BORN ON A MOUNTAINTOP

“Kilt him a b’ar when he was only three.” Grab your coonskin cap, powder horn, toy musket, rubber tipped arrows and get ready...Davy’s back! It’s Davy Crockett, the legend that will not go away. I was ten years old when Walt Disney decided to promote “Frontierland” at Disneyland by hiring Fess Parker to portray Davy Crockett for five episodes between December 1954 and February 1955. Well, Bob Thompson has written a book reminiscent of “On the Road with Charles Kuralt ”, except the author is stalking only one person... the famous Davy Crockett. Mr. Thompson retraces Davy’s life throughout Tennessee, Alabama, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and finally San Antonio, Texas, where he meets his demise at the age of 49. This is a wonderful book, but still leaves the reader with the question - What made Davy famous to begin with? So many of Davy’s accomplishments are agreed upon or rejected as myth by so many historians and eye witness accounts that the reader doesn’t know what to believe. Does it matter? I don’t think so since little proof exist about many of the exploits of the late 1700’s and 1800’s frontiersmen. Did Daniel Boone and Kit Carson (see Blood and Thunder) really do all the things the pulp novels and almanacs say they did? It is known that many of the stories were made up for monetary purposes only, and as the years went on, a copious amount of them were accepted as pure lore.

The author tells the reader that the idea for this book came about as he was driving with his daughters, Lizzie and Mona, and the Burl Ives song came on the radio: “Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee...” (The Ballad Of Davy Crockett). This piqued the girls interest in Davy, Andrew Jackson, and eventually, Abe Lincoln. It also lit a fire in Bob Thompson and stimulated him to hit the road and find the real Davy Crockett. So off to Tennessee he goes. He finds Davy to be a semi-illiterate poor farmer of nine siblings. The author finds many museums and the Davy Crockett State Park in Tennessee with curators and relatives of Davy’s willing to tell their stories. Davy, still unknown at twenty seven, joins the Tennessee militia to fight the marauding Creek indians, who are on a murdering rampage. Davy runs for Colonel in the local militia and wins. His beloved wife Polly dies and he marries a widow with two kids, Elizabeth Patton. He runs for state legislature and wins. Other than the fact that he was elected to a state office, a known bear hunter, and an indian fighter, I still don’t see how his legend started. He was a dirt poor tenant farmer. Davy then runs for Congress as the advocate for the poor man and wins. While in Congress, other congressman considered him a hick. ”He had been told that he did not understand English grammar. That was very true. He had never been six months at school in his life.”

Davy makes an enemy out of President Andrew Jackson.  Davy can’t get his poor man’s free land bill passed but gets re-elected anyway. Davy is still a poor tenant farmer, but his uniqueness earns him some tall tales. His slogan “Always be sure you are right, then go ahead” appears in almanacs along with other suspect quotes by Davy. Many books are written about Crockett’s adventures, true or not. Davy is defeated by a Jackson crony. “At age 45, he was a dirt poor tenant farmer once again.” Davy later wins election to congress from a new district in Tennessee. While congress is in session, Davy takes his autobiography (most likely written by a friendly congressman) on tour! According to Bob Thompson, this is probably the first book tour in the USA. Unfortunately, hobnobbing with the rich and famous while on tour causes Davy to lose the support of his poor Tennessee voters. He is defeated by a peg-legged Adam Huntsman. Davy forgot the country saying, “Don’t get above your raisin’ “, meaning: “Don’t forget who you are; don’t leave your people behind.” Davy’s reaction to losing his congressional seat was ”Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to hell and I will goe to Texas.” Davy Crockett, “half man, half legend-was setting out for his last adventure of his life at age 49, but he was still dirt poor. And we are only half way through this intriguing book. The best is yet to come because the author and several Crockettologists discuss Davy's death at the Alamo. A Mexican officer's manuscript and The Dolson Letter put Davy's reputation in jeopardy. I found this part of the book mind-blowing! This is a must read book.

I’m still mystified by this iconic hero, known as Davy Crockett. Published Crockett almanacs state that the following are some true happenings: “He halted a charging bear just by staring at him.”; “He sang duets with a friendly buffalo who had a fine bass voice.”; and Davy is reported to have written this last entry in his journal at the Alamo: “Pop, pop, pop! Bom, bom, bom! Throughout the day-no time for memorandums now. Go ahead!-Liberty and independence for ever!” I don’t know, what do you think? (Just kidding.) Many historians believe (according to the author) that Davy didn’t know anything about Texas’s fight for independence when he wandered into the skirmish between the Texians and Gen.Santa Anna of Mexico. He saw it as an opportunity to finally get his own land for his family (he had six children from two wives) and a way to get back into politics as the representative for the new territory of Texes (the spelling at the time). Bob Thompson says that four movies were made about Davy in the early 1900s; then, interest about Davy Crockett waned until Walt Disney decided to resurrect Davy with Fess Parker, who, by the way, played Daniel Boone in the 1960's. This is a remarkable book for any reader interested in history and folklore. As a side note, there is no known meeting between Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, even though they were alive together for 34 years and Kentucky (Boone) and Tennessee (Crockett) abut each other. Go figure.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Davy Crockett, a man with hardly any formal education, is credited with many sayings and axioms.The reader has to determine if they are real or fabricated. The following Crockett quotes are reported to be true and are provided by Wikiquote:
“I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog. I have always supported measures and principles and not men. I have acted fearless[ly] and independent and I never will regret my course. I would rather be politically buried than to be hypocritically immortalized.” This is from a letter, after Davy was defeated in the 1830 election.
“I am now here in Congress... I am at liberty to vote as my conscience and judgment dictates to be right, without the yoke of any party on me, or the driver at my heels, with his whip in hand, commanding me to ge-wo-haw, just at his pleasure. Look at my arms, you will find no party hand-cuff on them!” Part of a letter reported in Davy’s 1834 book A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett .
“I am sorry to say I do doubt the honesty of many men that are called good at home, that have given themselves up to serve a party. I am no man's man. I bark at no man's bid. I will never come and go, and fetch and carry, at the whistle of the great man in the white house, no matter who he is. And if this petty, un-patriotic scuffling for men, and forgetting principles, goes on, it will be the overthrow of this one happy nation, and the blood and toil of our ancestors will have been expended in vain.” From Davy’s tour to the North and Down East in 1835.
“I must say as to what I have seen of Texas, it is the garden spot of the world. The best land & best prospects for health I ever saw is here, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here. There is a world of country to settle.” From a letter to his children on 1/9/1836, a couple of months before his death.
“We have the right as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” In a speech to the US House of Representatives.
“Although our great man at the head of the nation, has changed his course, I will not change mine. ... I was also a supporter of this administration after it came into power, and until the Chief Magistrate changed the principles which he professed before his election. When he quitted those principles, I quit him. I am yet a Jackson man in principles, but not in name... I shall insist upon it that I am still a Jackson man, but General Jackson is not; he has become a Van Buren man.” Davy talking about President Andrew Jackson.
“I have never knew what it was to sacrifice my own judgment to gratify any party and I have no doubt of the time being close at hand when I will be rewarded for letting my tongue speak what my heart thinks. I have suffered myself to be politically sacrificed to save my country from ruin and disgrace and if I am never again elected I will have the gratification to know that I have done my duty.” Comment by Davy on his final election defeat on 8/11/1835.