The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-04-19
THE STORY OF
SAM DAVIS

The story of Sam Davis has been told
many times, yet it is one that win bear
much telling. It is the story of a young
confederate who was hanged as a spy by
his federal eaptors, the story of a lad who
died hero's death. The story of soldier
whom even his enemies have delighted to
honor.
1t was in the summer of 1896, I think, that
the story first came to light 1t was then
that grand reunion of civil war veterans
was held at Chattanooga, Tenn. One night
on the fore deck of a little steamboat that
swung around Horseshoe Bend upon an up
river excursion a group of old soldiers sat
talking once they had done about the
camp fires, except that men who had worn
the blue and men who had worn the gray
sat side by side now. They were telling
stories, of course, as old soldiers will, and
finally one spoke who wore the uniform of
an officer in the United States army.
"Being upon Tennessee SOIL" he said,
has reminded me of young Tennessee
boy whose story is the story of the bravest
deed 1 know
Then he told it, and this was the begin
ming of the Sam Davis story. The man who
told it was Major-General G. M. Dodge, of
the United States army. Among his hear
efrs there CHANGED to be that true-hearted
confederate veteran. s. A. Cunningham, ed
| ftor of the Confederate Veteran, who, In
spred by General Dodge's narrative, has,
| by indefatigable energy and painstaking re-
search, collected data and testimony to
| piece out and fill out the Sam Davis story
| till it stands now completed whole in
beautiful tribute to the memory of his
| brave comrades.
Briefly, it is this. Much of 1t may be told
in the words of General Dodge and of Sam
Davis fellow scout, Joshua Brown, of New
York City, General Dodge says;
when General Grant ordered General
Sherman, whose head of column was near
PASSPORT, to drop everything and bring his
army to Chattanooga, my corps, the SIX
tenth, was then at Corinth, Miss, and
brought up Sherman's rear. Grants eager
ness to attack Bragg's command before
| Longstreet could return from East Ten
nessee precipitated the battle before my
| corps reached Chattanooga. Grant then
gave orders to Sherman to halt my COM
mand in Middle Tennessee, and to instruct
me to rebuild the railway from Nashville
to Decatur When I reached the line of
the Nashville and Decatur railroad l dis
tributed my troops from Columbia south
toward Athens, Ala I had about ten
thousand men and eight thousand animals,
and, being without provisions, with no rail-
of supplies, was obliged to draw subsis-
tence for my command from the adjacent
country. This / had no difficulty in do
ing, save where Sherman's forces had
swept across 1t, leaving, as he wrote me,
not a chicken behind, but my necessary
enforcement of supplies gave opportunity
for struggling bands on both sides to rob
and charge up their depredations to my
command. My investigation to get rid OF
these stragglers led to q discovery still
a
well organized and disciplined corps of
scouts and spies within my line, one force
operating to the east of the line under one
Coleman 1t was not until long after
wards not until too late, that I learned
that Coleman was but the nom de guerre
of Captain H. B. Shaw, Bragg's chief OF
scouts and secret service corps. / issued
orders to my own spies to locate these in
dividuals and sent out scouting parties to
wipe them out or drive them across the
Tennessee-river. 1t was the seventh Ran
sas cavalry, remember, that captured all
about the same time, Sam Davis Joshua
Brown, one Smith and II. B. Shaw. OF the
latter's importance we knew not.
Nothing was found on any of the prison
ers except Davis, who evidently had been
selected to carry through to General Bragg
the information they had obtained. Upon
his person and in his saddle seat were
found letters from Coleman, maps and
descriptions of the Notifications at Nash
vile and other points. and an exact report
of the federal army in Tennessee
Davis was brought Immediately to me,
as his captors knew his Importance. When
brought to my office met him pleasantly.
I knew what had been found upon him and
desired to locate Coleman who was FUR
nishng the information which l saw was
accurate and valuable to General Bragg.
Davis met me modestly. He was fine,
soldierly-looling young man, between 10
and 90 dressed in faded federal soldiers
coat. one of our army soft hats and top
boots He had frank, open face which
was inclined to brightness. / tried to i'm
press upon him the danger he was In and
that I knew he was only messenger,
holding out to him the hope of lenient
treatment If he would answer truthfully,
as far as he could, my questions He u.s.
tened respectfully and attentively, but, as
7 recollect, made no definite answer, and
7 had him returned to prison. The next
day he was brought to me again. l told
him of the serious charge brought against
him. that he was a spy, and explained
TO him the danger he was in. Up to that
time he had not replied but when he said
in the most respectful and dignihed man
ner: General Dodge, know the danger OF
the situation and am willing to take the
consequences.
at asked him to tell me the name of the
person from whom he got the information.
1 pleaded with him and urged him to give
me some chance to save his life. l told
him that I should have to call court
martial and that, from the evidence in
him. that there was no chance unless he
gave me the source of his information. He
replied: