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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting and worthy of its length, April 12, 2004
I sheepishly admit to being one of those people for whom a 790-page book on the Alamo is not at all excessive. In "Three Roads to the Alamo" William C. Davis fills those many pages with a narrative that seems to me the most authentic, objective, and substantiated account connected to the well-known but often-distorted events of 1836. As the title indicates, Davies' organizing focus is on the biographies of the three American principals at San Antonio: David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Travis. He traces their lives in interleaved chapters that follow a generally chronological path. None of the three turn out to be anything near the paragons of virtue and/or honesty depicted in the standard accounting. Courage they most certainly had, but in Davies' retelling it was a courage born of self-interest and opportunism. Of the three, only Crockett's story leaves us feeling any great sympathy toward its subject. Still, even in this revisionist account, their lives maintain an unsurpassed power to both instruct and excite. Bowie is depicted as a land-speculator of the most dishonest kind. He achieved his fortune largely by forging Spanish Land Grants in Louisiana. Davies shows that in this he was hardly unique, although perhaps an over-achiever. Travis led a short and mysterious life, and his character remains elusive despite Davies' prodigious research. Like many of the Alamo defenders, he came to Texas to reinvent himself and to leave behind a failed past. Davies does his best to sort out the details of that abandoned past life. Crockett's road to a legendary death is well-told here in all its diversity. Davies is especially convincing in dealing with Crockett's political career, characterizing it as one marked by "naïveté, miscalculations, and simple blunders." And the author's detailing of the manipulation of Crockett by the Whig press and party leadership gives a dimension to the story that is not often treated. Despite a generally cynical portrayal, the author also provides ample evidence of Crockett's more appealing traits, which go far in explaining why this defeated ex-Congressman was received with such enthusiasm in Texas. The events at the Alamo actually take up a small portion of the book, but a "small portion" here is still a substantial serving. There are also approximately 160 pages of Notes. I'd advise the reader not to skip them. Davies not only discusses there some of the major controversies of his subjects' lives and of the war's details; he also relegates some of the best stories to those pages - presumably because of their debatable legitimacy. While Davies deals effectively with the ambiguities of the mission's final battle, I feel his most vital accomplishment is in showing his three subjects to be "in every way men of their time." In this sense, the book is as much about the dynamics of American life in the middle third of the 19th-century, and of Texas as an exemplar of American values, good and bad. It's also a damn good read.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Getting to the truth of the Alamo, February 14, 2003
I'm not sure if William C. Davis' "Three Roads to the Alamo" is a reinterpretation of the 1836 Alamo siege more than it is a truly exhaustive study of the three men who define that battle. A detailed and fascinating examination of the lives of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barret Travis, "Three Roads to the Alamo" cuts through the myth and legend, revealing the dirt and substance of these men's lives en route to their eventual deaths in San Antonio. Certainly the myth of Crockett is dented somewhat, as we see that he is a man clumsy in politics, impatient with family life, seeking the next adventure. Bowie also comes across as a rather scandalous man, involved in shady land and slave dealings which would have most certainly placed him in jail today. And finally Travis, whose life has never before been examined with such detail, comes across as a rather poor businessman, constantly in debt and a obsessive womanizer to boot. Like all great historical figures shrouded in myth, it was only a matter of time before modern-day historians placed these Texas revolutionary heroes beneath a very un-romantic, yet 21st century microscope. So it comes as a rather stunning surprise that after these three statue-like figures are dressed down in human fashion, by battle's end they still, somehow, manage to put their past behind them and become heroes in spite of their many flaws. I'm not sure if Mr. Davis did this intentionally, just as I'm not sure if you could truly draw a portrait of these men and this battle and not find shades of extraordinary heroism within the walls of that mission fortress. Certainly, John Wayne's infamous 1960 film "The Alamo" is anything but the truth, but the great unvarnished fact about this story is that even with the bones revealed, these men still come across as noble and heroic, having seized an incredible moment in time, thus surviving for all eternity. And that, undoubtedly, is what continues to fascinate Americans, if not world citizens, about this battle. These men, while holding out for the hope of reinforcements, chose to stay, eventually sealing their doom. Yes, the line may not have been drawn in the sand, but in "Three Roads to the Alamo," that obvious fact becomes surprisingly irrelevant. Warts and all, these men's lives serve as the proper contrast to their eventual final deeds, making their decisions in 1836 all the more unforgettable. "Three Roads to the Alamo" is a intimately detailed historic work, which will fascinate all readers interested in this legendary battle. Arguably, it is one of the finest books yet written about this 13-day siege.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Three Roads to the Alamo, January 9, 2000
This review is from: Three Roads to the Alamo: The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis (Hardcover)
How close did David Crockett come to being presidient of the United States? Closer than you might think. That's one of the many interesting issues covered in "Three Roads to the Alamo" This book is deep and well researched. The foot notes were as interesting as the book itself. Most Bubba Texas history buffs never considered Crockett, Bowie and Travis until they bite the big bullet. We sometimes forget that Davy Crockett was not much more than a tourist. He had just lost an election and made one campaign promise that he kept. He said, "If I lose this election I'll either go to hell or Texas." He chose Texas. His travels led him to San Antonio at a time that coincided with the defense of the Alamo. James Bowie was a land swindler that forged a lot of Spanish land grants in Louisiana and did a poor job of that. He was kind of hiding out from creditors and enjoying his new squeeze, a pretty local girl from a influential San Antonio family. She died of typhus that rampaged the area and Jim went into a depression that kept him from a timely exit from San Antonio. William Travis was thriving in Texas with a law practice. Only after he had sneaked out of Alabama leaving a family and lots of debt. This book does a great job of explaining how these three men came together and rose above their short comings to lead a brave defense of the Alamo.
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