American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett
Page 31
26 Ibid, 34.
Chapter 2: Runaway
Direct Crockett quotes in this chapter are taken from his Narrative, unless otherwise noted.
1 Arpad, Original Legendary, 130.
2 Shackford, Man and Legend, 10.
3 Crockett, Narrative, 35.
4 Ibid, 36.
5 Ibid, 37.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid, 38.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid, 38-39.
10 Ibid, 40.
11 Shackford, Man and Legend, 10-11.
12 Crockett, Narrative, 41.
13 Ibid, 42.
14 Ibid, 9.
15 Shackford, Man and Legend, 11. Crockett, Narrative, 42.
16 Crockett, Narrative, 43.
17 Crockett appears to have dropped a year in his narrative, claiming that he was “almost fifteen” at this point, when actually he would have been nearly sixteen. See Crockett’s Narrative, 43, 22n. See also Shackford, Man and Legend, 11 and 294n.
Chapter 3: The Dutiful Son Becomes a Man
Direct Crockett quotes in this chapter are taken from his Narrative, unless otherwise noted.
1 Crockett, Narrative, 45.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid, 47.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid, 47-48.
6 Stanley Folmsbee, in his marginal annotations of Crockett ’s Narrative, points out in note 12 on page 49 that Crockett exaggerates his ignorance for political reasons. Time and again, Crockett illustrates that he was an incredibly adaptable, sharp, and inquisitive learner and astute student of human nature. His later letters show that he significantly increased his early education over time, and especially his writing skill, almost exclusively through self-study.
7 Marriage License and Bond Book 1792-1840 (Jefferson County, TN). Crockett, Narrative, 49-50, 14n.
8 Shackford, Man and Legend, 13. Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 14.
9 Crockett, Narrative, 62, 10n. Folmsbee notes the many references to Crockett’s presence when wolf scalps were brought in, recorded, and purchased, in Lawrence County Minutes 1818-1823. Shackford, Man and Legend, 39, 298n.
10 Crockett, Narrative, 65, 16n.
11 Ibid, 67. Folmsbee and Catron. “Early Career,” 63n. Two days have passed between the Finley altercation and the actual performance of the ceremony.
12 Crockett, Narrative, 68.
13 Ibid, 20n. Folmsbee and Catron. “Early Career,” 64.
14 Shackford, Man and Legend, 295n.
15 Davis, Three Roads, 25.
16 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 17.
Chapter 4: “My Dander Was Up”
Direct Crockett quotes in this chapter are taken from his Narrative, unless otherwise noted.
1 Davis, Three Roads, 25.
2 Robert V. Remini, Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars (New York, 2001), 5-6.
3 Davis, Three Roads, 25. Derr, Frontiersman, 59-60.
4 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 19. Remini, Indian Wars, 50. John Sugden, Tecumseh: A Life (New York, 1997), 352.
5 Shackford, Man and Legend, 18-19.
6 Remini, Indian Wars, 6.
7 Ibid, 3-4.
8 Ibid, 1. Sugden, Tecumseh: A Life, 237.
9 H. S. Halbert and T. S. Ball, The Creek War of 1813 and 1814 (Tuscaloosa, AL, Alabama Press, 1895), 156-57. The actual number dead was 275, not the 500 or “half a thousand” quoted by Halbert and Ball.
10 Remini, Indian Wars, 6.
11 Crockett, Narrative, 72.
12 Ibid, 73.
13 Andrew Burstein, The Passions of Andrew Jackson (New York, 2003), 94-97.
14 Remini, Indian Wars, 15.
15 Crockett, Narrative, 74.
16 Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 64.
17 Crockett, Narrative, 75.
18 The account of this expedition is drawn primarily from Crockett’s Narrative, 71-82, and Halbert and Ball, Creek War, 266-78.
19 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 21-22.
20 Remini, Indian Wars, 61.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid, 60. John Buchanan, Jackson’s Way: Andrew Jackson and the People of the Western Waters (New York, 2001), 203. S. Putnam Waldo, Memoirs of Andrew Jackson (Hartford, CT, 1820), 1-69.
23 Quoted in Remini, Indian Wars, 64.
24 Crockett, Narrative, 90.
25 Halbert and Ball, Creek War, 269-70.
26 Quoted in Shackford, Man and Legend, 26.
27 Ibid. Halbert and Ball, Creek War, 270.
28 Crockett, Narrative, 94.
29 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 25. John Reid and John Henry Eaton, Life of Andrew Jackson (Tuscaloosa, AL, 1974), 89-91. Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 64.
30 Remini, Indian Wars, 70.
31 Burstein, Passions of Andrew Jackson, 102. James Parton, The Life of Andrew Jackson (New York, 1862), vol. 1, 463.
32 Crockett, Narrative, 96, 31n.
33 Remini, Indian Wars, 74.
34 Ibid.
Chapter 5: “Mounted Gunman”
Direct Crockett quotes in this chapter are taken from his Narrative, unless otherwise noted.
1 Remini, Indian Wars, 75.
2 Responding to the severity of his fighting tactics in battles such as Horseshoe Bend, and his unyielding nature as a negotiator, the Indians nicknamed Jackson “Sharp Knife” or “Pointed Arrow.”
3 Remini, Indian Wars, 75.
4 Ibid. A detailed description of the “Holy Ground” is provided in Halbert and Ball, Creek War, 246-49.
5 Quoted in Remini, Indian Wars, 75.
6 Ibid, 76.
7 Buchanan, Jackson’s Way, 287-88.
8 Ibid, 77. Sean Michael O’Brien, In Bitterness and Tears: Andrew Jackson’s Destruction of the Creeks and Seminoles (Westport, CT, 2003), 146.
9 James L. Haley, Sam Houston (Norman, OK, 2002), 15.
10 Ibid, 15. Buchanan, Jackson’s Way, 289.
11 Haley, Sam Houston, 15.
12 Quoted in Burstein, Passions of Andrew Jackson, 105. Parton, Life of Andrew Jackson, vol. 1, 512-20.
13 O’Brien, Bitterness and Tears, 150.
14 Ibid. Buchanan, Jackson’s Way, 291.
15 Quoted in O’Brien, Bitterness and Tears, 150. Frank Owsley, Jr. Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands: The Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans (Gainsvillle, FL, 1981), 81-82.
16 On August 9, 1814, Jackson imposed the Treaty of Fort Jackson on the Creek Nation. On September 14 to October 4, 1816, he signed a provisional treaty with the Cherokees, and on September 20, 1816, he signed a treaty with the Chickasaws. There would be a string of such subjugations and treaty signings through 1820, the treaty with the Choctaws.
17 Remini, Indian Wars, 81.
18 The Florida expedition is largely based on Crockett, Narrative, 101-13. Halbert and Ball, Creek War, 143-76, 280-84, also offers an extensive and detailed account of the entire campaign.
19 Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 70.
20 The expedition into the swamps of the Escambia River is based largely on Crockett, Narrative, 115-24.
21 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 26-27. Halbert and Ball, Creek War, 280.
22 Shackford, Man and Legend, 30.
23 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 27.
24 Though Crockett calls it “The old expression,” the origin of the phrase is actually attributed to him in more than one place. See the Dictionary of American English, Charles E. Funk, A Hog on Ice and Other Expressions (New York, 1948), 36, and Folmsbee annotation, Narrative, 118.
25 It is unclear why the men would not eat the horses, which, even in their emaciated condition, would have offered a good deal of meat. Taboo against the practice may have prevented them from consuming their own mounts.
26 See Crockett, Narrative, 124, 17n, for a discussion of the discrepancy in his rank. Also, Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 71n.
27 Davis, Three Roads, 34.
Chapter 6: Trials on the Homefront
Direct Crockett quotes in this chapter are taken from his Narrative, unless
otherwise noted.
1 Shackford, Man and Legend, 33. Davis, Three Roads, 63, 600n.
2 Ibid.
3 Davis, Three Roads, 64. Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 71. Shackford, Man and Legend, 34.
4 Derr, Frontiersman, 79-80.
5 Ibid, 79. Shackford, Man and Legend, 281-82. Descriptions of David Crockett’s physical appearance are few and not wholly consistent or reliable. Many are based on one or more of the portraits painted of him, and none of those was done before his entry into Congress. See Shackford, Man and Legend, appendix 4, 281-91, for an in-depth analysis. There are numerous references to Crockett ’s “rosy cheeks,” including his own comment in page 59 of his Narrative, and in his letter to James Blackburn of February 5, 1828, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville.
6 Shackford, Man and Legend, 34-35. Derr, Frontiersman, 80.
7 Shackford, Man and Legend, 35; Jessie A. Henderson, “Unmarked Historic Spots of Franklin County,” East Tennessee Historical Magazine, second series, 3 (January 1935): 117-18.
8 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 30.
9 Crockett, Narrative, 132.
10 Ibid.
11 American State Papers, Indian Affairs (Washington, DC, 1832-1834). See Shackford, Man and Legend, 37, and Folmsbee annotations in Crockett, Narrative, 132-33.
12 Torrence, Crockett, 12; Crockett, Narrative, 127, 8n.
13 Robert M. Torrence and Robert L. Whittenburg, Colonel Davy Crockett, a Genealogy (Washington, DC, 1956), 12.
14 Ibid, 89. Derr, Frontiersman, 89.
15 Shackford, Man and Legend, 38.
16 Crockett, Narrative, 135. Folmsbee notes in annotation 25 that Crockett exaggerates here, and that his judgments needed entire court approval.
17 Davis, Three Roads, 68.
18 Arpad, Original Legendary, 135-39. Davis, Three Roads, 68.
19 Derr, Frontiersman, 92.
20 Quoted in Derr, Frontiersman, 93.
21 Crockett, Narrative, 141.
Chapter 7: “The Gentleman from the Cane”
Direct Crockett quotes in this chapter are taken from his Narrative, unless otherwise noted.
1 See Crockett, Narrative, 143, annotation 11, and Davis, Three Roads, 73 and 601n. Crockett milks this story and uses it on more than one occasion.
2 Shackford, Man and Legend, 47.
3 Derr, Frontiersman, 97.
4 Shackford, Man and Legend, 47.
5 Ibid, 48-49. Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 72.
6 Davis, Three Roads, 78.
7 Ibid. Shackford, Man and Legend, 52-53. Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 73.
8 The origin of this story is the book Life and Adventures of Colonel David Crockett of West Tennessee, ghostwritten by Matthew St. Clair Clarke. (Cincinnati, 1833). See also Shackford, Man and Legend, 52-53, and Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 73.
9 Crockett, Narrative, 145.
10 Quoted in Davis, Three Roads, 76, 601n. Also see John Jacobs to editor of Morristown Gazette, November 22, 1884, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville. Derr, Frontiersman, 93, 276n.
11 Shackford, Man and Legend, 48.
12 Davis, Three Roads, 72.
13 Crockett, Narrative, 147, 1n.
14 Norma Hayes Bagnall, On Shaky Ground: The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 (Columbia, MO, 1996), 28-40. Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 34.
15 Ibid. Hauck provides an interesting discussion on multiple meanings of the terms “canebrake” and “haricane.”
16 The account of Crockett’s trip upriver to McLemore’s Bluff is drawn primarily from Crockett ’s Narrative, 147-54.
17 Derr, Frontiersman, 108.
18 Shackford, Man and Legend, 55.
19 Ibid, 55-56. Shackford describes the exact minutiae of these judgments. See also Derr, Frontiersman, 104.
20 Shackford, Man and Legend, 58.
21 Ibid.
22 Journal of the House of Representatives, Second Session, Fourteenth General Assembly, 1822, p. 129. Quoted in Shackford, Man and Legend, 57.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 The “Christmas guns” anecdote is based on Crockett, Narrative, 159-60.
26 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 35. Richard Slotkin, Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600-1860 (Middletown, CT, 1973), 555-56.
27 Shackford, Man and Legend, 63.
28 Crockett, Narrative, 166-67.
29 Ibid, 169.
30 Shackford, Man and Legend, 64, 300n. Shackford points out in a note that the most accurate authentication for this story comes from a contemporary of Crockett’s, one Colonel Robert I. Chester. For Chester’s rendition of the story, see H. S. Turner, “Andrew Jackson and David Crockett: Reminiscences of Colonel Chester,” Magazine of American History 27 (May 1892): 385-87.
31 Shackford, Man and Legend, 64. Davis, Three Roads, 603n. Davis offers an interesting note that clarifies the traditional ordering of stump speeches, observing that the men often alternated, in which case Crockett may not have had to ask to go first. Also see Turner, “Reminiscences of Colonel Chester,” 385-87.
32 Shackford, Man and Legend, 66.
33 Ibid.
34 Ibid. Derr, Frontiersman, 117-18; Davis, Three Roads, 87.
35 Parton, Life of Andrew Jackson, vol. 1, 136, quoted in Burstein, Passions of Andrew Jackson, 27.
36 Davis, Three Roads, 88.
37 Shackford, Man and Legend, 69; Davis, Three Roads, 88.
38 Quoted in Shackford, Man and Legend, 69.
39 Folmsbee and Catron, “Early Career,” 78-83.
40 Shackford, Man and Legend, 70-71, quoting National Banner and Nashville Whig, September 27, 1824.
Chapter 8: “Neck or Nothing”
Direct Crockett quotes in this chapter are taken from his Narrative, unless otherwise noted.
1 Stanley J. Folmsbee and Anna Grace Catron, “David Crockett: Congressman,” East Tennessee Historical Society Publications 28 (1957), 40-41.
2 Circular of 1824, Tennessee Historical Society, Nashville.
3 Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett: Congressman,” 40.
4 Shackford, Man and Legend, 73-74. Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 39.
5 Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett: Congressman,” 41.
6 Crockett, Narrative, 173, 20n.
7 This bear hunting anecdote is based on Crockett, Narrative, 185-91.
8 See Shackford, Man and Legend, 77 and 301n, for testimonials of Crockett’s expertise as a hunter and marksman.
9 Derr, Frontiersman, 134.
10 Crockett ’s rescue and his fortuitous arrival in Memphis is recorded in James D. Davis, History of the City of Memphis (Memphis, 1873), 146-50. Crockett, Narrative, 195-200.
11 Shackford, Man and Legend, 79.
12 Derr, Frontiersman, 136.
13 Crockett, Narrative, 201-2.
14 Derr, Frontiersman, 139.
15 Shackford, Man and Legend, 81-83.
16 Davis, History of Memphis, 150-51, 176. Shackford, Man and Legend, 83, 302n.
17 Shackford, Man and Legend, 83.
18 Derr, Frontiersman, 140.
19 Crockett, Narrative, 204.
20 Stanley, J. Folmsbee, and Anna Grace Catron, “David Crockett and West Tennessee,” West Tennessee Historical Society Papers 28 (1974): 9n, from election returns of 1827.
Chapter 9: Political Reality
1 Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett Congressman,” 44. Davis, Three Roads, 123. Shackford, Man and Legend, 84-86.
2 Shackford, Man and Legend, 84. Derr, Frontiersman, 143.
3 Shackford, Man and Legend, 84-85.
4 Quoted in Shackford, Man and Legend, 86 and 303n. For a complete account of this duel, see James A. Shackford, “David Crockett and North Carolina,” North Carolina Historical Review, 28: 298-315. Also see J. R. Hicklin, “The Carson-Vance Duel,” The State [North Carolina], 6 (December 10, 1938): 9.
5 Davis, Three Roads, 126, 609n. Arpad, Orig
inal Legendary, 188.
6 David Crockett to James Blackburn, February 5, 1828, Tennessee State Library and Archives.
7 Davis, Three Roads, 126.
8 Derr, Frontiersman, 144.
9 Quoted in Shackford, Man and Legend, 88.
10 Quoted in Shackford, Man and Legend, 89 and 303n.
11 Derr, Frontiersman, 144-45. James Sterling Young, The Washington Community: 1800-1828 (New York, 1966): 98-107.
12 Derr, Frontiersman, 145. Jackson [Tennessee] Gazette, January 31, 1829.
13 Shackford, Man and Legend, 88. Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 43.
14 Derr, Frontiersman, 142.
15 Crockett to James L. Totten, February 11, 1828, Crockett Papers, Special Collections, University of Tennessee.
16 Letter from Crockett to Mr. Seal, March 11, 1828, Crockett Papers, Special Collection, University of Texas. Quoted in Davis, Three Roads.
17 Quoted in Davis, Three Roads, 129. Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett, Congressman,” 45. Shackford, Man and Legend, 89.
18 Shackford, Man and Legend, 89. Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett: Congressman,” 45.
19 Derr, Frontiersman, 147-48. Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett: Congressman,” 45. Shackford, Man and Legend, 87-89, 303n.
20 Duff Green Papers. Southern Historical Collection of the University of North Carolina.
21 Josephine Seaton, William Winston Seaton of the National Intelligencer: A Biographical Sketch. (Boston, 1871), 184. Derr, Frontiersman, 152.
22 Derr, Frontiersman, 123.
23 Hauck, Bio-Bibliography, 42. Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett: Congressman,” 47.
24 Ibid, 47-48. Derr, Frontiersman, 150. Shackford, Man and Legend, 90-91.
25 Quoted in Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett: Congressman,” 48. Derr, Frontiersman, 150. Register of Debates in Congress, vol. 4, part 2 (Washington, DC, 1827-1828): 2,519.
26 Register of Debates in Congress, vol. 4, part 2: 2,519.
27 Shackford, Man and Legend, 91.
28 Derr, Frontiersman, 151.
29 Davis, Three Roads, 133-34. Derr, Frontiersman, 153. Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett and West Tennessee,” 11, 11n.
30 Derr, Frontiersman, 153. Folmsbee and Catron, “David Crockett, Congressman,” 48-49.
31 Jackson [Tennessee] Gazette, January 31, 1829.