The military career of Reuben E. Davis

          His name was Reuben E. Davis and he was a Confederate soldier. His story is an interesting one which throws sand into the gears of the machinery that generates the idea that the Civil War was a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight among Confederates.

          Davis was born in Georgia, not too far from the Alabama line. He enlisted in Montgomery, Alabama in July of 1862 and became a soldier in the First Battalion of Hilliard’s Legion. The First Battalion was an infantry unit.

          Reuben Davis was a successful farmer. The records show his property was valued at $2,500 and his personal property was worth better than $600. That was a lot of money in pre-war America. Cards on the table, I do not know how many slaves Davis owned, if he owned any at all.

          Davis was 44 when he enlisted. He was married and had a large family. It appears that one of his sons also served in the Confederate Army.

          Why Davis elected to serve in an Alabama unit is not known. The Legion had a few Georgians on the rolls, so he was not alone in that regard. There is one note that your loyal blogger has seen that indicates Davis was a substitute for another soldier and that could have played a role in Davis not serving in an outfit from his home state.

          The Legion did not see battlefield action until it played a pivotal part in winning the battle of Chickamauga. Serving in a brigade commanded by General Archibald Gracie, Davis’ First Battalion was the first group of Gracie’s men to plant its regimental flag in the informal Union breastworks near the edge of the top of Horseshoe Ridge in the final hours of the fighting. The First suffered severe losses going up that hill and Davis was among those injured. He was wounded in the hand.

          After Chickamauga, the Legion was split into three new units, the 23^rd Battalion Alabama Sharpshooters, the 59^th Alabama Infantry Regiment and the 60^th Alabama Infantry Regiment. The three served together through the end of the war, surrendering at Appomattox with the remainder of the Army of Northern Virginia.

          Davis recovered from his Chickamauga wound and spent the remainder of the war in the 60^th Regiment, displaying tremendous resilience. He returned to his comrades in time to fight at Knoxville, and then was wounded again at Bean’s Station. He was present at Drewry’s Bluff but was wounded in the leg during the siege of Petersburg.

          Davis is listed as a prisoner of war briefly in April of 1865 and was taken to a hospital in Fort Monroe, Virginia in May of that year. He took the oath of allegiance and was discharged from the hospital July 16, 1865, three years and seven days after enlisting in the Confederate Army.

          But Davis had used up his strength. He got home to Heard County, Georgia and then died of a fever on August 19, 1865. While your loyal blogger has seen no written evidence of it, the supposition here is Davis probably died of an infection stemming from his leg wound suffered in the trenches at Petersburg.

          Let’s face it, Davis fought for a cause we find unacceptable today. But he gave it his all and, in the end, that was all he had.

          Thanks for reading.