Desk Of D. A. Sigler-Book Review-“David Crockett: The Lion Of The West.” By. Michael Wallis.

David Crockett, (1786-1836), has always been a figure of American history and mythology and at least two descent movies of his life at the Alamo. The 1960 “The Alamo” version by John Wayne is good but mostly mythology mixed with history; still worth watching. The other version, the 2004 version with Billy Bob Thorton playing Crockett is far more history than mythology; I like both films. The point being ever since the actual Battle of the Alamo, (February 23 to March 6, 1836), and the defeat by Mexican General Antonio Lpez De Santa Anna. The story of the Alamo is a fascianting story and well worth reading about, but it seems most people only have this part of Crockett’s life in their memory. I would recommend reading, “Three Roads To The Alamo:The Lives Of David Crockett, James Bowie, And Willaim Barret Travis.” By. William C. Davis, excellent book on the lives of the three main characters of the Alamo). The present shorter life story of Crockett is well told of his early life in Lomestone Greene County, Tennessee, (part of North Carolina at the time. He gained a reputation, well deserved, for his hunting skills and of course his story telling. The biography tell of his life in the militia of Lawrence County, Tennessess where he would be elected to the State Legislature in 1821. It tells well his life and political apsirations as he is elected to the United States Congress in 1827. It does a good job to relate his up and down life as a frontiersman and political life in those early years. It deals well with is opposition against the policies of the then President Andrew Jackson, (1767-1845), mostly Crockett oppossed Jackson’s Indian Removel Policy. He would lose reelction in 1831 do to his standing against Jackson but relected in 1833, and then finally lose again 1835. He would finally head off to Texas and his fate at the last stand of the Alamo. The biography over-all seems to be about his life up to that final journey as most of the biography is about that aspect of his life. It does well in it’s recounting his involvement on and off in the Creek War, (1813-1814), though he didn’t serve very long as he felt he was better at hunting wildgame than the Creeks. He had very little involvment in the actual War of 1812, (1812-1815), against the British. He would over his life before entering politics serve off and in in different militias. Most of this book as I said deals with Crockett’s early life, his marriages, his family relationships, and just an over-all view of the man as a person and legend. It deals with the legend of the man created by others and the impact that had on his life and career and his reasons for writing his own version of his life story. It does a good job for the most part in dealing with the Crockett of history and legend; the author spends more time on his life before he heads off to Texas. It does a fairly good job of explaining Crockett’s motives and reasons for some of the things he did or didn’t do; though it does seem the author didn’t want to go too deep? It does a good job mostly of his early life before he entered politics than the man who was as a politician; good have done better with why he oppossed Andrew Jackson’s policies. Is it worth reading, yes, but I would read the book I remcommended earlier first as it’s better detailed and just a better over-all biography. Nothing over-all wrong with this biography, I just wanted more information about Crockett’s life; read if you want a shorter version of his life.