William Watts Hart Davis (July 27, 1820 – December 26, 1910) was a

brevetted In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

Brigadier General of 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 ...

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 ...

. The rank was awarded to him on March 13, 1865, "for gallant and meritorious services, during operations against Charleston, South Carolina." Outside of his military service, he worked as a journalist, author and government official. He was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1820, to Major General John Davis and Amy (Hart) Davis. He was first educated at a private school run by Anna Longstreth and later attended a school at the Southampton Baptist Church. In 1832, he was enrolled in the Doylestown Academy. He finished his elementary education at a boarding school in Burlington, New Jersey. In 1841, he began studying at Partridge's University and Military School in Norwich, Vermont, graduating in 1842. After graduating he was hired as a maths teacher and commandant of cadets in the military academy at Portsmouth, Virginia, where he worked for three years. In 1846, while studying law at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, he volunteered for service in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, enlisting as a private in the First Massachusetts Infantry. He was commissioned first lieutenant of Captain Crowningshield's Company on December 1, 1846. He was mustered out on July 24, 1848, when the war ended. Davis later served in the Civil War, raising his own regiment, the 104th Pennsylvania Regiment, after being given the authority to do so on August 21, 1861.Davis, William Watts Hart, (1866) ''History of the 104th Pennsylvania Regiment, from August 22nd, 1861, to September, 30th, 1864'', J. B. Rogers, p 9. Davis, an avid historian, founded the Bucks County Historical Society. He wrote several books on topics ranging from local genealogy to military and political history. Davis lived in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

from 1853 to 1857, serving as (at various times) US district attorney, attorney general, acting governor, superintendent of Indian affairs, and superintendent of public buildings.DAVIS, William Watts Hart
in ''

Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

'' (1901-1902 edition), via

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

References

External links

* W. W. H. Davis Papers. Yale Collection of Western Americana. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, William 1820 births 1920 deaths People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Union Army colonels Harvard Law School alumni People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Journalists from Pennsylvania United States Army officers

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