Davis served primarily in Field Artillery assignments, was a veteran of the Spanish–American War, and attained the rank of brigadier general.

A native of Washington, D.C., Davis graduated from Georgetown University in 1862 and served in the 3rd Maryland Cavalry Regiment at the start of the American Civil War.

He carried out inspector general assignments at the start of the Spanish–American War, and commanded several districts and departments before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in 1908.

[4] In 1863, Davis joined the Union Army for the American Civil War and received his commission as a first lieutenant in the 3rd Maryland Cavalry Regiment.

[6] From July to August 1871, Davis briefly served as an assistant instructor of Artillery tactics, after which he returned to duty at Fort Hamilton, where he remained until March 1872.

[6] From March to August 1872, Davis was assigned as aide-de-camp to Major General Philip St. George Cooke, the commander of the army's Department of the Lakes, which was headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

[6] In May 1898, Davis joined the United States Volunteers for the Spanish–American War and was commissioned as an inspector general with the rank of major.

[6] Davis was assistant inspector general of the Department of the East at Governors Island, New York from November 1899 to September 1901.

[7][8] In 1916, Davis and his wife lost their baggage in a hotel fire while they were spending the winter in Maitland, Florida.

[11] In June 1870, Davis married Frances Caroline Sanger (1848–1917), the sister of Major General Joseph P.