The Portland daily press., 1879-07-09
WEDNESDAY MORNING, JULY 8.
MORE TESTIMONY.
Mr.. Davis's War Record.
What his Comrades Say About 1t.


The aspersions upon the military record of
Daniel F. Davis to which the Democratic
papers generally have given currency have
provoked the indignation of his comrades in
arms, and they are fastening to give their tes-
timonv to his brave and soldierly qualities.
The Bangor Wing yesterday published letters
from three men who had served with him and
promises one from the Rev. II w. Bolton.
who was Orderly Sergeant of the company in
which Mr.. Davis was enlisted Here are two
of the letters:
BREWER, July B. 1879
saw printed in the Campaign Standard, a
paper printed i'll Augusta, a statement pur-
porting to be the military record of the Hon.
Daniel f. Davis which is unjust and far from
the true record of the man. was member
OF the same company and regiment; left
Augusta together with him and the company
for the LIST d. C.. Cavalry, Washington, ID. c.,
one hundred and twenty-three in number He
was on duty i'll Washington, at Annadale,
yorktown, Burnt Camp, in the engagement at
City Point, on the ten days Wilson Raid, Bat
tie OF Stony Creek, Weldon Road and other
engagements and always faithful soldier ever
ready for duty. Yours respectfully,
HOWARD M. DoYEN,
Late Of Co. ID. LIST, ID. G. Cavalry.
STETsoN, July 3, 1879
L have seen the statement in the papers
about the war record of Daniel f. Davis, and
as soldier want to say that live in Stet-
son, and have since was boy, and have al
ways known Mr.. Davis. went into the army
Company ID, 1stD c. Cavalry at the same time
he did; we left Augusta for Washington about
the fast of October, 1868, and in January, 1864,
went to Yorktown, and soon to Pungo Landing
to relieve New York regiment: we then went
on raids number of times and in
ments around Petersburg; L was in all the en-
gagementS and raids of the regiment up to
July Is, 1864, when | was taken sick and did
not see Mr.. Davis after that while / was in the
army, as was away from the regiment sick.
MIR. Davis was with the regiment and with the
company all of the time. | have been with
him on many raids and fights where we charged
and were charged upon. / helped carry off
AUSTIN White and Lieut.. Parkman from the
field onthe 10Th of June, 1864, i'll the engage
ment before Petersburg where Company ID
sent In about 80 men and lost in the fight.
Mr.. Davis was never away from the company
up to this time, day, and / left him there
when was taken sick. l knew his brother
stephen, who was taken prisoner and died in
Salisbury prison. Mr.. Davis was good soldier
and always did his duty.
am Greenbacker, but was in the army. l
lost two brothers in the army, and believe that
a soldier, whether private or General, sick or
we'll, should have fair show.
SAMUEL HURD.
The third letter is from Mr. Davis's old Cap
tain, DR.. w. S. Howe, who says, after recapit-
ulatlng statements made in a former letter:
Now the war record of Mr.. Davis over which
FlllsDury makes such scandalous splurge-as
1 can prove by the records of Co. d. LIST d. C.
Cavalry, of which was Captain, and in which
MIR. Davis served, is as follows:
Company ''D' left Augusta for Washington
Oct. 63, and went directly to that city. While
there for few days it did picket duty at Anan-
dale, guarding trains against Mosby's guerril-
las.
In the month of Jan. "a, it was ordered to
Yorktown, and went with Butler on an expe-
dltlon to relieve the prisoners at Richmond
We went to Bottoms Bridge, and were 4S hours
in saddle. On our return an order came to 90
10 newport News, and there L filled the first
ana only vacancy that occurred in the list of
non-c commissioned officers, by appointing Mr.
Davis Corporal.
We were sent from Newport News to Pungo
Bridge, march of % miles through the enc
my's country, intersected by streams and
swamps, and infested by guerrillas, consuming
two days, and relieved a New York regiment
where we did hard picket duty for several
weeks; from there we went to Deep Creek near
DISMAL Swamp, where we remained on duty 10
weeks, and were then sent on the noted four
teen days raid under Genl Kautz to Stony
Creek, and struck the Weldon railroad where
we had severe fight. From there we went
into Buffers lines at City Point, and were at
once put into the breast-works. at Bermuda
Hundred, and did hard picket duty. On the
10th of June, ga, the d. G. Cavalry was in the
advance in engagement on that day before Pc
tersburg, and was under fire all day and part
OF the night On that day Co. ID lost nine men
and among the number the gallant Lieut..
Parkman, whom Mr.. Davis helped carry from
the battlefield. He also helped carry off 9TH
ers on the same day.
On the Wilson raid, so called in the history
OF the regiment, the d. c. Cavalry was en-
gagged in all the fights, and on the return of the
command from Staunton river to Reames Sta
ton 1t was in the advance, and Co. sd" was
advance guard; at this place we had a severe
light: In the attempt of Gilmore, in June '64,
to take Petersburg, the d. G. Cavalry struck in
the rear OF the city, and charged on foot with
another regiment, and took a line of breast
works and returned with a number of pris-
oners.
In all and every engagement of the regiment
Mr.. Davis aods acih the Co., up to Sept 10th,
~, when he was sick and on light duty. On
that day was taken prisoner with a number
OF others, including a brother of Mr.. Davis,
who starved to death in Salisbury prison.
After this Mr.. Davis was assigned to Co. ''D'
lst Me. Cavalry, where he was on duty in No
vember and December, and in all the engage
ments that the regiment was in, including the
raid under Warren on the Weldon railroad.
On the return of the regiment Mr.. Davis was
taken sick with lung fever, and used my in
nuence to procure furlough, on which he
returned to Maine, and was sent to Coney Hos
pital at Augusta.
This testimony is supplemented by letter
from Lieut.. G. B. Lakin, of Mr. Davis's regi-
ment published in the Kennebec Journal.
Mr.. Lakin knew Davis from his boyhood, en-
listed him into the army, was with him in the
service, saw him in many fight, and found
him brave and intellpent soldier ha1ovad
and respected by all who knew him. The
Journal says: "Daniel F. Davis and his
brother Stephen were both captured by the
rebels in an engagement near Sycamore
Church, and were both carried to Libby Prison,
where Stephen died literally of starvation, and
where Daniel F. remained four months, only
to emerge reduced from man of splendid
physique to mere skeleton. The fact of his
capture and imprisonment is matter of official
record.