▁under ▁Union ▁control , ▁and ▁this ▁' no - man ' s ▁land ' ▁witness ed ▁over ▁three ▁years ▁of ▁blo ody ▁inter ne c ine ▁conflict ▁and ▁the ▁steady ▁dissol ution ▁of ▁the ▁institution ▁of ▁sla very . ▁▁ ▁In ▁this ▁context , ▁execution ▁for ▁esp ion age ▁was ▁not ▁un common . ▁ ▁The ▁Prov ost ▁Marsh al ▁records ▁for ▁Middle ▁Tennessee ▁offer ▁evidence ▁of ▁scores ▁of ▁execution ▁on ▁esp ion age ▁charges , ▁with ▁not ▁all ▁the ▁vict ims ▁receiving ▁tri als ▁( as ▁Davis ▁did ). ▁ ▁Six ▁months ▁before ▁Davis ' s ▁execution , ▁Union ▁command ers ▁public ly ▁executed ▁Joseph ▁Smith ▁in ▁Car th age , ▁a ▁rural ▁town ▁east ▁of ▁Nash ville . ▁ ▁As ▁was ▁the ▁case ▁with ▁Davis , ▁some ▁of ▁these ▁events ▁generated ▁newspaper ▁coverage ▁and ▁featured ▁in ▁private ▁letters . ▁ ▁Most ▁execution s , ▁however , ▁went ▁un record ed ▁apart ▁from ▁a ▁per fun ct ory ▁note ▁in ▁the ▁Prov ost ▁Marsh al ' s ▁records . ▁ ▁Today , ▁all ▁of ▁these ▁men ▁are ▁forgotten ▁- ▁except ▁for ▁Sam ▁Davis . ▁ ▁For ▁nearly ▁thirty ▁years ▁after ▁the ▁war , ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁Sam ▁Davis ' s ▁execution ▁was ▁not ▁widely ▁remembered . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 6 6 ▁Davis ' s ▁father ▁ere cted ▁the ▁first ▁monument ▁to ▁his ▁son , ▁a ▁twenty - five ▁foot ▁sh aft ▁of ▁Italian ▁mar ble , ▁at ▁the ▁back ▁of ▁the ▁family ' s ▁plant ation ▁home ▁outside ▁S my