Like the American soldier who is doing his duty, today, in Iraq and around the world, so did the legendary Sam Davis. Sam Davis, born on 1845 in Smyrna, Tennessee, is called the boy Hero of the Confederacy. He served as a private in the 1st Tennessee Infantry under Captain Coleman. Coleman's scouts gathered information about Union Forces moving from middle Tennessee toward Chattanooga.

Davis was captured by Union troops in Middle Tennessee. He was wearing his Confederate uniform but was arrested as a spy for carrying a secret message. He would not reveal the name of who had given him the information. For this reason, he was arrested as a spy, and sentenced to die by hanging unless he was willing to give the name of his contact. It is written that he answered by saying, "I would rather die a thousand deaths than betray a friend.

Sam Davis, not even 19 years of age, was hanged by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee on November 27, 1863. It is said that the officer in charge of the execution had trouble in carrying out his orders as Davis was calm. It is written that Davis said, "Officer, I did my duty. Now you do yours."

Davis' story is said to parallel that of Nathan Hale during the American Revolution. His boyhood home is said to be preserved in Smyrna, Tennessee as well as the spot marked where he was hanged. He is an American Hero whose story should be remembered during Confederate History Month.

A native of Georgia, Calvin Johnson lives near the historic town of Kennesaw, home of the locomotive "The General" from the War Between the States. He is Chairman of the Confederate History and Heritage Month for the Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. His email is: cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net.