This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2008) |
Sam Davis | |
---|---|
Born | October 6, 1842 Rutherford County, Tennessee, U.S. |
Died | November 27, 1863 Pulaski, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 21)
Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
Years of service | 1861–1863 |
Rank | Private |
Unit | First Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Coleman's Scouts |
Battles / wars | American Civil War |
Sam Davis (October 6, 1842 – November 27, 1863)[1] was a Confederate soldier executed by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. He is popularly known as the Boy Hero of the Confederacy, although he was 21 when he died. He became a celebrated instance of Confederate memorialization in the late 1890s and early 1900s, eulogized by Middle Tennesseeans for his valor and sacrifice. Davis' story was popularized by editor J. B. Killebrew and later by Sumner Archibald Cunningham.