Reference
- James BowieJames Bowie, byname Jim Bowie , (born 1796?, Logan County, Ky., U.S.—died March 6, 1836, San Antonio, Texas), popular hero of the Texas Revolution (1835–36) who is mainly remembered for his part in the Battle of the Alamo (February–March 1836).
Bowie migrated with his parents to Missouri (1800) and then to Louisiana (1802). At 18 he left home, clearing land and sawing timber for a living. Later he reportedly engaged in the slave trade with his brothers John and Rezin. With the latter he also bought and improved a sugar plantation in Louisiana, where he served for a time in the state legislature and spent much time in New Orleans society.
After he reportedly killed a man in a duel, Bowie went to Texas about 1828, where at Bexar (now San Antonio) he became friendly with the Mexican vice governor, Juan Martín de Veramendi. He assumed Mexican citizenship, acquired land grants, and married Veramendi’s daughter, Ursula (1831). He was one of thousands of U.S. settlers and adventurers who swelled the non-Mexican population in Texas, and restrictive Mexican legislation to curb the newcomers soon interested him in the Texas revolutionary movement. As a colonel in the Texas army, he fought with distinction in several battles and finally joined Col. William B. Travis in the gallant defense of the Alamo, an abandoned mission house in San Antonio. Already confined to his cot by illness, Bowie was killed with the other defenders when the Alamo finally fell to numerically superior Mexican forces...
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Perspectives
Three Roads to the Alamo: the lives and fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis
From distinguished historian William C. Davis comes the definitive book about the lives of three American legends, the forces that brought them together, and the truth about what really happened at the Alamo.
Jim Bowie
Jim Bowie, known for his famous knife and for his famous demise at the Alamo, lived a life full of adventure. From duels, land speculation schemes, and a hunt for the San Saba silver mines, his life was ready-made to become a legend. Readers will be fascinated by the facts about this American legend. The graphic illustrations lend to the action for a fun ride through history that young readers won't soon forget.
Websites
- James Bowie-the Alamo Official WebsiteOne name forever linked to the Battle of the Alamo is James Bowie. Although not yet a household name like “Crockett” at the time of the battle, Bowie and his exploits had gained renown in some quarters. His death on March 6, 1836, however, ensured his place in history as one of Texas’ most interesting figures.
Many early Americans were drawn to the western frontier of the new republic — among them the Bowies. James’ parents had lived in Tennessee before moving to Kentucky, where James was born 1796. On the move again in 1800, the family crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri and settled in what was then Spanish Louisiana. Following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the Bowies moved once more, this time to southeastern Louisiana. Not yet a state, Louisiana still retained a frontier atmosphere.... - Jim Bowie-BiographyJim Bowie was a fighter in Texas Revolution who died during the defense of the Alamo. He became an American folk hero and the "Bowie Knife" is named after him....
- Jim Bowie stabs a Louisiana banker with his famous knife-History ChannelAfter a duel turns into an all-out brawl on September 19, 1827, Jim Bowie disembowels a banker on a sandbar near the eastern shore of the Mississippi River, with an early version of his famous Bowie knife. The actual inventor of the Bowie knife, however, was probably not Jim Bowie, but rather his equally belligerent brother, Rezin Bowie, who reportedly came up with the design after nearly being killed in a vicious knife fight....