Davis, Jefferson Columbus, 1828-1879

U.S. Army general.

American army officer.

U.S. Army general in Alaska, ca. 1870.

Jefferson Columbus Davis (1828-1879) was born in Clark County, Ind.; served with the 3rd Indiana Regiment during the Mexican War; stationed at Fort Sumter during the siege (1861); served in the quartermaster's department; appointed colonel, 22nd Indiana Regiment; promoted to brigadier general (November 1861); commanded troops in Missouri (1861-1862), Tennessee (1862-1863), Georgia (1864), and the Carolinas (1865); commanding officer, District of Kentucky (1865-1866); colonel, 23rd U.S. Infantry (1866); and fought in Modoc War, Oregon (1873).

Davis was a native of Clark County, Ind., and a career officer in the U.S. Army. He served in the Mexican and Civil Wars, and later in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. In September 1862 Davis shot and killed his superior officer, General William Nelson, during a quarrel. An investigation was conducted and Davis was returned to active duty.

Career army officer.

Born in Clark County (Ind.), Davis enlisted during the Mexican War and by late 1861 was brigadier general of volunteers. Although he commanded divisions throughout the Civil War, his career stalled in 1862 after he shot and killed his superior officer. In 1866, Davis was mustered out of volunteer service and appointed colonel of the 23rd Infantry. On Sept. 6, 1867, he assumed command of the new Military District of Alaska and served at Sitka until 1870 as both military governor and Indian superintendent. In 1878, Davis embarked with his wife, the former Marietta Woodson Athon, on a quasi-official tour of Mexico City.