Western Magazine Digest: Davy Crockett: the Legend and the Man

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Davy Crockett: the Legend and the Man

There's no way to provide an in-depth account of the life and career of Davy Crockett. This remarkable man did so much for his family, neighbors, and government. But what we can do is provide you with highlights of his accomplishments combined with links to where you can go online to learn more about the man and the legend.

The Legend of Davy Crockett

Personally, I became familiar with Davy Crockett when I was 5 or 6 years old by way of a 78 rpm phonograph record that my mother purchased for me from a 'Five and Dime' store in my hometown of Canton, Ohio. I was 5 years old when they gave me my first phonograph. My father proceeded to routinely give me 45's and 78's, which he purchased at a gym he belonged to. Evidently these were used records from a local jukebox company.

The lyrics to this famous song, “Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier,” is what sticks in my mind the most (https://bit.ly/2xK24a6). Here's a partial reproduction of the lyrics followed by a video with the real deal:

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,
Greenest state in the land of the free.
Raised in the woods so's he knew every tree,
Killed him a bear when he was only three.

Davy, Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier.

Fought single handed through the Injun war,
Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was restored.
And while he was handling this risky chore,
Made himself a legend, forevermore.

Davy, Davy Crockett the man who don't know fear.

He went of to Congress and served a spell
Fixin' up the government and laws as well.
Took over Washington, I heard tell,
And patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell.

Davy, Davy Crockett, seein' his duty clear.
When he come home, his politickin' was done,
While the western march had just begun.
So he packed his gear, and his trusty gun
And let out a grinnin' to follow the sun.

Davy, Davy Crockett, Leadin the Pioneer.

Walt Disney released a five part serial which aired on ABC beginning in 1954 and ending in 1955. Fess Parker was featured as the real-life man called Davy Crockett. This was part of a program called Disneyland. (If you remember Disneyland, raise your hand please!)

This gives you a good idea of what I and so many children in the mid 1950's were treated to by way of Walt Disney, and on a weekly basis! It was an enchanted time for all of society, unlike today.

Davy Crockett, the Man

Born David Crockett on the 17th of August, 1786, Davy Crockett was a folk hero that led an exciting and varied life. He, in fact, came to be known as 'King of the Wild Frontier,' and wild it certainly was. He was also an extremely diversified individual, contrary to what many of us might think based on historical accounts, not to mention popular movies of the recent past.

Crockett's place of birth was Greene County, located in East Tennessee, near a town called 'Limestone.' His family, which originally had emigrated from Ireland in and about 1718, ended up in the French Colony of New Rochelle, in the Colony of New York. “Family tradition says that David Crockett's father was born on the voyage to America from Ireland, though in fact Crockett's great-grandfather, William David Crockett, was registered as having been born in New Rochelle, New York in 1709 (wikipedia.org)” (Captain Joseph Louis Crockett, https://bit.ly/2X9f1og).

Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (see movie below)

Eight years after Davy's birth, in 1786--a mere decade after the birth of this new nation--the Crockett's moved to Lick Creek. Two years after that, Davy's father partnered with Thomas Galbraith in a gristmill on Cove Creek. A series of unfortunate circumstances forced Davy's family to move several more times until they ended up in Morristown where his father built a tavern that was intentionally located on a stage coach route.

“The Crockett Tavern Museum is a history museum in Morristown, Tennessee, that commemorates the American folk hero David 'Davy' Crockett” (Crockett Tavern Museum, Wikipedia, https://bit.ly/2R7gE24).

Because the unfortunate things that happened to his father's business ventures, Davy was indentured several times to other business men to help pay off the family's indebtedness. The first time was when Crockett was only 12 years old.

Davy Crockett, Indian Scout 1950 Western VO ENG

The Public Side of Crockett

In brief, Davy Crockett was a battalion commander in the Creek Indian War of 1813 (1813 to 1814). To provide some background, the Creek Indian War was the result of a general massacre near Mobile, in the Mississippi Territory, on August 30th of 1813.

Because of Crockett's keen skills in the wilderness, the same year he enlisted as a scout in the Francis Jones's Company of Mounted Riflemen. He served from September of 1813 to that of Christmas Eve of the same year.

Crockett also served as Third Sargeant with the Tennessee militia in the War of 1812. His tour of duty was six months.

If you recall, early on I mentioned the fact that Davy Crockett was a diverse individual. Well, it was in 1817, that Crockett uprooted his family and moved them to Lawrence County, Tennessee. Here he became a commissioner charged with the task of establishing new boundaries for a new county. The same year he was appointed as a county justice of the peace by the state legislature.

The following year, Crockett was elected lieutenant colonel of the 57th Regiment of the Tennessee Militia. In 1819, Crockett decided to spend more time with his family and business. Although he continued on as commissioner, he resigned his position as Justice of the Peace and lieutenant colonel of the militia.

Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer

Crockett served as commissioner until 1821, when he won a seat in the Tennessee General Assembly. Davy Crockett also ran for Congress in 1824. It was in 1827 that he won a seat, which he held up to 1829, then again from 1829 through 1831, and then 1833 through 1835. His main efforts were spent defending squatters who were unable to purchase land out West because they did not already own property.

“Crockett spent his entire legislative career fighting for the rights of impoverished settlers who he felt dangled on the precipice of losing title to their land due to the state's complicated system of grants” (http://bit.ly/2GwksVV).

Conclusion

Generally speaking, if there's any one thing that most of us know about Davy Crockett is the fact that he died defending the Alamo, although recent evidence might suggest otherwise. For all intents and purposes, as far as WMD is concerned, Crockett died fighting for the right of Texans to decide their own national fate.

“When he was 49 years old, Crockett died a hero's death at the Alamo, helping Texas to win independence from Mexico. For 11 days of ceaseless fighting and bombardment, around 200 men withstood the Mexican army of Santa Anna. When the battle was over, all the Americans had died, but with them also lay over 2,000 Mexicans. Crockett's body was never found, but at his birthplace a rough limestone slab reads: 'Davy Crockett, Pioneer, Patriot, Soldier, Trapper, Explorer, State Legislator, Congressman, Martyred at The Alamo. 1786 to 1836'” (Immortal Last Words, Terry Breverton, p154).