment. He was stationed at Fort Delaware,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, during the summer of 1863. In April 1863, Davis's sister visited President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

to request that Davis be appointed to the

. In September, Davis was offered an appointment, which he accepted. He graduated in June 1867 ranked 17th of 63 and received his commission as a

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

Start of career

Davis was initially assigned to the

and Fort Schuyler, New York. From December 1867 to April 1869 he was a student at the Field Artillery School at Fort Monroe,

. Davis then carried out Artillery assignments at Fort Hamilton, New York (May to July 1869), Fort Schuyler, New York (July 1869 to September 1870), and Fort Wood, New York (September 1870 to July 1871). From July to August 1871, Davis briefly served as an assistant instructor of Artillery tactics, after which he returned to duty at Fort Hamilton, where he remained until March 1872. Davis was promoted to

in December 1871. From March to August 1872, Davis was assigned as aide-de-camp to Major General

Philip St. George Cooke Philip St. George Cooke (June 13, 1809 – March 20, 1895) was a career United States Army cavalry officer who served as a Union General in the American Civil War. He is noted for his authorship of an Army cavalry manual, and is sometimes called ...

, the commander of the army's

Department of the Lakes The Department of the Lakes was a military department of the United States Army that existed from 1866 to 1873 and again from 1898 to 1913. It was subordinate to the Military Division of the Atlantic and comprised posts in the Midwestern United Sta ...

, which was headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. He was assigned as assistant instructor of Infantry tactics at West Point from August 1872 to August 1876.

Continued career

Davis served at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

in October and November 1876. He was then assigned to the garrison at

Washington Arsenal Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Chann ...

in Washington, D.C., where he remained until February 1877, after which he served on the staff of the Artillery School at Fort Monroe. In August 1877, Davis was assigned as adjutant of the 1st Artillery Regiment, a position he held from August 1877 to April 1887, including postings to Fort Adams,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, and the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...

, California. From April 1887 to March 1888, Davis served at Vancouver Barracks, Washington and he was promoted to captain in January 1888. He served again at the Presidio of San Francisco until May 1888, then served as an instructor in Engineering at the Artillery School from June 1888 to May 1898.

Later career

In May 1898, Davis joined the

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

for the

and was commissioned as an inspector general with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. He was inspector general of 2nd Division, First Army Corps at Chickamauga, Georgia from May to August 1898, and inspector general of the Department of the Gulf in Atlanta, Georgia from August 1898 to October 1899. Davis was discharged from the Volunteers in May 1899. He was promoted to permanent major in the 5th Artillery in October 1899, then transferred to the 1st Artillery. Davis was assistant inspector general of the Department of the East at Governors Island, New York from November 1899 to September 1901. In August 1901, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Davis commanded the Artillery District of Puerto Rico from October 1901 to May 1902. From June 1902 to August 1905, he was commander of the Artillery District of New London, and he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in August 1903. He was assigned to command the Artillery District of Boston from August 1905 to May 1907. In May 1907, Davis was promoted to

, and he commanded the Department of the Gulf from July 1907 to January 1908. Davis retired on January 31, 1908, in accordance with the law requiring army officers to retire at age 64.

Retirement and death

In retirement, Davis was a resident of

, and spent summers at a vacation home in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. In 1916, Davis and his wife lost their baggage in a hotel fire while they were spending the winter in

Maitland, Florida Maitland is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States, part of the Greater Orlando area. The population was 19,543 at the 2020 census. The area's history is exhibited at the Maitland Historical Museum; the city also hosts the Mai ...

. He died at the home of his son Kelso in

, on May 20, 1920. He was buried at

Family

In June 1870, Davis married Frances Caroline Sanger (1848–1917), the sister of Major General

Joseph P. Sanger Joseph P. Sanger (May 4, 1840 – March 15, 1926) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, after the war he served as an aide-de-camp for generals Emory Upton and John Schofield, and was ...

. They were the parents of three children, Fanny, John, and Franck. Fanny (1871–1932) was the wife of Major General Andrew Hero Jr. John Henry Kelso Davis (1875 1956) was known as Kelso and became a

, printing company executive. He was a longtime member of the National Guard and Organized Reserve who retired as a brigadier general. Franck Everly Taylor Davis was born in 1887 and died in 1898.

References

External links

John M. K. Davis
at Arlington National Cemetery
John M. K. Davis Papers, 1867–1993
Connecticut Historical Society listing at Worldcat.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, John H. K. 1844 births 1920 deaths Military personnel from Washington, D.C. People from New London, Connecticut Gonzaga College High School alumni Georgetown University alumni United States Military Academy alumni Union Army officers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery