Samuel Walker Davis (January 23, 1846 - May 5, 1914) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay.

Military service

Born in 1846 in Brewer, Maine, Davis was still living in that city when he joined the Navy. He served during the Civil War as an

ordinary seaman __NOTOC__ An ordinary seaman (OS) is a member of the deck department of a ship. The position is an apprenticeship to become an able seaman, and has been for centuries. In modern times, an OS is required to work on a ship for a specific amount o ...

on the . At the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864, he acted as a look-out for naval mines (then known as "torpedoes") despite heavy fire. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor four months later, on December 31, 1864.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy, Accredited to: Maine, G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864 Davis's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. ''Brooklyn'' during successful attacks against
Fort Morgan Fort Morgan can apply to any one of several places in the United States: *Fort Morgan (Alabama), a fort at the mouth of Mobile Bay *Fort Morgan, Alabama, a nearby community *Fort Morgan (Colorado), a frontier military post located in present-day Fo ...
, rebel gunboats and the ram '' Tennessee'' in Mobile Bay, on 5 August 1864. Despite severe damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked her decks from stem to stern, Davis exercised extreme courage and vigilance while acting as a look-out for torpedoes and other obstructions throughout the furious battle which resulted in the surrender of the prize rebel ram ''Tennessee'' and in the damaging and destruction of batteries at Fort Morgan.

Death and burial

Medal of Honor recipient Samuel W. Davis died on May 5, 1914 of chronic diffuse nephritis at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Brewer, Maine. Davis' death notice in the May 7, 1914 Boston Herald newspaper read:

DAVIS - In this city, May 4, Samuel W. Davis, aged 63 yrs. Funeral services will be held at the funeral parlors of W. H. Graham, 1770 Washington st. Thursday afternoon, at 2 o'clock. Relatives and friends invited to attend. Burial at Brewer, Me.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Samuel W. 1845 births 1914 deaths People from Brewer, Maine People of Maine in the American Civil War Union Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor