The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-07-22
[Kennebec Journal.l
Corporal DAVIS.
His Record Clearly and Ably Presented
by Major Myrick.

AUGUSTA, July II, 1879
To the Editor of the Kenne6ec Journal:
An anonymous writer in the Lewiston Ga
zette, who conceals his identity under the sig
nature of First Maine Cavalryman," has pro-
pounded several inquiries "to be answered by
any person interested" With your kind per-
mission, 1 will endeavor to give him the in
formation he seeks. He asks
1st. cat what time did Co. d. 1st d. c..
Cav. leave Washington for the front?'
/ submit that this correspondent, if he really
was as he claims, with the ID. c. Cavalry
from the start, and was transferred with it to
the glorious old 1st Me. Cavalry betrays la
mentable and utterly inexcusable ignorance of
what should be familiar history to him, if not
matter of personal recollection, when he pro-
pounds such question. The natural inference
would be that he was not with the regiment
himself when it went to the front, or he would
not be reduced to the extremity of asking for
information on this point and in that case a
discreet silence would have been more becom-
ing. However, will enlighten him by saying
that in pursuance of orders to join the forces
sat the 'front.' Co. ID. reached Yorktown, Va,
on the 29th of January, 1864.
I'd. "How many battleS-n0t SkirmiSheS-
did Mr.. Davis participate in, and where were
they fought?'
In reply to this question: have only to say
that Corporal Davis participated, with his
company, in all the engagements in which the
ID. Z. Cavalry had part during the summer OF
'64 need not enumerate them with dates
and localities for it is a needless waste of your
space. l may say, however, that this gentle
mans too thinly disguised zeal in behalf of his
employers seems to have again run away with
his Judgment and discretion. If NV memory
serves me, the members of the ID. G. Cavalry
have always been loud and explicit in claiming
great credit for their brilliant career prior to
consolidation with the First Maine. That
thew 1ntunl SprVipa that thew DarfOrmad
arduous duty, that they experienced rough, hot
work with the enemy, no one who knew those
men or who is familiar with the history of the
campaigns of '64 can question. This astute
writer seems not to realize that he "gives him
self away" and his regiment as well, when he
throws any doubt or discredt on the record of
Corporal Davis prior to October, '64, inasmuch
as overwhelming testimony has already shown
that Davis was constantly on duty with his
regiment and company all that summer 1t
was unfortunate for that gentleman that in
his haste to prove that Davis saw no actual
service, was i'll no engagements whatever, he
has, so far as his testimony has any weight or
worth, shown that the ID. G. Cavalry, as an Or
ganiZation saw no service till it was merged
i'll the 1st Maine. will be more generous and
withal more just to his comrades, for 1 know
they performed honorable service before they
Joined us. saw them in action and | know
they did good work, and moreover, the very
quality Of the - ..slial reg1ment
was composed dispels any doubt as to their gal
lantry. 1t was my good fortune to receive
and nobler and more intelligent men. truer
drawer, better soldiers never commanded. nor
any other officer. The TRUTH Is, our unknown
friend is playing difficult role when he would
palm himself off upon the public as First
Maine Cavalryman, by birth or by adoption,
and his letter is a sort of boomerang which re-
turns to wound the man who threw it out.
But he goes on:
Sd. "On what date did Mr.. Davis cease do
ing duty in his companyb"
Ii he means Co. d, he ceased doing duty
with it on the day when he was assigned to
and became member of Co. f. 1st Maine. If
he means Co. f, Corporal Davis performed his
duty with it faithfully until January, 1865,
when he was furloughed on account of sick
ness. And in this connection it may be of at
least minor interest to my inquiring friend to
state, on the authority of gentleman in this
city who has known him for many years, that
''when he reached Maine, Davis was almost =
living skeleton, so reduced was he by the raw
ages of disease" Possibly it may not detract
from the value of this testimony to add that
the gentleman referred to made this statement
to several of us in town on the day of the NOM
ination at Bangor, before he ascertained that
he was expected to furnish political capital for
the opposition press by violating the sanctity of
professional confidence and by perversion
and Misrepresentation of facts.
4th1"HoY many days did he perform active
duty at the front? UntnK unaI, with tho nr
merous letters already published from his COM
rades, showing Davis constantly on duty with
his company, and his company in active SER
vice from Jan. 30, 64 till Jan. '65, it is but fair
to ask our friend, if he is up in arithmetic as
far the first of the four simple rules, to count
for himself
5th-"Did he obtain pension? If SO, how
much, and for what?" Promising only that it
is a matter which does not necessarily concern,
and therefore need not interest any parties ex-
cept the government on the one hand and the
soldier on the other, still, as there is no desire
or occasion for any concealment in the matter
will say Corporal Davis did receive pension
from the United States for disability arising
from disease contracted in the service,' that
the amount was originally S5.33-100 per
month, reduced in Sept, $50, to $500, and that
it has remained unpaid and uncalled for some
year and half. And lest my friend question
the accuracy of this statement, beg leave to
say make it ON official authority which
shall be happy to exhibit to him at any time.
And permit me one word further on point
which has been raised by the maligners of Mr..
Davis. They say his statement, on which he
based his claim for pension, declares that he
contracted his disease on or about June Is,
1864, consequently he could not have done duty
after that date! Is there any necessary dis
crepancy between this allegation, assuming
that it has been correctly set forth by his oppo-
nents, and the fact so completely substantiated
and corroborated by innumerable letters of his
comrades? There is no soldier but knows that
chronic diarrhna, that terrible scourge of an
army, more to be dreaded than the enemy's
bullets, does not do its work in day, nor a
week. Many man has kept on duty for
months; yes, and served out his enlistment,
with this disease fastened upon him, and come
home to die from its effects, or to liuger on for
years, sufferer of untold agonies. Our PEN
sion rolls are crowded with such cases, and
when man unblushingly tells us that soldier
must, necessarily, cease duty from the day the
first symptoms of the disease are discovered or
suspected, he displays an ignorance of which
even a recruit would be ashamed, let alone one
who had ever seen service.
Now it has been established beyond cayil
that Davis was on duty with Co. ID until its
consolidation with the First Maine, and Capt
Wilson, to whose Co. tF,] Corporal Davis was
assigned, has emphatically declared that Davis
was thereafter on duty with Co. F, until Jan.
1865, and moreover, participated in all the en-
of that eventful battle autumn,
the "Bellfield Raid" in December, |
remembered by all old First Maine Cavalry |
men as one of the hardest, most arduous expe- |
ditions in which the regiment was ever en- !
gagged, and filled with fighting from beginning |
to end.
For more complete record of Corporal |
Davis's services, l refer this gentleman to the |
communication of Adjutant E. p. Tobie in the |
X ennebec Journal of July II, and the letter of |
Capt. Wilson in the Bangor Whig of the 18th, |
merely adding that these gentlemen are not apt |
to ''prevaricate or evade the questions they |
have to deal with. AS to the statement that |
''NIr. Davis did not stop long enough at the
front to fairly test his courage, owing to cir |
beyond his CONTROL" / venture to |
suggest that this is mean and cowardly |
method of imputing 20 Mr. Davis lack !
of personal courage | need not remind
''First Me. Cavalryman' that the actions at
Deep Bottom, Reams Station, Weldon r. r.,
Boydton Plank Road, Bellfeld, Jarretts Sta
tion and the actions during Kautz's and Will |
sons raids, in all of which Corp'l Davis partic-
ipated, though they may not rise to the dignity
of battles, as compared with Gettysburg, the
Wilderness, and Cold Harbor, were still deemed
of sufficient magnitude to be ordered inscribed
on the colors of the regiment. And it would
be superhuous for me to suggest to any old sol
dier who served with the FIRST Cavalry that,
harder than o general engagement, more
fraught with personal exposure and danger.
more exhausting and wearying and harassing
is severe skirmish. Our experience of four
years taught us that the SkirmiSh was more to
be dreaded than the battle, and no veteran SOL
dier will ever f1ippantly allude to them as triv-
al and of little moment. If he has that idea, |
let him consult the mortuary records of his |
regiment. Let my friend remember that we
lost the gallant Boothby, as brave man as ev-
Ell drew SABRE in an insignificant skirmish of
an advance guard, near Beaver Dam Station;
that we lost the noble Bartlett, our beloved
Cboploir lrillad IN, a LITTLE ''hrush' raor Su,,