EXECUTION OF THE CONFEDERATE SPY, SAMUEL DAVIS
AT PULASKI, TENN., NOVEMBER, 1863
NEW YORK, June 15th, 1897.
_To the Editor of The Confederate Veteran_:
In fulfillment of my promise to give you my recollections of Sam Davis,
(who was hung as a spy in November, 1863, at Pulaski, Tenn.,) I desire to
say that in writing of matters which occurred thirty-four years ago one is
apt to make mistakes as to minor details; but the principal facts were
such that they impressed themselves upon my mind so that I can speak of
them with some certainty.
When General Grant ordered General Sherman (whose head of column was near
Eastport, on the Tennessee River) to drop everything and bring his army to
Chattanooga, my Corps (the Sixteenth) was then located at Corinth, Miss.,
and I brought up the rear.
General Grant's anxiety to attack Bragg's command before Longstreet could
return from East Tennessee brought on the battle before I could reach
Chattanooga. General Grant, therefore, instructed General Sherman to halt
my command in Middle Tennessee and to instruct me to rebuild the railway
from Nashville to Decatur. The fulfilling of the above order is fully set
forth by General Grant in his Memoirs.
When I reached the line of the Nashville and Decatur railroad, I
distributed my troops from Columbia south towards Athens, Alabama. I had
about 10,000 men and 8,000 animals, and was without provisions, with no
railroad or water communication to any base of supply, and was obliged to
draw subsistence for my command from the adjacent country until I could
rebuild the railroad and receive my supplies from Nashville.
My command was a part of the Army of the Tennessee, occupying temporarily
a portion of the territory of the Department of the Cumberland, but not
reporting or subject to the commander of that department.
Upon an examination of the country, I found that there was an abundance of
everything needed to supply my command, except where Sherman's forces had
swept across it along Elk River. He wrote me, "I do not think that my
forces have left a chicken for you." I also found that I was in a country
where the sentiment of the people was almost unanimously against us. I had
very little faith in converting them by the taking of the oath of
allegiance; I therefore issued an order stating that I required the
products of the country to supply my command, and that to all who had
these products, regardless of their sentiments, who would bring them to
the stations where my troops were located, I would pay a fair price for
them; but that, if I had to send and bring the supplies myself, I should
take them without making payment, giving them only receipts; and also
issued instructions that every train going for supplies should be
accompanied by an officer and receipt given for what he took. This had a
good effect, the citizens generally bringing in their supplies to my
command and receiving the proper voucher; but it also gave an opportunity
for straggling bands to rob and charge up their depredations to my
command. This caused many complaints to be filed with the military
governor of Tennessee and the Department Commander of the Army of the
Cumberland.
Upon investigation I found most of those depredations were committed by
irresponsible parties of both sides, and I also discovered that there was
a well-organized and disciplined Corps of scouts and spies within my
lines, one force operating to the east of the line, under Captain Coleman,
and another force operating to the west, having its headquarters in the
vicinity of Florence, Alabama. I issued orders to my own spies to locate
these parties, sending out scouting parties to wipe them out or drive them
across the Tennessee River.
My cavalry had had considerable experience in this work in and around
Corinth, and they were very successful and brought in many prisoners, most
of whom could only be treated as prisoners of war.
The Seventh Kansas Cavalry was very efficient in this service, and they
captured Samuel Davis, Joshua Brown, Smith, and General Bragg's Chief of
Scouts and Secret Service Colonel S. Shaw, all about the same time. We did
not know of the importance of the capture of Shaw, or that he was the
Captain Coleman commanding Bragg's secret-service force. Nothing was found
on any of the prisoners of importance, except upon Davis, who evidently
had been selected to carry the information they had all obtained through
to General Bragg. Upon Davis were found letters from Captain Coleman, the
commander of the scouts to the east of us, and many others. I was very
anxious to capture Coleman and break up his command, as my own scouts and
spies within the Confederate lines were continually reporting to us the
news sent south from and the movements of Coleman within my lines.
Davis was brought immediately to me, as his captors knew his importance.
They believed he was an officer and also knew he was a member of Coleman's
command.
When brought to my office I met him pleasantly. I knew what had been found
upon him and I desired to locate Coleman and his command and ascertain, if
possible, who was furnishing the information, which I saw was accurate and
valuable, to General Bragg.
Davis met me modestly. He was a fine, soldierly-looking young man, dressed
in a faded Federal soldier's coat, one of our army soft hats, and top
boots. He had a frank, open face, which was inclined to brightness. I
tried to impress upon him the danger he was in, and that I knew he was
only a messenger, and held out to him the hope of lenient treatment if he
would answer truthfully, as far as he could, my questions.
He listened attentively and respectfully to me, but, as I recollect, made
no definite answer, and I had him returned to the prison. My recollection
is that Captain Armstrong, my Provost Marshal, placed in the prison with
him and the other prisoners one of our own spies, who claimed to them to
be one of the Confederate scouting parties operating within my lines, and
I think the man More, whom the other prisoners speak of as having been
captured with them and escaping, was this man. However, they all kept
their own counsel and we obtained no information of value from them.
The reason of this reticence was the fact that they all knew Colonel Shaw
was one of our captives, and that if his importance was made known to us
he would certainly be hung; and they did not think that Davis would be
executed.
Upon Davis was found a large mail of value. Much of it was letters from
the friends and relatives of soldiers in the Confederate Army. There were
many small presents--one or two, I remember, to General Bragg--and much
accurate information of my forces, of our defenses, our intentions,
substance of my orders, criticisms as to my treatment of the citizens, and
a general approval of my payment for supplies, while a few denounced
severely some of the parties who had hauled in supplies under the orders.
Captain Coleman mentioned this in one of his letters.
There were also intimations of the endeavor that would be made to
interrupt my work, and plans for the capture of single soldiers and small
parties of the command out after forage.
I had Davis brought before me again, after my Provost Marshal had reported
his inability to obtain anything of value from him. I then informed him
that he would be tried as a spy; that the evidence against him would
surely convict him; and made a direct appeal to him to give me the
information I knew he had. He very quietly, but firmly, refused to do it.
I therefore let him be tried and suffer the consequences. Considerable
interest was taken in young Davis by the Provost Marshal and Chaplain
Young, and considerable pressure was brought to bear upon them by some of
the citizens of Pulaski; and I am under the impression that some of them
saw Davis and endeavored to induce him to save himself, but they failed.
Mrs. John A. Jackson, I remember, made a personal appeal in his behalf
directly to me. Davis was convicted upon trial and sentenced. Then one of
my noted scouts, known as "Chickasaw," believed that he could prevail upon
Davis to give the information we asked.
He took him in hand and never gave it up until the last moment, going to
the scaffold with a promise of pardon a few moments before his execution.
Davis died to save his own chief, Colonel Shaw, who was in prison with him
and was captured the same day.
The parties who were prisoners with Davis have informed me that it was
Shaw who had selected Davis as the messenger to General Bragg, and had
given to him part of his mail and papers.
I did not know this certainly until a long time after the war. I first
learned of it by rumor and what some of my own scouts have told me since
the war, and it has since been confirmed confidentially to me by one of
the prisoners who was captured about the same time that Davis was and who
was imprisoned with him up to the time he was convicted and sentenced, and
knew Colonel Shaw, as well as all the facts in the case.
The statement made to me is, that Colonel S. Shaw was the chief or an
important officer in General Bragg's Secret-Service Corps; that Shaw had
furnished the important documents to Davis; and that their captors did not
know Shaw and his importance.
Colonel Shaw I sent with the other prisoners North, as prisoners of war. I
also learned that Shaw was greatly alarmed when he was informed I was
trying to induce Davis to give me the information he had.
This is where Davis showed himself a true soldier. He had been entrusted
with an important commission by an important officer, who was imprisoned
with him, and died rather than betray him. He knew to a certainty, if he
informed me of the facts, that Shaw would be executed, for he was a far
more important person to us than was Davis.
During the war I had many spies captured; some executed who were captured
within the Confederate lines and who were equally brave in meeting their
fate.
By an extraordinary effort I saved the life of one who was captured by
Forrest. Through my efforts this man escaped, though General Forrest sized
him up correctly. He was one of the most important men we ever had within
the Confederate lines.
Forrest was determined to hang him, but Major-General Polk believed him
innocent and desired to save him.
Great interest was taken in Davis at the time, because it was known by all
of the command that I desired to save him.
Your publication bears many evidences of this fact. It is not, therefore,
necessary for me to state that I regretted to see sentence executed; but
it was one of the fates of war, which is cruelty itself, and there is no
refining it.
I find this letter bearing upon the case; it may be of interest. It is my
first report to Major B. M. Sawyer, Assistant Adjutant-General, Army of
the Tennessee, notifying him of the capture of Davis. It is dated,
Pulaski, Tenn., November 20th, 1863, and is as follows:
I herewith inclose a copy of dispatches taken from one of Bragg's
spies. He had a heavy mail, papers, etc., and shows Captain Coleman is
pretty well posted.
We have broken up several bands of mounted robbers and Confederate
cavalry in the last week, capturing some five commissioned officers
and one hundred enlisted men, who have been forwarded.
I also forward a few of the most important letters found in the mail.
The tooth-brushes and blank-books I was greatly in need of and
therefore appropriated them. I am,
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,