The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-28
WILLIAM LEE DAvIr SON.
Prof withers Introduces Evidence as to Gen,
navidson's Name.

question is whether his name was will
/ liam" or william Lee.
! When the writer in 1887 began the agi-
I tatiou of the question of the apprOpria-
( ton by Congress for a monument to
/ General Davidson. he designated him as
/ William Lee" and the bill introduced by
! Senator Vance referred to our hero in
this wav. In the act of the Continental
/ Congress he is referred to as BrigadieT
/ General Davidson, In 1S41 and 1912 Son.
/ ator Graham alludes to him as William
] Davidson" AS he is alluded to as "Wii-
! liam Lee Davidson" in Congress for the
1 first time in 1888, in the bill of Senator
Vance, it is fair to suppose that the bill
which was introduced by Mr. Kitchin,
/ and which passed Congress during the
present year referred to himas William
/ Lee Davidson because this or some sub
/ sequent bill did
1 The question as to the correct name is
/ indeed one of some interest His origi-
nal commission as major of the Fourth
North Carolina Regiment, bearing date
/ of April Is, 1875, gives his name simply
as 'William" In the pension office ac-
cording to a letter addressed to me by
Gen. John c. Black, his name is recorded
3
Register of the Treasury shows the same.
In the North Carolina State Records
there are a great many reports from him.
which are signed William Davidson.
Reports signed in this way may be found
in volume IA, pages GA, 615, 655 662, 677,
67S, So sos, 759 760 772, 773, and volume
Is, pages So, 127, 100, 161. His name is
signed in this way in his report of the
,4,,s,,
somewhat strangely in Tarleton's book.
Losing gives his name and autograph
civilian Davidson" Confrmatory OF
this is a letter addressed to me by Mr..
Geo r. Davidson, of Old Fort, in which
it is stated that the name of General
Davidson was simply William without
Lee in it. General Davidson was an
intimate friend and a great admirer OF
Colonel Lee. They served together dur
ing the revolutionary war, and two sons
having been born to him during that time
he gave each the name of Lee, namely,
Gen. George Lee Davidson, who formerly
lived in or near Statesville, and Mai.
William Lee Davidson, of the vicinity OF
Davidson College"
In confirmation of this is the fact that
Light Horse" Harry Lee, in his Memoirs
of the War, gives an excellent sketch of
General Davidson, alluding to him SIM
ply as William" 1t would seem that if
he had had lice" in his name, and were
an intimate friend of Lieutenant Colonel
Lee that Lee" would have been a part
of his name in the sketch referred to.
DR.. A. B. Sloan, of Kansas City, Mo,
a great-grandson of General Davidson,
wrote me in 1888 that his mother thought
that General Davidson was named FWil-
liam Lee" He also gave the names of
the seven children of General Davidson
in the order of their ages as follows:
George. William Lee, John, Ephraim.
Jane, Parmela and Margaret, showing
that Mr. G. F. Davidson was in error in
supposing that George and William Lee
were younger children. General Davidson
was killed in 1881 at thirty-five years of
age. If George and William Lee were his
first and second children (there being
seven in alb they must have been bora
long before General Davidson became in
timately associated with Lieutenant
Colonel Lee, as the former did not enter
the Continental service until about five
years before his death. His only oppor-
tunity Of forming this acquaintance was
during the association while serving in
after April 18th, 1916, and terminated IN
August, 1880
On October 4th, 1777 General Davidson
was commissioned HeutenantC Colonel,
and this commission was made out in the
name of civilian L. Davidson" A copy
of the record in the office of the Secretary
of the State, in Raleigh bears date, goth
of July, 1901 These records antedate
A..
a possible confusion between the name
Of General Davidson and his son, William
Lee.
In the State Records, Volume ID, he is
alluded to as civilian Lee Davidson,
on pages 244, 769, 773, ISL. 1872, 784, 7S5
786, 1877. 1888, 700.
In those days it was not customary
for people always to write the name in
full, and the fact that General David
sons commission as Lieutenant Colonel
was made out for him as William l., !"
and that in the letters referred to above
William Lee" appears are proof that
Lee was part of his name. In
his address page 1922 on the
British Invasion, delivered in 1858, Gov
crnor Graham, whose father was with
General Davidson at Cowans Ford
though while a Senator he alluded to
him as William"
If further confirmation is needed of the
fact that "Lee" was part of his name,
it is found in the following letter adj
dressed to the writer:
I'm reading proof of the House Journal
of the Goth Of November 1890 for vol
sume q, State Records, | found petition
of William Sharp and John Dickey, exc
cutors of last VIII and Testament of
Lieutenant Colonel William Lee DAVID
son and action taken thereon This
should settle the matter"
Yours truly,
WALTER CLARK.
The facts presented by Chief Justice
Clark settle the matter; the Generals
name was William Lee Davidson.
Colonel Morehead raises no question as
to name of battle in which General
Davidson was killed A great many
names have been proposed for it. Greene.
Stedman. Tarleton, Darlington ana
Ramsay call it ''McCowan's Ford" Ban
ApCg g