James Bowie - Misplaced Pages

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James Bowie (1796 - March 6, 1836), better known as Jim Bowie, was a 19th century pioneer and soldier who played a prominent part in the Texas Revolution and was killed at the Battle of the Alamo.

Bowie is also known for the style of knife he carried, which came to be known as the "Bowie knife." Stories of his frontier spirit have made him one of the most colorful folk heroes of Texas history.

Family History

Jim Bowie's grandfather, James, came to the British American colonies in 1742. In 1745, he married Sarah Whitehead and then moved to Georgia, where they had twin boys. One son, Rezin Pleasant, named for a warrior king of Israel, fought in the American Revolution when he joined the Colonel Francis Marion mounted militia in 1779. During the revolution, Rezin married Elve Ap-Catesby Jones in 1782, and they had ten children. The family acquired 287.5 acres for Rezin's service but left Georgia and headed to present day Tennessee. On September 8, 1793, Rezin Pleasant Bowie, Jr. was born. Rezin, Sr. then moved his family to Kentucky, where James Bowie was born on or about April 10, 1796. Another son, Stephen, was born a year later.

Childhood

Bowie spent most of his childhood in Louisiana, in what is now called Catahoula Parish. During his early years, he enjoyed hunting and fishing, and popular folklore says that he roped alligators, tamed wild horses, and trapped bears. In 1803, Rezin Sr. moved his family to St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. The brothers James and Rezin, Jr. signed up in Opelousas on January 8, 1815 in the Louisiana militia company of Col. Coleman A. Martin to fight the British at New Orleans, but the battle was over when they arrived. The Treaty of Ghent officially ended the War of 1812. Rezin married Margaret F. Neville on September 15, 1814, and the couple had five children. Their father, Rezin Bowie, Sr., died in 1821. Rezin, Jr. would die on January 17, 1841.

Business Deals

After the war, Bowie and his brother headed to the Texas coast and met up with the infamous French pirate Jean Lafitte to buy and sell illegal slaves. The U.S. government had passed a law in 1808 outlawing the importation of slaves into the U.S. James and Rezin, Jr. became quite wealthy from the several trades that happened afterwards, stopping when they had made $65,000, a considerable sum at that time. After quitting the illegal slave importation business, Bowie moved on to illegal land speculation. He settled in Rapides Parish, Louisiana in 1814.

Before the Texas Revolution

During the period before the Texas Revolution, Bowie had many adventures, including his famous but unsuccessful search for the silver mines of San Saba. Also during this time, he became embroiled in many fights and was known for his fiery temper. Rezin Bowie gave him the now-legendary Bowie Knife, a huge blade that was ten and one-half inches long and two inches wide.

Bowie's first famous display of courage was participating in a brawl near Natchez, Mississippi, where several people died and he himself was wounded. This fight, called the Sandbar Fight, snowballed from a duel between Samuel Levi Wells, III and Dr. Thomas Maddox. The two men shot at each other with no ill effect. An onlooker, Alexander Crain, fired at another bystander, Samuel Cuny, who was hit. Bowie then shot at Crain, but missed. A local banker, Norris Wright, fired and hit Bowie in the lower chest. Bowie, ignoring the injury, was said to have chased Wright with his Bowie Knife. During the skirmish, several people maimed Bowie with their knives, but Bowie, with his long blade, stabbed them back. It was here that he got his reputation for being a superb knife-fighter. Not surprisingly, his large blade became known as a very formidable weapon. Men all over Texas were asking blacksmiths to make knives for them that were like Bowie's.

Private Life

Bowie's private life was fraught with tragedy. His first fiance died before their marriage could occur. He was engaged to be married to Cecelia Wells (1805-1829), but she died suddenly on September 7, 1829, just two weeks before their wedding was scheduled. Bowie's mother and brothers had by then settled on 2,100 acres in Bayou La Fourche near Thibodaux, Louisiana. On September 30, 1830, Bowie left Louisiana and headed to Texas and was subsequently granted Mexican citizenship under Decree No. 159. Once in Texas, he met and married 18 year-old Maria Ursula de Veramendi, daughter of Juan Martin de Veramendi - mayor of San Antonio, and goddaughter of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. They wed on April 25, 1831 in the San Fernando Church in San Antonio; Bowie was 35 yrs old. The couple had two children: Maria Elve on April 18, 1832 and James Veramendi Bowie on July 18, 1833. During an outbreak of cholera in Monclova in September of 1833, Bowie's wife and two children died. The entire Veramendi family, Josefa Navarro de Veramedi, Juan, his adopted son Santiago and then Ursula, died also, as well as Stephen F. Austin's brother John.

Part in the Texas Revolution

Bowie retained the rank of colonel from the time he served in a Texas Ranger company. He was never officially appointed to this rank by the provisional government of Texas. He saw action at the Battle of Concepcion on 28 October, 1835 alongside James Fannin and took part during the seige of Bexar (December 1835) as Austin's aide-de-camp. Bowie was also engaged in the controversial Grass Fight on 26 November 1835. After the seige was over, Bowie almost led the doomed Matamoros Expedition. On January 19, 1836, Bowie arrived at San Antonio with Sam Houston's orders to take what munitions he could and evacuate the crumbling former mission. Bowie decided to stay and fight along with Col. J.C. Neill. On February 12, 1836, Bowie was elected commander of the all-volunteer forces within the Alamo and William B. Travis had the command of the regular army. Bowie became ill on or about February 24 and handed over total command to Travis. Bowie was confined to his room near the south main gate of the three-acre Alamo compound and was either already dead or near death when the Mexican troops entered his room during the final assault of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. He stood about 6'1" and about 180 lb (82 kg).

One of the most famous pieces of folklore involving Bowie was the "line in the dust" story, which supposely took place prior to the last days of the Alamo. Dr. William Pierce writes in "Attack!" that "As the dusk gathered in the early evening of March 5, 1836, William Travis mustered the 183 men under his command on the dusty plaza of the Alamo, a fortress-like former Spanish mission. As the assembled Texans listened intently, the lanky officer outlined the situation. He made explicit what everyone already knew: there was little hope of surviving the onslaught of the 4,000-strong Mexican army which surrounded the fortress. They could hope for no further relief. Then he did something strange. As the men watched curiously, Travis drew his sword and traced a line in the dust along the front of the first rank." The story went on to say he offered the men a choice. If there was anyone among them who had been deceived as to the gravity of their circumstances and if there was anyone who wanted to make a break for it, they might leave without infringing their honor. But let those who would stand and die with Travis cross the line. Bowie, lying desperately ill in a cot -- in the tale he had to be carried out to the yard -- had himself carried over! This account is carried in numerous Texas histories, including Steven Kellerman's "The Yellow Rose of Texas," the "Journel of American Folklore," and numerous other histories of the time. A moving account of this "line in the dust" story and Bowie's being carried over in a cot can be found online in a city guide to San Antonio and the Alamo shrine at http://www.alamocity.com/alamo/ True or not, it reflects the reputation for enormous personal courage which Bowie carried with him his entire adult life, and into death.

Indeed, many accounts also have Bowie dying fighting, despite his being so weak he could not walk. The same online account cited above also claims Bowie "his pistols emptied, his famous knife bloodied, and his body riddled, died on his cot."

There can be no question that Jim Bowie has come down in Texas, and American, history as a man of legendary courage.