David Crockett
Like
many of the men who fought at the Alamo in 1836, David "Davy" Crockett
was a recent arrival in Texas. Received as a celebrity, he had represented
Tennessee in the U.S. Congress. He was renowned as an adventurer, Indian
fighter, and bear hunter. In private and political circles, he championed the
cause of the "common man" -- and occasionally dressed the part. As the
subject of so many legends, "The Lion of the West" was something of an
enigma. Nevertheless, accounts from Alamo eyewitnesses shed some light on
Crockett's character and his role in the famous San Antonio battle.
Adventurous Spirit
Born in Tennessee in 1786, Crockett exhibited his adventurous spirit early when
he ran away from home to escape school. He married Mary (Polly) Finley in 1806
and had two sons, John Wesley and William, and a daughter, Margaret. Crockett
volunteered as a scout in the local militia and later served in the Creek Indian
War under future president Andrew Jackson.
Political Animal
In 1821, Crockett ran for a seat in the Tennessee legislature and won. Six years
later, he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Throughout his
political career Crockett had created an image of himself as a homespun,
"common" man. He advertised the fact that he had never read a law book
and possessed only a rudimentary education. Crockett served two terms, but when
he argued against Andrew Jackson's Indian removal bill, his supporters deserted
him and he lost a close bid for a third term.
The Raccoon Cap
By
the early 1830s, Crockett was nationally known. His hunting and fighting
exploits, recounted in a book and in a play, "The Lion of the West,"
contributed to his mystique. Not a few outrageous stories circulated about
"Davy's" frontier adventures. Crockett returned to Congress in 1833
and published his autobiography, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of
the State of Tennessee, partly to correct the growing popular legend of his
life. After losing his campaign for a fourth term, Crockett gave up on politics
and uttered the now famous statement, "You may all go to Hell, and I will
go to Texas." Sporting a hunting shirt and a raccoon cap -- for the first
time, historians say -- Crockett left Tennessee with several men in November of
1835, and headed for Texas.
Don Benito
During the siege of the Alamo, Crockett was reportedly vital to the defenders'
morale. According to Alamo survivor Susanna Dickenson, Crockett often played his
fiddle to rouse the troops. Another Alamo survivor, Enrique Esparza, recalled
that Crockett was the "leading spirit" in the camp and provided
support and advice to military commanders William Travis and Jim Bowie.
"Don Benito," as the Mexicans called him, went "to every exposed
point and personally directed the fighting."
Death in the Alamo
Crockett was one of the last men standing after the fall of the Alamo. He and
six of his men continued to fight until they were surrounded. As Mexican general
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna entered the compound, he ordered the men executed.
According to the diary of Mexican soldier José Enrique de la Peña, several
Mexican officers hacked the prisoners to death with their swords.
Lasting Legend
Davy Crockett's name and reputation -- along with the tall tales of his life --
have not faded much over time. Over a hundred years after his death, Davy
Crockett tales thrilled Americans tuning in to a new storytelling medium --
television -- when Walt Disney premiered "Davy Crockett Indian
Fighter" in December 1954. The show's theme song sold ten million copies,
and Crockett quickly became a Fifties icon.