James Bowie grew up in Louisiana. As a boy he tamed wild mustangs and rode alligators (you grab their upper jaw and gouge their eyes). He and his brothers made a lot of money in a scam with the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte. Lafitte would smuggle slaves in. The brothers would report the “runaway” slaves to the authorities who would capture them and auction them off. The Bowie brothers would buy them cheaply and then sell them at a huge profit. He also made money on fraudulent land deals. He was a wealthy businessman with his own sawmill and the first steam powered sugar cane press. He made some enemies along the way. He once dueled a foe with both clenching their teeth on a handkerchief. Up close and personal.
His most famous duel was one where he was just supposed to be a witness. The Sandbar Duel took place on an island in the Mississippi River near Natchez, Mississippi. The duelists were Samuel Wells and Dr. Thomas Maddox. They had a long history of disputes. Bowie was there to support Wells. There were at least 16 men supporting either of the two. In the duel, the two men fired twice each, but did not hit. The duel ended with a handshake and the brawl began. What happened next is confused by the contradictory eyewitness accounts, but here is likely scenario.
Gen. Richard Cuny called out Col. Robert Crain and they shot at each other. Crain’s shot missed, but hit Bowie in the thigh. A second shot by each resulted in Crain being hit in arm and Cuny was killed. Bowie got off the ground and charged Crain, but Crain broke his pistol on Bowie’s head and knocked him down. Maj. Norris Wright shot at Bowie, but missed. He then stabbed Bowie with his sword. The sword got stuck in Bowie’s sternum. Bowie grabbed Wright and pulled him down onto his knife, killing him. While still on the ground, Bowie was shot again and stabbed several times. Incredibly, Bowie got to his feet. Carey and Alfred Blanchard shot at Bowie and one hit him in the arm. Bowie took a chunk out of Alfred’s arm with his Bowie knife. Carey fired again and missed. At this point the Blanchards ran and Alfred took a bullet through the arm. The affair was over in 90 seconds.
The newspapers sensationalized the story and Bowie’s knife became legendary. Bowie survived to move to Texas, marry a senorita, lose his family to cholera, and die in the Alamo.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/sandbar-fight/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbar_Fight
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