Major Davis isn't a relative of mine that I know of, but his thesis is a competent one.
I've found that a lot of United States military officers are very conversant in Civil War reasonings and offer insights we might otherwise miss at first review. I enjoy talking with them about some of the battles on occasion, though not with any predictable regularity.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out last year that even Pilot Knob was remembered by no less an officer than General George S. Patton, who named "Camp Pilot Knob" for one of the infantry training camps for troops in World War II. The camp is no more, but the site still exists, and is commemorated by a placque. It's at Fort Irwin, California, the site of the National Training Center for the United States Army.