Davy Crockett

For the pro wrestling announcer, see David Crockett (wrestling). See also, Davy Crockett (nuclear device)

Davy Crockett
Born	David Crockett (1786-08-17)August 17, 1786 Greene County, Tennessee
Died	March 6, 1836(1836-03-06) (aged 49) Alamo Mission, San Antonio, Republic of Texas
Cause of death	Killed in action
Occupation(s)	Pioneer, Soldier, Trapper, Explorer, State Assemblyman, Congressman
Known for	Was in the battle of the Alamo
Title	Colonel
Spouse(s)	Polly Finley (1806 - 1815) her death Elizabeth Patton (1816-1836) his death

Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was a celebrated 19th-century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician; usually referred to as Davy Crockett and by the popular title "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the Texas Revolution, and died at the age of 49 at the Battle of the Alamo.

Early years of his life

Birth

David Crockett (whose family name was originally De Crocketagne) was born near the Nolichucky River in Greene County, Tennessee, on August 17, 1786. His Scottish-born father was a Revolutionary War veteran who had moved on to the Tennessee frontier. He was also descended from French Huguenots settled in Cork in Ireland before moving to Donegal. His grandparents had emmigrated to America, and tradition says that his father was born at sea during the passage. David was the fifth of nine children of John and Rebecca Hawkins Crockett. He was named after his paternal grandfather, who was killed at his home in present-day Rogersville, Tennessee, by Indians. His father John was one of the Overmountain Men who fought in the American Revolutionary War Battle of Kings Mountain. The Crocketts moved to Morristown, Tennessee sometime during the 1790s and built a cabin. A museum now stands on this site and is a reconstruction of that cabin.

Childhood

According to Crockett's autobiography, his early years were filled with adventure, hardship, and traveling.

Shortly after being sent to school, he left home to avoid an unfair beating at the hands of his father. According to Crockett he apparently had "whupped the tar" out of a school bully who had embarrassed him on his first day in class and, to avoid a beating at the hands of the overly strict schoolteacher, began skipping school. After several weeks the teacher wrote to Crockett's father asking why his son wasn't attending class. When questioned Crockett explained the situation to his father who apparently was angered that family trade goods exchanged for his son's education had gone to waste and refused to listen to his son's side of the story. Crockett ran away from home to avoid the expected beating and spent several years roaming from town to town. During this period Crockett reports that he visited most of the towns and villages throughout Tennessee and learned the majority of his skills as a backwoodsman, hunter and trapper.

Around his 19th birthday Crockett returned home unannounced. During the years of his travels his father had opened a tavern and Crockett had stopped for a meal. He was unnoticed by his family but one of his younger sisters recognized him with delight. Much to Crockett's surprise, the entire family - including his father - were more than happy to see him and Crockett was welcomed back into the family.

Marriage

Contract of marriage for October 1805

Shortly afterwards Crockett became engaged to marry Margaret Elder and, although the marriage never took place, the contract of marriage (dated October 21, 1805) has been preserved by the Dandridge, Tennessee, courthouse. It is well documented that Crockett's bride-to-be changed her mind and married someone else.

On August 14, 1806, Crockett married Polly Finley (1788-1815) at the home of Polly's parents in Jefferson County, Tennessee. They had two boys: {Congressman} John Wesley Crockett was born July 10, 1807, followed by William Finley Crockett (born 1809). They also had a daughter, Margaret Finley (Polly) Crockett. After Polly's death David remarried in 1816 to a widow named Elizabeth Patton and they had three children: Robert, Beacky and Matilda.

Enlistment

On September 24, 1813, he enlisted in the Second Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Mounted Riflemen for ninety days and served under Colonel John Coffee in the Creek War, marching south into present day Alabama and taking an active part in the fighting including the final victory under Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. He was discharged from service on March 27, 1815. Crockett was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the Fifty-seventh Regiment of Tennessee Militia on March 27, 1818.

Political career

On September 17, 1821, Crockett was elected to the Committee of Propositions and Grievances. In 1826 and 1828 he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. As a Congressman, Crockett supported the rights of squatters, who were barred from buying land in the West without already owning property. He also opposed President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act, and his opposition to Jackson caused his defeat when he ran for re-election in 1831; however, he won when he ran again in 1833.

In an 1884 book written by dime novelist and non-fiction author Edward S. Ellis, Crockett is attributed as giving a speech critical of his Congressional colleagues who were willing to spend taxpayer dollars to help a widow of a U.S. Navy man who had lived beyond his naval service, but would not contribute their own salary for a week to the cause. Ellis describes how the once popular proposal died in the Congress largely as a result of the speech. The authenticity of this speech is questioned; however, since the Register of Debates and the Congressional Globe do not contain transcripts of speeches made on the house floor, there is no way to know whether the speech is authentic. Crockett is on record opposing a similar bill and offering personal support to the family of a General Brown in April 1828.

In 1834, his autobiography, titled A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, was published. Crockett went east to promote the book and was narrowly defeated for re-election. In 1835, he suffered yet another defeat. He said, "I told the people of my district that I would serve them as faithfully as I had done; but if not ... you may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." Following his defeat, he did just that.

Texas Revolution

On October 31, 1835, Crockett left Tennessee for Texas, writing "I want to explore Texas well before I return". He traveled along the Kawesch Glenn, a southwest trail with historical insight. He arrived in Nacogdoches, Texas, in early January 1836. On January 14, 1836, Crockett and 65 other men signed an oath before Judge John Forbes to the Provisional Government of Texas for six months. "I have taken the oath of government and have enrolled my name as a volunteer and will set out for the Rio Grande in a few days with the volunteers from the United States." Each man was promised about 4,600 acres (19 km²) of land as payment. On February 6, Crockett and about five other men rode into San Antonio de Bexar and camped just outside of the town. They were later greeted by James Bowie and Antonio Menchacha and taken to the home of Don Erasmo Seguin.

Crockett's last home in Rutherford, Tennessee, Gibson County.

William Barret Travis was the commander in charge at the siege at the Alamo. He appealed for help against the Mexican forces, to which Davy Crockett responded. [2]. The Texas forces of 180-250 were overwhelmed by the attacking 7,000 Mexican soldiers. The Mexican commanders understood their superiority of numbers and position and offered free passage to all concerned. Travis, supported by his entire force except one, refused to surrender.

Death

All that is known for certain about the fate of Davy Crockett is that he died at the Battle of the Alamo. The only survivors on the Texan side were one woman, one man, and a child. The most common account of Crockett's fate was that he was killed in the final minutes of the siege, having fallen back to the Alamo's redoubt position of the long barracks with the last dozen or so of Travis' men. Two eyewitness survivors of the Alamo confirm that Crockett did die in the battle. Susanna Dickinson, the wife of an officer, said that Crockett died in the assault and that she saw Crockett's body between the long barracks and the chapel, and Travis' slave Joe said he also saw Crockett lying dead with the bodies of slain Mexican soldiers around him.

Alternative theories

In 1955, controversial evidence came to light that challenged the accepted account of Crockett's fate. According to the diary of José Enrique de la Peña, currently housed at the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin, there may have been up to six more survivors, with Crockett perhaps among them. Peña's account states that several prisoners from the Alamo were taken by Mexican General Manuel Fernández Castrillón and summarily executed by order of Mexican General and President Antonio López de Santa Anna. Crockett, according to Peña's entry, was identified to Santa Anna by Castrillón, who along with two other officers, begged the General to spare the life of the great hero. Santa Anna refused, and ordered all survivors to be executed immediately. This was accepted at the time, and was used by the Texans as an example of Santa Anna's cruelty.

In de la Peña's narrative written in the Fall of 1836, said narrative being based on his diary, he adds a footnote which may align both versions. He states that "All of the enemy perished, there remaining alive only an elderly lady and a Negro slave, whom the soldiers spared out of mercy and because we had established that only force had kept them in danger." (Perry 1975) This implies that the summary execution of the survivors may have occurred prior to the releasing of Dickinson and Joe, so that they observed Crockett as dead bringing truth to their testimony. De la Peña describes the disposal of the dead and wounded as an ongoing process that took no little time.

However, critics now tend to discount this on two key points. First, no other accounts of Crockett surviving the Alamo have surfaced besides Peña's diary. No documentation in the archives of the Mexican government, nor any of the personal records of others present at the Battle of the Alamo, give any hint of survivors amongst the defenders, much less any claiming Crockett as a survivor. Secondly, there is some speculation that Peña's account may have been a deliberate fabrication, with the intention of presenting Santa Anna in a far more diabolical light than American (and especially Texan) historians have given him since the fall of the Alamo.

Burial

Most sources indicate Crockett and all the Alamo defenders were cremated en masse. There were unconfirmed reports that some of the Mexicans who were hired to burn and bury the dead removed Crockett to a secret, unmarked location and buried him there before his body was burned. Some say that he was secretly transported back to Tennessee to prevent Santa Anna from using his body as a trophy. These reports are all unconfirmed. Conspiracy theories aside, Crockett's body was most likely cremated with the other Alamo defenders on a mass funeral pyre after the fall of the Alamo.

On his tombstone, it says: "Davy Crockett, Pioneer, Patriot, Soldier, Trapper, Explorer, State Legislator, Congressman, Martyred at The Alamo. 1786 - 1836."

Legacies

One of Crockett's sayings, which were published in almanacs between 1835 and 1856 (along with those of Daniel Boone and Kit Carson), was:

Be always sure you are right, then go ahead.

It is also said that upon going to Texas, his fellow congressman urged him to stay. In response Crockett quickly answered him:

You may go to hell, I will go to Texas.

In 1838, Robert Patton Crockett went to Texas to administer his father's land claim. In 1854, Elizabeth Crockett finally came to Texas to live, dying in 1860. Crockett's son John Wesley Crockett was a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, serving two terms between 1837 and 1841.

A section of U.S. Route 64 between Winchester, Tennessee and Lawrenceburg, Tennessee is signed as David Crockett Memorial Highway.

Crockett in media

Television

The Crockett legend was again popularized by Walt Disney, who produced a three-episode television series loosely based on his life, starring Fess Parker in the title role: Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter; Davy Crockett Goes to Congress; and Davy Crockett at the Alamo. The shows aired on the ABC network on the Wednesdays of December 15, 1954; January 26, 1955; and February 23, 1955. Buddy Ebsen co-starred as his friend George E. Russel, who had actually only accompanied Crockett during the Creek Indian War.

Davy Crockett made a return with Disney in two further adventures: Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. In these two episodes Crockett faced off against Mike Fink, another early American legend.

A three-episode 1988-89 revival was made entitled The New Adventures of Davy Crockett, in which Tim Dunigan took over Fess Parker's famous role.

Music

The 1955 song "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" was introduced in the television series. Four different versions of the song hit the Billboard Best Sellers pop chart that year. The versions by Bill Hayes, TV series star Fess Parker, and Tennessee Ernie Ford charted in the Top 10 simultaneously, with Hayes' version hitting #1. He is also mentioned in the Squeeze song "Cool for Cats" which refers to an attack on Indians.

Davy Crockett craze

The publicity for Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier spawned a brief Davy Crockett Craze amongst children in the U.S. and UK, buying coonskin caps and other Davy Crockett memorabilia. This Crockett phenomenon is referenced in books of the time such as the Molesworth series by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle.

Movies

After the Crockett fad had waned, John Wayne starred as Crockett in the 1960 feature film The Alamo (the first film he also directed). More recently was the John Lee Hancock version of The Alamo (2004). This Crockett, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is portrayed as a man trying to downplay his legend, but in the end unable to escape it. This is epitomized in a scene where Crockett, speaking to Bowie says, "If it was just me, simple old David from Tennessee, I might drop over that wall some night, take my chances. But that Davy Crockett feller...they're all watchin' him."

Theater

The musical drama "Gentleman from the Cane" is an account of the life of Davy Crockett while he lived and worked in Lawrence County from 1817 to 1822 including his first foray into the political arena on the local and state level. The production was first presented in 1976 and has been performed numerous times by the residents of Lawrenceburg, TN.

In films, Crockett has been played by:

• Charles K. French (Davy Crockett - In Hearts United, 1909, silent)
• Dustin Farnum (Davy Crockett, 1916, silent)
• Cullen Landis (Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo, 1926, silent)
• Jack Perrin (The Painted Stallion, 1937)
• Lane Chandler (Heroes of the Alamo, 1937)
• Robert Barrat (Man of Conquest, 1939)
• George Montgomery (Davy Crockett, Indian Scout, 1950)
• Trevor Bardette (The Man from the Alamo, 1953)
• Arthur Hunnicutt (The Last Command, 1955)
• Fess Parker (King of the Wild Frontier, 1955, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, 1956)
• James Griffith (The First Texan, 1956)
• John Wayne (The Alamo, 1960)
• Brian Keith (The Alamo; Thirteen Days of Glory, 1987)
• Merrill Connally (Alamo: The Price of Freedom, 1988)
• Johnny Cash (Davy Crockett: Rainbow in the Thunder, 1988)
• Tim Dunigan (Davy Crockett: Rainbow in the Thunder, Davy Crockett: A Natural Man, Davy Crockett: Guardian Spirit, Davy Crockett: Letter to Polly, 1988-1989)
• David Zucker (The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, 1991 [a very small cameo role])
• John Schneider (Texas, 1994)
• Scott Wickware (Dear America: A Line in the Sand, 2000)
• Justin Howard (The Anarchist Cookbook, 2002)
• Billy Bob Thornton (The Alamo, 2004)
• Davy Junior (The True Memoirs of Davy Crocket)

Trivia

• Davy Crockett was a Freemason.
• In May 1836 Richard Penn Smith wrote Colonel Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas and Carey & Hart published this material claiming it was the "authentic diary" of Crockett's taken from the Alamo by a Mexican general who was later killed at the Battle of San Jacinto. In 1884, the book was discovered as a phony after selling thousands of copies.
• In 1872, a play about Crockett ran for over 2,000 performances, ending in 1884 with the death of the lead actor.
• Davy Crockett named his favorite rifle "Old Betsy". History often confuses "Betsy" with his second rifle, "Pretty Betsy," given to him by the Whigs upon his re-election in 1834. "Old Betsy" was a gift from the people of Tennessee in 1822. When he went to Texas, he left the "Old Betsy" at his home in Tennessee and took his standard "Betsy" hunting rifle. Though "Betsy" was lost in the Alamo, "Old Betsy" now resides in the Alamo Chapel in San Antonio. Crockett's first rifle, prior to "Betsy", is on display at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville, Tennessee as is "Pretty Betsy" also reportably at Knoxville-which was not at the Alamo either.
• Davy Crockett became a popular figure in Egypt between the late 1980s and early '90s, when airing of the classic Disney series led to a brief Davy Crockett craze among Egyptian viewers (mostly children), which also led the airing of the 1988 revival a few years later.
• It is believed that Crockett was never referred to as "Davy" during his lifetime. The term comes from a misinterpretation of his signature in which "David" can appear to look like "Davy".
• A robot named Davy Sprocket appeared in the video game, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, as an opponent, parodying Davy Crockett.
• In the Chick-fil-a calendar, The Good, The Bad, and The Hairy, Crockett is shown as a hunter who trapped burger eaters, and is called Davy Briquette.
• The US Army named a portable nuclear launcher Davy Crockett
• He is featured in the Billy Joel song "We Didn't Start The Fire"
• In Gatlinburg , TN there is a mini-golf course themed for Davy Crocket owned by Ripley entertainment.
• In 2007 the State of Texas bought a letter, penned by Crockett two months before he died at the Alamo, for $490,000. However, experts in historical documents raised doubts about its authenticity, citing disparities with known Crockett papers.

See also

• Timeline of the Texas Revolution
• The Ballad of Davy Crockett

Further reading

• Crockett, David, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee; University of Nebraska Press; ISBN 0-8032-6325-2
• Derr, Mark The Frontiersman. Davy Crockett William Morrow and Co. ISBN 0-688-09656-5
• Davis, William C., Lone Star Rising-The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic; Free Press; ISBN 0-684-86510-6
• Davis, William C., Three Roads to the Alamo; Harper Collins; ISBN 0-06-017334-3
• Roberts, Randy & Olson, James S., A Line in the Sand-The Alamo in Blood and Memory; Simon & Schuster; ISBN 0-684-83544-4
• Levy, Buddy, The Real Life Adventures of David Crockett; Putnam Press; ISBN 0-399-15278-4

External links

• Crockett's Congressional biography
• The Handbook of Texas Online: David Crockett
• Davy Crockett biography at Americanwest.com
• An account of Col. Crockett's tour to the North and down East, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four. . . written by David Crockett, and published 1835, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
• Sam Houston; David Crockett. published 1901, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
• Sketch of David Crockett from A pictorial history of Texas, from the earliest visits of European adventurers, to A.D. 1879, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
• David Crockett at Project Gutenberg; written by John S. C. Abbott
• Official site of the descendants of David Crockett