Rash's Surname Index
Notes for George Trumbull Moore DAVIS
Davis, George Trumbull Moore, soldier, was born at La Valetta, Malta, May 24,
1810; son of Dr. George and Ann Tucker (Pennock) Davis of New York city; and
grandson of Matthew and Phebe (Wells) Davis of New York city and of William and Ann (Tucker) Pennock of Richmond, Va. His father was appointed a surgeon in the U.S. navy by President Jefferson and in 1805, on the resignation of Gen. William Eaton, U.S. consul-general for the regency of Tripoli, he was appointed to the vacancy and resigned in 1810. The son was educated at Yonkers, N.Y., and in 1824 went as a clerk to Syracuse, N.Y., where he was married in 1828 to Susan Minerva, daughter of Judge James Webb. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1832, and opened the first law office in Alton, Ill. He aided in the expulsion of the Mormons from the state and defended Governor Ford, charged with complicity in the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. As aide-de-camp to General Shields he engaged in recruiting soldiers for the
Mexican war at Alton, Ill., and on July 29, 1846, he departed for Mexico to join his chief. He was made brigade ordnance officer and was appointed quartermaster and commissary on the march to join General Wool at Monclara. He made a hazardous journey to the national capital with secret dispatches to the President from General Shields, leaving camp Nov. 2, 1846, arriving at Washington December 5, and on his return reaching camp Feb. 5, 1847. He took part in the siege of Vera Cruz, and was appointed by General Scott judge-advocate of the military commission. He received from General Scott on April 15, 1850, acknowledgment of his service as well as an expression of appreciation of "zeal and gallantry displayed in the campaign of 1847 from
Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico." He was with Shields at Cerro Gordo and detailed the men who carried that officer from the field desperately wounded, and prevented their obeying the despairing orders of the wounded officer, to let him lie down and die, long before they had accomplished their two-mile journey through the woods to the temporary hospital at Jalapa. Here he nursed his chief back to life and they left that place on June 27, reaching Puebla on July 8. He then accompanied the army on its historical march to Mexico as quartermaster and as aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. J. A. Quitman, taking part in all the battles leading up to the occupation of the Mexican capital. He accompanied General Quitman on his march through the streets of the ancient city, where he raised the American flag over the palace. He was made military secretary to General Quitman, the civil and military governor of Mexico. On Oct. 26, 1847, he was mustered out of the U.S. service with the brevet rank of colonel. He was
appointed by President Taylor first clerk of the military bureau in the general land office at Washington, and by Secretary of War Conrad, chief clerk of the war department, where he remained until March 4, 1851. During his term of office he gave employment to the widows and daughters of deceased army officers who had taken part in the Mexican war, and thus introduced a custom afterward largely employed. He had editorial charge of the Louisville (Ky.) Courier, 1851-52. He was elected in 1868 a member of the governing board of the Woman's hospital, New York city; was its vice-president, 1881-84, and its president, 1884-88. See his autobiography published.in 1888, in which he has preserved valuable information as to the early history of the West, the Mexican war, and the development of transportation in the West. He died in New York city, Dec. 20, 1888.
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