25 chapters
5 hour read
Selected Chapters
25 chapters
DAVID CROCKETT SCOUT
DAVID CROCKETT SCOUT
David Crockett SCOUT SMALL BOY, PILGRIM, MOUNTAINEER, SOLDIER, BEAR-HUNTER, AND CONGRESSMAN DEFENDER OF THE ALAMO BY CHARLES FLETCHER ALLEN FRONTISPIECE BY FRANK McKERNAN “The fittest place where man can die is where he dies for man” —M. J. Barry. PHILADELPHIA & LONDON J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY FIFTEENTH IMPRESSION PRINTED IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA To EDITH SQUIRE ALLEN GUARDIAN, COMRADE, AND KINDLY LIGHT...
30 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
PREFACE
PREFACE
The story of David Crockett stands apart from all others in our history—a nebulous collection of traditions about a great array of facts. To the unnumbered thousands to whom his name is familiar he is often as unreal as the hero of a mediæval romance or of Scandinavian mythology. This book will follow his history with close attention to dates, and without recognition of the impossible legends of many writers. To accomplish this has required much reading and research, much weighing of evidence, a
1 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
I. THE YOUNG FRONTIERSMAN
I. THE YOUNG FRONTIERSMAN
Birthplace in Tennessee—His Irish Blood—Summer-time in the Great Smokies—The Indian signal fires—Little Davy gets fighting mad—His love of weapons—In the Bald Mountains—Davy’s aspirations—John Crockett moves again. The antecedents of Davy Crockett are Irish, although his mother was Rebecca Hawkins, a native of Maryland, and probably of English descent. After the execution of King Charles I, in the seventeenth century, many Irishmen were transported to North America as rebels, and there sold into
10 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
II. THE START FOR VIRGINIA
II. THE START FOR VIRGINIA
The mill on Cove Creek—Swept away, “lock, stock, and barrel”—The Crockett family keeps moving—Andrew Jackson and the corn-thief—“A boy’ll be after trouble before his ears are dry”—The empty cupboard—’Lasses-b’ilin’s, bean-stringin’s, butter-stirrin’s—Bobtail pigs and bawling calves—Davy is sent to Virginia on foot with Jacob Siler—He gets homesick, and longs to see his family—Good friends come to his aid, and he returns home. It would appear that John Crockett had some funds upon moving to Cove
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
III. DAVY TAKES TO THE WOODS
III. DAVY TAKES TO THE WOODS
Davy is welcomed home—A school-house in the mountains—He makes an enemy—Wildcat style of fighting—Davy takes to the woods—John Crockett cuts a stout hickory switch—Davy is off for Virginia again—He goes to Baltimore—The clippers and the privateer—Prevented from sailing for London—He leaves his self-appointed guardian and starts for home—He crosses New River through slush ice—The trail in spring—A strange boy at the family table—“It’s Davy come home!” Davy reached his father’s inn the same night,
11 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
IV. THE INDIANS’ VISIT
IV. THE INDIANS’ VISIT
Davy pays his father’s debts—The old man’s tears—Gets a suit of clothes—Calf love—Barks up the wrong tree—Finds another girl—Sweet plugs and snuff as evidences of affection—He is gaily deceived, and wants to die—Pretty Polly Finlay—Davy marries at last—Other events of the times—Moves to Lincoln County in 1809—Another move—Red Eagle and the Creeks—Three hungry braves—Tecumseh and Big Warrior—The Earthquakes of 1811. The next year of Davy’s life was one of hard work and no pay. He had been at home
13 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
V. DAVY IS A SCOUT
V. DAVY IS A SCOUT
Farmer and trapper—Tall Grass and his boys—The blow-guns of the Chickasaws—Loony Joe—Little Warrior starts trouble, and punishment follows—Davy dreams of higher things—The Spanish at Pensacola aid the British and the hostile Indians—Hurricane Ned brings news from Alabama—The Red Sticks—The massacre at Fort Mims, and the call to arms—Davy becomes a scout under Jackson—Gets his dander up—The independence of the mountaineer volunteers. The year of 1811 was a busy one for Davy, who was then coming t
11 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
VI. FOLLOWING INDIANS
VI. FOLLOWING INDIANS
Scouting in the Cherokee country—The Red Sticks on the move—A scared darky comes into camp on the run—Davy makes a sixty-mile ride—Colonel Coffee shows scant appreciation of Davy’s efforts—Old Hickory in command of a hungry army—Burning Black Warrior’s town—The cane-brake and the hogs—More news of the Red Sticks—The Battle of Tallushatchee—One hundred and eighty-five Indians slain—A squaw kills Lieutenant Moore with an arrow. Evidently in those days there was no superstition about the number 13,
10 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
VII. HARD FIGHTING
VII. HARD FIGHTING
The friendly Indians besieged at Talladega—Jackson sends them help—The attempted ambush—“Painted scarlet, and naked as when they were born”—The battle of Talladega, and the bleaching skulls—Mutiny of the volunteers—Davy goes home when his time is up and reënlists—The Indian victory at Enotachopco Creek—Davy is in a furious fight—One hundred volunteers killed or wounded—English Intrigue at Pensacola—Davy’s visit to that place—Many stirring adventures in the Escambia River country—Davy is hungry e
14 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
VIII. BEAN’S CREEK
VIII. BEAN’S CREEK
Two years on Bean’s Creek—A new girl in the family—The death of Polly Crockett—Some years of peace—The prairie schooner and the steamboat make their appearance—Davy marries again—He makes another excursion into Alabama, and nearly dies of fever—Saved by a whole bottle of Bateman’s Drops—Returns home and moves to Shoal Creek—Becomes a magistrate of Giles County, and learns to write—Elected Colonel of a regiment of State militia—Davy enters the political field—Squirrel hunts and barbecues—He makes
15 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
IX. A CABIN IN THE WILDERNESS
IX. A CABIN IN THE WILDERNESS
Davy builds a mill and distillery—Along Shoal Creek—A tidal wave in politics—Another one in Shoal Creek leaves Davy without a dollar—The year 1822 sees Davy seeking a new home on the Obion River—Encounter of his party with floods—The story of the flat-boat’s trip up the Obion—Davy builds a cabin in the wilderness—A great day for deer—The passing of the red man—Davy returns to the Obion with his whole family—Risks his life for a keg of powder at Christmas time—He is now loaded for bears. While Da
15 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
X. THE ELECTION
X. THE ELECTION
Hunting in the “harricane”—His dream of a big black “nigger”—His dogs bark up the wrong tree—A bear as big as a bull—Davy’s trip to Jackson—Meets some former comrades-in-arms—His name again suggested for the Legislature—He becomes a candidate in hunting coat and coon-skin cap—He is elected a member from his new district—Votes against Jackson’s friend for United States Senator—Old Hickory puts a mark opposite Crockett’s name—In the next election Davy is defeated by Jackson’s influence—Returns to
12 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XI. EARTHQUAKES
XI. EARTHQUAKES
Making shooks for New Orleans—The building of the flat-boats—Davy goes to Reelfoot Lake—A feeling of awe comes over Davy—The story of a strange and mysterious place—Something about the night riders and their neighbors—Where some of Davy’s descendants now reside—The padre’s story of the Reelfoot earthquake and the destruction of New Madrid—The earth trembles beneath his listeners’ feet. After the harvest was over in the fall of 1825, the year after Davy’s term as Representative had expired, he sa
10 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XII. HUNTING BEARS
XII. HUNTING BEARS
Hauling a net in Reelfoot Lake—A ton of shovel-nosed cats and alligator gars—Davy rubs his eyes at the sight, and resolves to keep out of the water—He kills fifteen bears in two weeks—He goes home, but soon feels obliged to have another hunt—With his son, he kills three bears the first day—The bear hunt in the cane—Takes a hungry man and family into partnership in the hunt—How the “varments” spend the long winters—He trees a bear near Reelfoot Lake—“Mixing it up” with the dogs—Salting the meat.
16 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XIII. LOST IN THE WOODS
XIII. LOST IN THE WOODS
Continuation of the Reelfoot hunt—Starts a big fellow in the “harricane”—Snaking it through the brambles and fallen trees—Trees the bear and kills him, and misses his hunting-knife—His knife found by McDaniel—A terrible encounter with a bear after dark—Davy kills him with his knife in a deep chasm caused by the earthquakes—The dogs are badly mauled, and Davy is lost in the woods—He climbs up and down a smooth-barked tree all night to keep from freezing to death—Another ’quake follows—A total of
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XIV. THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD
XIV. THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD
The flat-boats start for New Orleans—All hands appalled by the Mississippi’s flood—A good-for-nothing pilot—They try in vain to make a landing—Passing the “Devil’s Elbow”—Uncle Julius is “mighty scared”—The darky’s song—A sudden wreck, and a close call for Davy—The crew sit all night on the flood-trash of an island in the middle of the river—They are rescued by a steamboat and landed at Memphis—Davy finds a friend in Major Winchester—His return home. The bears having taken to their winter hiding
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XV. CLAY AND WEBSTER
XV. CLAY AND WEBSTER
Davy runs for Congress—He plays the part of the little red fox—The guinea-hens annoy Davy’s opponent—Davy’s coon-skin cap and his rifle win the election in spite of Jackson’s opposition—He is now the Hon. David Crockett, M.C., and a national character—Again crosses the mountains on his way to the capital—Familiar scenes bring back old memories—He repays the friend who lent him money for the campaign—In the “straggling village of Washington”—Davy’s dream of future greatness—He becomes acquainted
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XVI. IN CONGRESS
XVI. IN CONGRESS
Davy’s place in politics—He is elected for a second term—His opposition to President Jackson—After two terms in Congress, he is defeated by a contemptible trick—The influence of the Murrell gang is felt—Two years in retirement—Writing his autobiography—The Middle Fork camp-meeting—The wildcat hunter from the Wolf Creek Branch—At a shooting-match—The generosity of Davy—He is elected by a large majority. During his first term in Congress, in 1828 and 1829, Davy seems to have been lined up with the
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XVII. DAVY’S POPULARITY
XVII. DAVY’S POPULARITY
Rejoicing in the East over Davy’s reëlection—One of his attacks upon Jackson in Congress—He undertakes a journey to the Atlantic cities—Starts for Baltimore by stage—The Steamboat Carroll of Carrollton —Davy first sees a railway train—A grand welcome in Philadelphia—Davy addresses five thousand people in front of the Exchange—He visits Fairmount, the United States Mint, the Walnut Street Theatre, and sees Jim Crow—His reflections upon Eastern manners—He is dined by the young Whigs—Gives directio
13 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XVIII. TRAVELLING HARD
XVIII. TRAVELLING HARD
Davy visits New York City—His astonishment at the sight of the shipping—Davy wants to run to every fire—He visits Peale’s Museum—“Whole rows of little bugs and such-like varments”—Dined by the Young Whigs of New York—The first of May was moving day—Meets Albert Gallatin, whose house is being demolished to make room for the Astor Tavern—Visits the Five Points, and sees an artillery parade at the Battery—A rifle match at Jersey City—His journey is continued to Boston by way of Hell Gate and Provid
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XIX. THE RIFLE “BETSY”
XIX. THE RIFLE “BETSY”
The adjournment of Congress—The rifle “Betsy” is presented to Davy at Philadelphia—Meets Daniel Webster and others at the Fish-House Club—He is given a supply of hunting powder by Mr. Dupont—The fast line to Pittsburg, by rail and canal—Charles Dickens’ notes on the same route—Davy foretells the greatness of the Smoky City and the Keystone State—The voyage down the Ohio River—The greatest crowd that Louisville had ever seen—Arrival at Mills’ Point, and the homeward drive through the wilderness—T
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XX. OFF FOR TEXAS
XX. OFF FOR TEXAS
Davy is defeated for Congress—Another scalp for Old Hickory—Davy’s defeat is a crushing blow—He decides to go to Texas—Takes a sad leave of his family and sets forth in hunting suit with “Betsy” over his shoulder—On board the Mediterranean to Helena—The eighty thousand dollar fund, of which Bowie, Fannin, Travis, and Crockett are named as trustees—More about Texas affairs—Davy starts from Little Rock for Fulton, on the way to San Antonio—The travelling parson and the Washita—Davy’s faith in God—
11 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XXI. THE BEE-HUNTER
XXI. THE BEE-HUNTER
At Natchitoches: forty bushels of frogs to the acre—The Bee-Hunter casts his lot with Colonel Crockett and Thimblerig—The welcome at Nacogdoches—Davy’s parting speech—The Bee-Hunter says farewell to Kate—The journey to the Rio Trinidad—Encounter with the Pirate and the Indian Hunter—They also enlist with the Colonel—Chasing the buffalo, and separation of the party—Davy and the mountain lion—The spectacle of Halley’s comet—A party of Comanches surround Thimblerig—The party reunited—Encounter with
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XXII. THE ALAMO BESIEGED
XXII. THE ALAMO BESIEGED
The city of San Antonio de Bejar—The crumbling monuments of Spanish supremacy—A place of surpassing interest to travellers—The spirit of revenge—The morning of Washington’s Birthday, 1836—Davy, the scout once more, watches the coming of Santa Anna and four thousand men—The Alamo prepares for the last struggle—The Bee-Hunter salutes the Lone Star flag—The Pirate goes for help to Goliad—But one man deserts the garrison of the Alamo—The beginning of the siege on February 24th—Thimblerig is struck b
11 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
XXIII. THE MEXICANS’ CHARGE
XXIII. THE MEXICANS’ CHARGE
The devoted little band makes ready to measure swords with their enemies—The bugle blows as the Sabbath breaks—The Mexicans charge the Alamo with two thousand five hundred men—A terrible slaughter outside the walls—The death of Colonel Travis—The scaling of the parapets, and the death struggles in the fort—Bayonets, bowie-knives, and clubbed rifles—Where Davy Crockett fell fighting to the last—The silver bugle blows again—The end has come—The slaughter of the prisoners—The after scenes—“Thermopy
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter