Herman Davis (January 3, 1888 – January 5, 1923) was a decorated American sniper of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was a

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Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Company I, 113th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division. Born in

Manila, Arkansas Manila is a city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,682 at the 2020 census, up from 3,342 in 2010. It was the hometown of World War I sniper Herman Davis. A park in the town honors his memory. History Manila ha ...

, Davis was drafted into the Army in March 1918. On October 10, 1918, he achieved distinction by killing four

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machine gunners, using a standard-issue 1903 Springfield with

open sights Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers (usually made of metallic material) used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons (such as a firearm, airgun, crossbow or even compound bow), or less commonly a ...

, near

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The gunners had pinned his platoon down, and his actions secured safety to advance for the platoon. In another instance, Davis shot and killed five enemy crew members that were setting up a machine gun 1,000 yards away in an area they thought was out of range of American troops. Being told the distance was too great, he said, "Why, that is just a good shootin' distance." His marksmanship was attributed to the skill he had developed as a youngster hunting small game in the Big Lake area.Pegler, Martin (June 2017), "The Allies Strike Back: The Genesis of Sniping, Part 5", ''American Rifleman'', 60–63; 63. General Pershing named Davis fourth among the 100 greatest heroes of World War I. He received the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

, the Croix de Guerre with palm, the Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star, and the

Médaille Militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

awards from the American and French governments. Davis was honorably discharged from the Army on May 29, 1919. After the war, he returned home and died four years later, on January 5, 1923, during an operation related to

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

that he possibly contracted from exposure to poison gas during the war. Herman Davis State Park, in his hometown of Manila, a monument located in the park and a street in Manila, honors him. Other streets in Davis' hometown of Manila are named after another military honoree, Admiral George Perry.

References

3. The Osceola times. August 31, 1923, Image 1 Arkansas' Greatest Hero Lies in Unmarked Grave Herman Davis memorial Association to Erect Monument https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84022982/1923-08-31/ed-1/seq-1/ 4. Herman Davis (1888–1923), CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/herman-davis-48/

External links

Herman Davis at Find A GraveEncyclopedia of Arkansas
1888 births 1923 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army soldiers Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Tennessee People from Manila, Arkansas Military personnel from Arkansas Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) {{US-army-World-War-I-bio-stub