| Scope and content |
Collection includes correspondence, war diary, orders, reports, proceedings, thesis, pamphlets, citations, certificates, biographies, clippings, photographs, album, financial records, and postal cards. Correspondence concerns an imbroglio between Davis and the Naval Academy, Davis's command of the destroyer JARVIS during World War I, USS RINGGOLD, USS WOODBURY, collision of the USS ZEILIN and USS HENDERSON, and visit of Tamon Yamaguchi to the USS WOODBURY. Other items include war diary of the JARVIS, proceedings of British and American ships in the southern division, and statistical analysis of the USS JARVIS. World War II-related correspondence pertains to the development of a system of ammunition loading and materials handling. Proceedings concern Davis's court martial and acquittal in the grounding of the WOODBURY at the Honda (Pedernales) Point. Also included are Davis's Naval War College thesis; pamphlets pertaining to Battle of the Jutland, Port Arthur (Lüshun, China) and Nimitz; clippings, including a tribute to Junius Davis and an account of the sinking of the USS DELPHY; an eyewitness account of the Battle of Jutland; and a description of incidents at Bantry Bay. Photographs depict scenes of ship life and various military functions at the United States Naval Depot at Hingham, Mass. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Louis Poisson Davis Papers (#309), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Captain Louis Poisson Davis. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Mrs. Davis. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Louis P. Davis, Jr. |
| Biographical note | Captain Louis Poisson Davis (1883-1978), a native of Wilmington, N.C., was the son of attorney Junius Davis and grandson of Confederate statesman George Davis. A 1905 graduate of the Naval Academy and United States Naval Officer, he participated in the around the world cruise of "Great White Fleet" in 1907, and during World War I, commanded the destroyer Jarvis. As Ordinance Inspector at the United States Naval Ammunition Depot during World War II, Davis implemented a system of palletized ammunition loading. |
