DAVID CROCKETT OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL WALLIS Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride Oil Man: The Story of Frank Phillips and the Birth of Phillips Petroleum Route 66: The Mother Road Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd Way Down Yonder in the Indian Nation: Writings from America’s Heartland Mankiller: A Chief and Her People En Divina Luz: The Penitente Moradas of New Mexico Beyond the Hills: The Journey of Waite Phillips Songdog Diary: 66 Stories from the Road (with Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis) Oklahoma Crossroads The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West Heaven’s Window: A Journey through Northern New Mexico Hogs on 66: Best Feed and Hangouts for Roadtrips on Route 66 (with Marian Clark) The Art of Cars (with Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis) The Lincoln Highway: Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate (with Michael S Williamson) Frontispiece: Portrait of David Crockett painted by John Gadsby Chapman, Washington, D.C., 1834 (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin) Copyright © 2011 by Michael Wallis All rights reserved For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W W Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wallis, Michael, 1945– David Crockett: the Lion of the West / Michael Wallis.—1st ed p cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN: 978-0-393-06758-3 Crockett, Davy, 1786–1836 Pioneers—Tennessee—Biography Legislators—United States—Biography United States Congress House—Biography Alamo (San Antonio, Tex.)—Siege, 1836 I Title F436.C95W35 2011 976.8'04092—dc22 [B] 2011000216 W W Norton & Company, Inc 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y 10110 www.wwnorton.com W W Norton & Company Ltd Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT FOR SUZANNE FITZGERALD WALLIS FOR NEVER LOSING FAITH IN ME AND JOE SWANN, A TRUE SON OF TENNESSEE CONTENTS Personal Introduction Preface PART I “Kilt Him a B’ar” Born on a Riverbank in Franklin The Crocketts Arrive Over the Mountain On the Nolichucky A Boy’s Learning Coming of Age The Odyssey Rise Above 10 Lovesick 11 Polly 12 Finley’s Gap PART II 13 Kentuck 14 “Remember Fort Mims” 15 “We Shot Them Like Dogs” 16 Riding with Sharp Knife 17 “Root Hog or Die” 18 Cabin Fever 19 A Tincture of Luck PART III 20 “Itchy Footed” 21 “Natural Born Sense” 22 Gentleman from the Cane 23 Land of the Shakes 24 In the Eye of a “Harricane” 25 A Fool for Luck 26 Big Time 27 “The Victory Is Ours” PART IV 28 Man without a Party 29 Trails of Tears 30 Lion of the West 31 Bear-Bit Lion 32 Go Ahead 33 Just a Matter of Time 34 Gone to Texas 35 Time of the Comet 36 El Alamo Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index About the Author Map of Tennessee when it was part of North Carolina, 1795 (Courtesy of Birmingham Public Library Cartographic Collection) Tennessee’s first governor John Sevier (1745–1815), portrait circa 1790 (Courtesy of the C M McClung Historical Collection of the Knox County Public Library) Tsi’yu-gunsini (“Dragging Canoe”), Cherokee war chief (Mike Smith, artist) McWhorter, Ann Catherine Patton McWhorter, Hance Medal of Honor, U.S medicine folk Indian Mexican modern patent Meigle Memphis, Tenn Meredith, James Meriwether, David Metamorphoses (Ovid) Mexican-American War Mexican army at Battle of the Alamo San Jacinto defeat of Mexico independence from Spain won by slavery abolished in see also Texas; Texas Revolution Military Academy, U.S., at West Point Military Land Grant Mills Point, Tenn Mims, Samuel minstrel shows Mint, U.S Mississippi River Mississippi Territory Missouri Mitchell, James C Mobile, Ala Monongahela whiskey Monroe, James Monroe Doctrine Montaigne, Michel de Montgomery, Ala Moore, John Trotwood Moot Hill Morris, Gideon Morristown, Tenn Mossy Creek Mount Vernon Mrs Ball’s Rooming House Murfreesboro, Tenn Muscogee Indians, see Creek Indians Museum of East Tennessee History Musial, Stan Myers, Adam Myers, Henry Nacogdoches, Tex Napoleon I, Emperor of France Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, of the State of Tennessee, A (Crockett) best-selling success of Chilton’s collaboration on DC’s promotional tour for royalties from Nashville, Tenn Nashville Whig Natchez, Miss Natchez Trace National Banner and the Nashville Whig National Republican Party Natural Bridge Navasota River Navy Hospital New Bedford Mercury New England, New Jersey New Madrid Earthquakes New Mexico New Orleans, Battle of New Orleans, La Newport, R.I New River New York, N.Y Five Points district in literary and publishing communities in theaters and museums in New York Stock Exchange New York Times Nile River Niles’ Weekly Register Nolichucky River Nollville, Va North Carolina Buncombe County Lincoln County North Carolina Senate Northern Ireland North Holston River North Mountain North Toe River Notable Southern Families (French and Armstrong) Obey’s River Obion River Rutherford’s Fork of South Fork of “Octavia” (Poe) Ohio Ohio River Oklahoma Old Wolf Trail Osage Indians O’Sullivan, John L Our American Cousin (Taylor) Ovid Owen, Thomas Owens family Pakenham, Sir Edward Pall Mall Valley Panther Creek Panther Springs, Tenn Paris, Tenn Parker, Fess Parks, Rosa Park Theater Patton, George (brother-in-law) Patton, George (stepson) Patton, James Patton, Margaret Ann “Peggy Ann,” Patton, Rebecca Patton, Rhoda Ann McWhorter Patton, Robert Patton, William Patton Meeting House Paul, Apostle Paulding, James Kirke Peale, Rembrandt Peale, Rubens Peale’s Museum of Curiosities and Freaks Peck, Adam Peña, José Enrique de la Pennsylvania Bucks County Cumberland County Lancaster County Pennsylvania, University of Pensacola, Fla Perry, Oliver Hazard Persian army Phenix, Henry Philadelphia, Pa Philadelphia Stock Exchange Picts Pigeon Forge, Tenn Pigeon River Pile, Conrad “Coonrod,” Pinocchio Pius IX, Pope plantations cotton hierarchical structure of slaves on Poe, Edgar Allan poliomyelitis Polk, James Knox Poor Richard’s Almanac Potomac River Powel, John Hare Powelton Prentiss, James Presbyterians Presley, Elvis Primitive Baptists Providence, R.I Pulaski, Tenn Purcell, Aaron puritanism Quakers racism expressions of see also slaves Rankin, Thomas RCA Victor Red Eagle Red River Reelfoot Lake Regeneration through Violence (Slotkin) Reilly, Joe “Remember the Alamo” slogan Remini, Robert V Revolutionary Volunteers of Franklin County Rice, Thomas “Daddy,” Rich (friend) rifles Bean Kentucky Rio Grande River “Rip Van Winkle” (Irving) Roach, Reuben Roanoke River Roaring River Robertson, Charles Robert the Bruce Robinson (friend) Rocky Mountains Roman Catholic Church Romans Ross, John Round Mountain Royal Navy Battle of Lake Erie impressment of American seamen into Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Russell, Captain George Russell, George Russell, William Russia Sabine River St Charles Hotel St Louis, Mo St Louis Cardinals Saluda Gap Samuel (slave) San Antonio, Tex San Augustine, Tex Sanderson, J M Sand Springs, Tenn San Felipe de Austin, Tex San Jacinto, Battle of defeat of Mexican army at Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, Antonio López de at Battle of the Alamo capture of Santa Fe, N.Mex Santa Fe Trail Saratoga, N.Y Schultz, Charles Schuylkill River Scone Palace Scotland Scots-Irish Scott, Sir Walter Second Bank of the United States Second Regiment of Volunteer Mounted Riflemen Seminole Indians Senate, U.S Seneca Indians Sevier, John Sevier, Sarah Hawkins Shackford, James Atkins Shakespeare, William Shaw, Mr Shawnee Indians Shays, Daniel Shelby, Isaac Shenandoah River Shenandoah Valley Shoal Creek flooding of Shoal Creek Corporation Siler, Jacob Simonton, William Sketches and Eccentricities of Colonel David Crockett of West Tennessee (anonymous) slaves DC’s ownership and sale of freeing of Indian ownership of Indians as plantation runaway in Texas slave trade Slotkin, Richard smallpox Smith, Seba Smithwick, Noah snakeroot plant Snider, John Society of Friends, see Quakers Sofia (slave) South Carolina Southern Literary Messenger South Holston River Southwest Trail Spain Florida controlled by Mexican independence won from Spartans Stanberry, William “Star-Spangled Banner, The,” state militias Sterling Castle Stiles, John Stonecipher, Absalom Stonecipher, Sarah Humbert Story, Joseph Strike It Rich Strother, John Summer, Amy Swann, Joseph Swannanoa, N.C Swannanoa River Swisher, John Talladega, Battle of Tallushatchee, Battle of Taylor, Quintard, Jr Tay River Tecumseh Tellico River Ten Islands Tennessee canebrakes of Carroll County crime and punishment in crops cultivated in Davidson County DC’s community and state elective offices in DC’s lifetime attachment to early settlers in eastern Fentress County first constitutional convention in flora and fauna of Franklin County frontier social life in game hunting in Gibson County Greene County G.T.T (Gone to Texas) signs seen in Hickman County Jefferson County “land of the shakes” in Lawrence County Lincoln County Madison County Ninth Congressional District of statehood granted to Sullivan County tourism in Twelfth Congressional District of as “Volunteer State,” Weakley County western wilderness in Tennessee, University of Tennessee General Assembly DC’s campaigns for and service in DC’s support of poor and needy in Fifteenth meeting of Fourteenth meeting of Tennessee Historical Commission Tennessee Land Bill Tennessee Militia Tennessee Mounted Gunmen Tennessee Mounted Volunteers Tennessee River Tennessee State Legislature, see Tennessee General Assembly Texas American colonists in Comanche raids on DC’s departure for 1845 statehood of as Lone Star State planned liberation of Sam Houston and slavery issue in sovereign Republic of Texas Revolution DC’s enlistment in opposing American factions in see also Alamo, Battle of; San Jacinto, Battle of Texas Road Thames, Battle of the Thermopylae, Battle of Thirty-ninth Infantry Thompson, John Three Roads to the Alamo (Davis) Tinkle, George Tinkle, Lindsey Kavendar Tocqueville, Alexis de Tombigbee River Tookabatcha Trail of Tears Travis, William Barrett Treasury Department, U.S Treaty of Fort Jackson Treaty of Ghent Trimble, James Trinity River Tsunu Iahunski Tucker, Enoch Turkey Town Treaty Turner, Roger Twain, Mark typhoid fever Unaka Mountains Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Aiken) Union Hotel United States: economic depressions in economic power of foreign trade of great western migration in land speculation in mythology of the American West in political upheaval and change in taxation in United States Hotel Van Buren, Martin Vance, Robert Brank Van Zandt, Catherine Moon Van Zandt, Jacob, Jr Van Zandt, Jacob, Sr Vaulse, James Verplanck, Gulian Crommelin Victoria, Queen of England Virginia Voluntary Auxiliary Corps of the Texian Army Walt Disney studio Walton, George Walton, George, Jr Walton, Octavia Claudia Ward, Nancy War Department, U.S War of 1812 British attack on Washington, D.C., in food and supply shortages in major engagements of peace treaty in see also Creek Indian War Warren, Edward Washington, Ark Washington, D.C British burning of public buildings in hotels and boarding houses in lobbyists in Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, George Washington-on-the-Brazos, Tex Washington Theater Watauga Association Watauga River Watergate investigation Watkins Ferry, Va Watt, Robert Weatherford, William, see Red Eagle Webster, Daniel Wesson, Dick Westfield Monthly Meeting of Friends “When You Wish upon a Star,” Whig Party White, Hugh Lawson White, James White’s Fort Wigwam Neosho Wilderness Trail Williams, Lewis Wilson, Abraham Winchester, Amarante Loiselle Winchester, James Winchester, Marcus Brutus Winchester, Tenn Winchester, Va Wolf River Womack, Jacob Womack’s Fort Wonderful World of Disney, The World Book Encyclopedia World War I York, Alvin C Your Hit Parade Top Ten list Zulus ABOUT THE AUTHOR A best-selling author and award-winning reporter, Michael Wallis is a historian and biographer of the American West who has gained national prominence for a body of work beginning in 1988 with Oil Man, his biography of Frank Phillips His fifteen other books include Route 66: The Mother Road, credited with sparking the resurgence of interest in the highway, as well as The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West , Mankiller: A Chief and Her People, Way Down Yonder in the Indian Nation: Writings from America’s Heartland , Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd, and Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride His work has appeared in hundreds of national and international magazines and newspapers, including Time, Life, People, Smithsonian, The New Yorker, and the New York Times Wallis has won many prestigious awards and honors They include the Will Rogers Spirit Award, the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma Book Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book, and the Best Western Nonfiction Award from the Western Writers of America He was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America and the Oklahoma Professional Writers Hall of Fame, and was the first inductee into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame He received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book, as well as the Lynn Riggs Award and the first John Steinbeck Award A charismatic speaker who has lectured extensively throughout the United States, Wallis was featured as the voice of the Sheriff in Cars, an animated feature film from Pixar Studios Wallis and his wife, Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis, make their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma .. .DAVID CROCKETT OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL WALLIS Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride Oil Man: The Story of Frank Phillips and the Birth of Phillips Petroleum Route 66: The Mother Road Pretty Boy: The. .. by far the greatest number of Crockett families hailed from Coupar Angus, north of the mouth of the Tay River, on the eastern coast of central Scotland, one of the oldest settled areas of the British... on the banks of the Nolichucky River, near its confluence with Limestone Creek The Crocketts resided in the backwoods of what was then known as the State of Franklin, a part of North Carolina that