Isaac Davis (soldier)

Isaac Davis
The Minute Man (1875) by Daniel Chester French, depicting Davis
Born	(1745-02-23)February 23, 1745 Acton, Massachusetts
Died	April 19, 1775(1775-04-19) (aged 30) Concord, Massachusetts
Allegiance	Provisional government of Massachusetts
Service/branch	Militia
Years of service	1775
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	Battle of Lexington
Other work	Gunsmith

Isaac Davis (February 23, 1745 – April 19, 1775) was a gunsmith and a militia officer who commanded a company of Minutemen from Acton, Massachusetts, during the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. In the months leading up to the Revolution, Davis set unusually high standards for his company in terms of equipment, training, and preparedness. His company was selected to lead the advance on the British Regulars during the Battle of Concord because his men were entirely outfitted with bayonets. During the American advance on the British at the Old North Bridge, Davis was among the first killed and was the first American officer to die in the Revolution.

Davis is memorialized through the Isaac Davis Monument on the Acton Town Common. He was also the inspiration behind The Minute Man (1875), the sculpture at the Old North Bridge by Daniel Chester French. The sculpture, which French attempted to model after Davis using photographs of Davis's descendants, is now an iconic national symbol.

Davis was born February 23, 1745 in the village of West Acton to Ezekial Davis (b. 1717) and Mary (nee Gibson) Davis (1725-1773). He married Hannah Brown (born 1746) on October 24, 1764. They had four children—two boys and two girls.

During the early 1770s, many inhabitants of the Province of Massachusetts Bay protested taxation policies established by British Parliament. These protests eventually resulted in the military occupation of the provincial capital of Boston, Massachusetts which, consequently caused further unrest. In September 1774, the military governor, General Thomas Gage, dissolved the Massachusetts General Court, placing the province under martial law. Citizens of Massachusetts formed an extra-legal Massachusetts Provincial Congress to govern the province outside of the rule of the King. In October 1774, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress recommended that each town establish a company of Minutemen—specially trained militia who could be ready at short notice in the event that the British Regulars in Boston attempted any warlike movements.