Davy Crockett, known as the ‘King of the Wild Frontier’, is a legendary and heroic figure in American history. He played a significant role in the Texas War of Independence and served in the Creek War. As a born leader, he represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Even years after his death, Crockett remains a subject of heroic and legendary stories, particularly in Texas where a town is named after him. His martyrdom for the cause of Texas’ independence inspired countless Texans to join the fight. Popularized through movies, plays, and television dramas, Crockett is revered as one of America’s greatest real-life legends and an enduring symbol of the Old West.
Quick Facts
- Died At Age: 49
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Elizabeth Patton (m. 1815–1836), Polly Finley (m. 1806–1815)
- Father: John Crockett
- Mother: Rebecca Hawkins Crockett
- Children: John Wesley Crockett, Margaret Finley Crockett, Matilda Crockett, Rebecca Crockett, Robert Crockett, William Finley Crockett
- Soldiers
- Political Leaders
- Political ideology: National Republican (a/k/a: Anti-Jacksonian)
- Died on: March 6, 1836
- Place of death: The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas, United States
- U.S. State: Tennessee
- Ancestry: French American
- Cause of Death: Killed
- Ideology: Democrats
Childhood & Early Life
David Davy Crockett was born in Greene County, Tennessee to John Crockett, an American frontiersman and soldier, and Rebecca Hawkins. From the age of eight, he would accompany his father and elder brothers on their hunting expeditions. At the age of thirteen, he dropped out of school and ran away from home. In 1799, he returned home and worked off his father’s debt to a man named John Kennedy.
Career
In 1813, he served under Colonel John Coffee in the Creek War and was enlisted in the Second Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Mounted Riflemen as a scout for 90 days. On March 27, 1818, he was elected as a lieutenant colonel in the Fifty-seventh Militia regiment of Tennessee Militia. On September 17, 1821, he was elected to the Committee of Propositions and Grievances at the Tennessee State House of Representatives. In 1826, he was elected as ‘Jacksonian’ in the U.S. House of Representatives, after which he became an ‘Anti-Jacksonian’. He opposed President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, after which he lost the elections in 1830. In 1833, he was elected to the 23rd Congress and served until 1835, when he lost the re-elections. On November 1, 1835, he set out on a journey to Texas along with three other men to explore the state. On February 23, 1836, he arrived in Alamo and took part in a siege against the Mexican soldiers. The battle lasted 90 minutes and soon the Mexican soldiers were forced to withdraw. The siege continued between the Texan soldiers and Mexican soldiers until March 6, 1836, and after 13 days, the Mexican troops emerged victorious and all the Texan soldiers, including Crockett, were killed.
Personal Life & Legacy
He got engaged to Margaret Elder at the age of nineteen but she eventually married someone else. This incident deeply affected him. In 1806, he married Mary Polly Finley and the couple had two children together. His wife died in 1815. In 1815, after the death of his first wife Mary Polly Finley, he married Elizabeth Patton and the couple had three children together. In 1834, his autobiography titled ‘A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, of the State of Tennessee’ was published. He died at the age of 49, while fighting against the Mexicans in ‘The Battle of Alamo’ in San Antonio, Texas. In 1959, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation established the David Crockett State park in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee in his honor. In 1954, a five-part ABC serial ‘Davy Crockett’ was aired. Each episode of one-hour was based on his real life and the experiences of his friend, George Russel. In the seventh season of The Discovery Channel TV series ‘Mythbusters’, the story of his life and hunting exploits were broadcast. In 1955, the song ‘The Ballad of Davy Crockett’, a part of the Disney TV show, became one of the most popular songs to hit the pop charts.
Trivia
This 19th-century soldier who served and died in the ‘Battle of Alamo’ was rejected by the girl who was engaged to him as she went on to marry another man. This American real-life legend and folk-hero, according to rumors, was one of the soldiers who surrendered to the Mexican troops and executed.