Remembering An American Hero

DAVID CROCKETT, who hated being called "Davy" and signed his name "David", was not born on a mountain top, but rather, down in a valley, valley so low, where folks built their cabins, and where the water is. It is amazing today to think of the work invovled in putting together a log cabin with only a few tools and a forest. The idea of "exercise" for its own sake was of course unknown, and entirely unnecessary. Young David ran away from home when he was about fourteen after seeing his father, who had gotten word of his truancy, whttling away at a three foot stretch of tree branch, knowing it was intended for him. He never came back. He had been sent to school by his father, but instead snuck off into the deep woods, to spend the days where he truly belonged, among the bears and bees. He belonged to that adventuresome, restless generation of Americans who were the first to get along without the guiding widsom of living founding fathers. He followed in the footsteps of Daniel Boone, his hero, who was fifty years his senior and had, like Crockett, worked his way farther and farher west to get away from "civilization", and to enjoy the company of his preferred company, native Americans. Thus he had the educational attainment level of a grade schooler. Normally he wore a top hat, after the fashion of nineteenth century gentlemen whom he sought, without much success, to emulate; the coon skin cap was a later adornment of the books and magazines which contributed to his fame, fame which he knew during his lifetime, which mystifed and at first alarmed him. He thought people were making fun of him, but was assured that they instead were admiring and emulating him, including the packs of teenaged boys who followed him around Washington City. While he was in Congress for three terms, his fame as a rugged pioneer accompanied him, and he often dressed accordingly, including the cap, to please the people who expected it of him. He was not a good representative. He missed too many sessions of the House of Representatives, bored with what he called the endless talking which never accomplished anything. He never authored or introduced a bill, but his main issue was squatters rights. He believed that the vast tracts of land west of the Appalachians which were "owned" by eastern corporations should be deeded to the pioneer settlers who illegally lived on and "improved" it by putting up cabins and farming. He married twice, and had a total of nine children by two women, three adopted, his first wife having died before the age of thirty. For Crockett the Alamo was a tragic accident of history. He had gone to Texas, like many others, to seek a new start in life, to try again to become propserous. In San Antonio, he was trapped by his fame as a brave hero into remaining, knowng that the Mexican army was approaching, and would destroy them all. A women who survived teh massacre later said that he told her that he would have run away before the final onslaught, were it not for the expectations of others. He never became prosperous. His autobiography, "A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of the State of Tennessee" partly ghostwritten,is a delightful description of his life until shortly before his decision to seek his fortune in Texas. It is a masterpiece of American literature, and has never been out of print. His roommate and fellow congressman Thomas Chilton helped him with it (the original manuscript is in Chilton's handwriting), and no editor has ever had the audicaty to corrrect his crude grammar. His writing style served as a template for mark Twain in his famous Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn novels. In the eighteen thirties Eastern cities were full of apartments with the letters "G2T" ("Gone to Texas") painted on the front door. We'll never know for sure, but it seems likely that, even moments before his heroic death at the Aamo, he had no regrets. the front door.