This large oak stands on the grounds of the Historic Sam Davis Home and Plantation in Smyrna, Tennessee. It is named for the Confederate hero and son of the Davis family, Samuel Davis, a member of the 1st Tennessee Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.
Sometime in 1863 and at the age of 20, Sam was selected as a member of the Coleman Scouts. The Scouts worked behind the Federal lines tracking the movements of the Union Army. Though wearing Confederate uniforms and carrying passes authorized by CSA General Braxton Bragg, should they be captured, the Union Army saw them as only spies. On the evening of Saturday, November 14, 1863, Sam made his last visit home and tied his horse to a limb of this large oak beside a large limestone rock, to avoid being seen by Union troops, and visited with his parents.
Soon afterward, on November 20, 1863 while resting en route to Chattanooga, Private Davis was captured south of Minor Hill, Tennessee by Union cavalry dressed as Confederates. Carrying hidden information of troop placement and strength of the Union Army, Sam was accused of being a spy, instead of just a courier, and he was sentenced to hang. He was hanged on the morning of November 27, 1863.
The tree outside his home still has the limb where Sam tied his horse. The home is located on a 168 acre farm where cotton is still grown. The house and grounds were purchased by the state of Tennessee in 1927 and opened for tours in 1930 under the management of the Sam Davis Memorial Association.
Historic Tree, 2020 • Nominated by Sam Davis Memorial Association • Photo by Debbie Vandergriff
