William Watts Hart Davis (1820 - 1910)

Born 27 Jul 1820 in Southampton Township, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Died 26 Dec 1910 at age 90 in Doylestown, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

William was born in 1820. He was the son of John Davis and Amy Hart. He passed away in 1910.

Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. When the Civil War began he enlisted in the Union Army, and served as Captain on Company I, 25th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry from April 28, 1861 until his mustered out in July 1861. He was then detailed to gather and train troops in Doylestown, Pennsylvania for a unit that eventually was mustered into Federal service as the 104th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Commissioned its Colonel and commander on September 5, 1861, his regiment first served in the defenses of Washington, DC before moving out to the field as part of the Army of the Potomac. His men suffered heavy losses at the May 31, 8162 Battle of Fair Oaks outside Richmond, Virginia, Colonel Davis was wounded. Later in the war, his regiment was sent down in swampy islands on the South Carolina coast and lobbed shells at Confederate held Charleston and intercepted communications for the still rebel-occupied Fort Sumter. In action on St. John's Island, Charleston, South Carolina, he received a second wound when the fingers on his right hand were blown off by shrapnel. He was honorably mustered out on September 30, 1864 when his term of service expired, and he was brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865 for "meritorious services during the operations against Charleston, SC". He supported President Abraham Lincoln's post war policy of reconciliation towards the South and helped raise funds for one of the earliest Civil War monuments. In 1880, General Davis established the Bucks County Pennsylvania Historical Society and served as the leading historian for the county for the rest of his life.

Bio by: Thomas J Fraser

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20185426/william-watts_hart-davis

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Watts_Hart_Davis