Davis, Sam (Samuel) (1842–1863), a Confederate hero who was hanged as a spy in the Civil War. Davis enlisted in the First Tennessee Infantry in 1861 and was assigned to a scout company involved in intelligence work. In 1863, while carrying dispatches detailing Union troop movements to General Braxton Bragg, Davis was captured by Union soldiers near Pulaski, Tennessee. He refused to reveal his source of information, and was condemned as a spy and hanged. Inscribed on a monument on the capitol grounds at Nashville are his last words: β€œThe boys will have to fight the battles without me.”

Davis was born at Smyrna, Tennessee, where his birthplace is preserved as a state museum.