William Richardson Davie
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William Richardson Davie | |
---|---|
10th Governor of North Carolina | |
In office December 7, 1798 – November 23, 1799 | |
Preceded by | Samuel Ashe |
Succeeded by | Benjamin Williams |
Personal details | |
Born | Federalist | June 20, 1756
Spouse |
Sarah Jones (m. 1782) |
Education | College of New Jersey |
Signature | |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | North Carolina Militia |
Years of service | 1778,1779–1782 |
Rank | Colonel Commissary General for North Carolina |
Unit |
|
Battles/wars | |
William Richardson Davie (June 20, 1756 – November 29, 1820) was an American statesman, politician, military general,
Early life
Davie was born in
Revolutionary War
After leaving New Jersey, Davie began to study law in
After briefly resuming his studies in Salisbury, Davie closed his law books again in the spring of 1779 to re-enter military service. This time, though, Davie did not volunteer for an existing force; he helped to raise and train a local cavalry troop. For his work in forming "a Company of Horses in the District of Salisbury," he received a lieutenant's commission in April from North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell.
Davie did not remain in that junior rank for long. In May 1779, he and his company were attached to the legion of General
While convalescing from his injuries, Davie resumed his legal studies in Salisbury. The citizenry presented him with an honorary sword for his exemplary conduct and courage. Soon he completed or "stood" his examinations and, in November 1779, obtained a license to practice law in South Carolina. In the late spring and summer of the following year, Davie, now fully recovered, formed an independent cavalry company again. He led that mounted force in several actions during the summer of 1780.
Shortly after the Battle of Hanging Rock, Davie received word of a new army moving into South Carolina under General Horatio Gates. Gates was soundly defeated at the Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780. While the Continentals fought hard, his militia largely fled without much, if any, of a fight. Gates and what remained of his army fell back into North Carolina. Davie narrowly missed the battle. Instead of retreating north along with Gates and the remnants of the American army, Davie moved south towards the enemy and Camden to recover supply wagons and gather intelligence on enemy movements. In the time between Camden and the Battle of Kings Mountain, in October 1780, Davie's cavalry was the only unbroken corps between the British army and what was left of the Continental forces.
Davie's most audacious action as a cavalry officer came at the Battle of Charlotte on September 26, 1780. Ordered to cover the American army retreat and hinder the British invasion of North Carolina, Davie, now a colonel, and 150 of his mounted militia set up a defense in what was then the small village of Charlotte, North Carolina. He dismounted several of his men and had them take station behind a stone wall at the summit of a hill in the center of town. Other dismounted soldiers were scattered on the flanks with a reserve of cavalry.
At about noon, the British army under General
Davie's military service in the Revolution changed dramatically after December 1780, when General Nathanael Greene arrived in North Carolina to take command of the American army in the "Southern Department". Headquartered in Charlotte, Greene desperately needed more provisions and equipment for his soldiers as he prepared to counter the inevitable return of Cornwallis to North Carolina. Davie's leadership skills and knowledge of the region's terrain and inhabitants impressed Greene. In January 1781, he persuaded the experienced cavalry officer to relinquish his field command to serve as the army's commissary-general. In that position, Davie spent the final stages of the war carrying out the crucial but often thankless tasks of locating, organizing, and transporting supplies, often using his funds for General Greene's ever-needy troops and North Carolina's militia.
During the Revolutionary War, he was with the North Carolina militia and State troops from 1780 to 1782. He was a Lieutenant, Captain, and Major in South Carolina and North Carolina militias. On September 5, 1780, he was selected as commander of the newly created NC State Cavalry-Western District. On January 16, 1781, he was appointed by the Board of War as Commissary General for the State per request of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, replacing Col. Thomas Polk, who had resigned. On February 13, 1781, the North Carolina General Assembly confirmed this position officially, which was eliminated in May 1782. He was at the Battle of Wahab's Plantation in South Carolina and the Battle of Charlotte.[3]
- Lieutenant in the Rowan County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1779)
- Captain in the North Carolina Light Dragoons Regiment (1779)
- Major in the 2nd Mecklenburg County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1779-1780)
- Major over the Independent Corps of Light Horse (1780)
- Colonel over the North Carolina State Cavalry-Western District (1780)
- Commissary General for North Carolina (1781-1782)
Post-war service
After the war, Davie became a traveling
Davie was elected governor of North Carolina by the
Davie remained active in the state militia and the newly formed
Founding the University of North Carolina
As a North Carolina General Assembly member, Davie sponsored the bill that chartered the
He is recognized as the university's founder and served on its board of trustees from 1789 to 1807. Davie also received the institution's first
In October 2013, the sword and pocket watch of Davie were displayed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as part of the commemoration celebrating the role of
Later life
After his unsuccessful run for the House of Representatives, Davie retired from public life to his estate, Tivoli, in South Carolina. During the
Davie was keenly interested in
Davie died at his Tivoli estate in Chester County, South Carolina in 1820. He was preceded in death by his wife, the former Sarah Jones, daughter of Allen Jones, whom he married in 1782. Davie is buried at Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church in South Carolina. Sarah, who died at 39 in 1802, is buried in the Old Colonial Cemetery in Halifax, North Carolina.
Legacy
Davie County, North Carolina,[9] established in 1836, is named in his memory, as are schools in Davie County and Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and a park in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. His Tivoli plantation is now part of the Landsford Canal State Park in Chester County, South Carolina.
The William R. Davie House at Halifax was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[10]
See also
References
- ^ "Slaves of the Trustees". University of North Carolina. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Blackwell P (1986). "William Richardson Davie". NCPedia. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ Lewis, J.D. "William Richardson Davie". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "People, William R. Davie". North Carolina Historic Sites. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ Wheeler, John H. (1851). Historical sketches of North Carolina [from 1584 to 1851, compiled from original records, official documents, and traditional statements; with biographical sketches of her distinguished statesmen, jurists, lawyers, soldiers, divines, etc.] (Google e-Book). Vol. 1 (1 ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo, & Co. p. 117. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Officers of the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of North Carolina 1787 TO 1887 First One Hundred Years". Raleigh, North Carolina: Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of North Carolina. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "North Carolina's Freemasons and the Cornerstones of UNC". University of North Carolina Library. October 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
- ^ Unknown. "Our Campaigns, Race Detail". Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 101.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
Further reading
- William Richardson Davie: Soldier, Statesman, and Founder of the University of North Carolina, R. Neil Fulghum. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: The North Carolina Collection, 2006.
- Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978, ISBN 0-930466-00-4)
- William R. Davie, Blackwell P. Robinson. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1957.
- Angley, Wilson (2005). "William Richardson Davie". Retrieved April 2, 2019.
External links
- Biography of William Richardson Davie 1756–1820, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Political Career of William Richardson Davie, ourcampaigns.com
- Biography of William Richardson Davie 1756-1820 NCpedia
+ Founding of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Slave Labor