Davy Crockett was 49-years-old when he died fighting in the Alamo. He was a legendary figure who died a legendary death. The official version of his death has him dying with numerous bodies around him and Old Betsy in his hand. He went down fighting after using his rifle as a club. This version was created by William Travis’ slave Ben who told the New-Orleans Commercial Bulletin that “Davy Crockett died like a hero, surrounded by heaps of the enemy.” But three months later, the Morning Courier and New-York Enquirer published an account by a Mexican source saying Crockett surrendered and was killed by Mexican swords. Then Detroit’s Democratic Free Press printed an account by Mexican Col. Juan Almonte claiming Crockett surrendered and Santa Anna had him shot. Four years later, Edward Stiff in his book The Texas Emigrant wrote that Santa Anna’s servant saw Crockett dead amongst a lot of Mexican bodies. In 1842, Col. James Perry, who had been on Sam Houston’s staff at San Jacinto, passed on the story of a black servant at the Alamo. He described Crockett as being one of the last Americans standing. When called on to surrender, he jumped into the Mexicans and carved himself an escape route, but he was killed by a lance. In 1859, a doctor Nicholas Labadie talked to a Mexican officer who had been in the siege. He said a firing squad had killed an American named “Coket”. In 1875, Susanna Dickinson reported that she saw the dead body of Crockett amongst the dead bodies. In 1889, a Mexican soldier described a man who had to be Crockett. He was felled fighting by a sword to the eye and finished off by numerous bayonets. Santa Anna in his memoirs wrote that he saw Crockett’s body with bodies all around it. He mentioned that the Texans were not in the mood to surrender. Mexican Gen. Martin Perfecto de Cos saw Crockett cornered in a room. He was captured and brought to Santa Anna. When he lunged at the dictator with a dagger, he was killed by a Mexican bayonet to his heart. In 1935, historian James DeShields used a Mexican soldier’s account in his book Tall Men with Long Rifles. He described a man called “Kwockey” killing Mexicans entering the church with his knife. He was hit in the arm and then used his musket as a club until he was killed by a volley. The biggest support for the surrender version came in 1955 when the diary of Lt. Jose Enrique de la Pena revealed that Crockett was one of seven captives and Santa Anna had them executed by sword. De la Pena had fought in the battle. The authenticity of the diary was called into question by supporters of the glorious death, but in 1975 an expert proved the diary was the real thing. However, de la Pena could have been lying, so the debate continues. The current consensus is that Crockett’s death as depicted in the movies and television is not true. He did surrender and was executed. Just don’t bring it up when you are in Texas.
https://www.historynet.com/davys-death-at-the-alamo-is-now-a-case-closed-or-not/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett
https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/davy-crockett-life-death-alamo/
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