A Guide to the Mathew Jack Davis Narrative, 1934

Biographical Note

Born in Fayette County, Alabama, Mathew Jack Davis (b. 1840) moved with his parents Thomas and Annie (Cheek) Davis to Tishmingo County, Mississippi, at the age of five. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Davis enlisted in Company K under Capt. W. H. H. Tison of the 19th Mississippi Infantry of the Confederate Army. Although never wounded, he fought at the Seven Days’ Battles, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancerlorsville, and Gettysburg. Davis was captured at the battle of Spotsylvania Court House and brought to the U. S. Army’s Fort Delaware. After a failed escape attempt, he remained at the prison until the close of the war.

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Scope and Contents

Two copies of "Reminiscence of the War for Secession and of Fort Delaware" compose the Mathew Jack Davis Narrative, 1934, chronicling his experiences as a Confederate soldier in Company K of the 19th Mississippi Infantry and an inmate at Fort Delaware during the Civil War. Davis’ memoir describes his participation in the Seven Days’ Battles, Second Bull Run, and Spotsylvania Court House, among other engagements in Virginia; his capture and imprisonment at Fort Delaware; and his journey to Mississippi after release from prison immediately following the war.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Mathew Jack Davis Narrative, 1934, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project," 2009-2011.

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Detailed Description of the Papers

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