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Civil War Soldiers - Davidson
| Davidson, John W., brigadier-general,
U.S. Army, was born in Fairfax county, Va., Aug. 28, 1824, was
graduated at West Point in 1845, and commanded a howitzer battery
under Gen. Stephen M. Kearny in 1846. He remained with the army of the
west during the Mexican war being present at the combats of San
Pasqual, San Bernardo, San Gabriel and Mesa, and after the war served
on the frontier, his most notable accomplishment being the defeat, in
1854, of the Apache and Utah tribes, at Cieneguilla, N. M., in an
engagement in which he lost three-fourths of his force and was himself
wounded. He won promotion to captain by this action, was promoted
major, Nov. 14, 1861, while stationed at Washington, in the defense of
the capital, and was commissioned brigadier-general of volunteers in
February, 1862, commanding a brigade in the Peninsular campaign. He
was brevetted lieutenant-colonel U. S. A. for action at Gaines' mill
and colonel for Golding's farm, and also distinguished himself for
gallantry at Lee's mill, Mechanicsville, Savage Station and Glendale.
He was transferred to the Department of the Missouri and commanded the
St. Louis district from August to Nov., 1862, the Army of Southeast
Missouri until Feb., 1863, and the district of St. Louis again for the
following five months. He directed the operations at Pilot Knob and
Fredericktown and drove Gen. Marmaduke out of Missouri, and in the
operations in Arkansas leading to the capture of Little Rock,
commanded a cavalry division. He was made chief of the cavalry forces
west of the Mississippi on June 26, 1864, and led the cavalry
expedition from Baton Rouge to Pasagoula, Nov. 24, 1864. He was
brevetted brigadier-general in the regular army on March 13, 1865, for
services at Little Rock, and, at the same time, major- general U. S.
A. for services during the war. Gen. Davidson was promoted
lieutenant-colonel of the 10th U. S. cavalry, Dec. 1, 1866, was acting
inspector-general of the Department of the Missouri, 1866-67,
professor of military science in the Kansas agricultural college,
1868-71, commanded posts in Texas and Idaho, 1871-77, and the district
of Upper Brazos, Tex., 1877-78. He was promoted colonel in the regular
army, March 20, 1869. Gen. Davidson died in St. Paul, Minn., June 26,
1881. Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
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