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Three Roads to the Alamo: The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis

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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.

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.

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.

The story of the Alamo has become the stuff of legend. The names most associated with the Alamo-James Bowie, David Crockett, and William Barret Travis-have taken on a mythological aura-especially in Texas. Davis' goal here is not to tell the story of the Alamo again (the actual battle covers very few pages) but to take a look behind the legends and attempt to draw a human portrait of these three heroes of the Alamo with flaws (and there are a lot of flaws here) and all.

David Crockett had already become the stuff of legend by the time he made his way to the Alamo. Davis implies he only referred to himself as Davy to further the popular image of himself as a naïve back woodsman. David further implied that Crockett was inept and selfish at best in politics and neglectful of family. Of the three, however, Crockett does emerge as the most sympathetic. Bowie is presented as shady at best. In his pre-Alamo days, Bowie was a greedy speculator who was not above slave-trading or colossal dishonesty in the attempt to acquire land. There is little source material for Travis' life. Yet, Davis is able to draw a convincing picture of this failed lawyer who fled his native state to flee financial collapse and professional ruin.

Ultimately, what will cause this book to become a classic on this near-mythological battle will be that Davis examines these three guys as human and not as solely legends. If he had chosen to write one book on each of these three it would have been a good book; by choosing to write about all three in one book he has produced a great book.

Three thorough biographies in alternating chapters, trace the life journies of distinct personalities whose fate converged at a broken-down mission. Not for the hero-worshipper, it is nonetheless reverential of the heroism of its fallible protagonists. The valuable footnotes are as illuminating and informative as the text.

An endlessly fascinating account of the lives of Travis, Bowie, and Crockett, the three most familiar names from among all the Alamo heroes. Meticulous research shows the dark side as well as the heroic side of their characters,and one is struck by the impression of an inexorable force drawing these three disparate personalities from widely separate backgrounds to stand together and take their place in history. A "must read" for anyone interested in how Texas got that way. (Warning for Sam Houston devotees: be prepared to deal with a distinctly unflattering impression of this Texas icon.)

The settlement of new territory comes in three phases. The first are the trailblazers, like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. Then come the speculators seeking to make a quick profit (like James Bowie) and then come the "nesters," the teachers, lawyers (like William Travis), homesteaders who make a community. William O. Davis' fascinating book offers three short biographies of three very different men and how they all came to meet their fate at the Alamo. Crockett is the most endearing. He comes across as a very sweet-natured and good-hearted person who strives very hard to improve himself. Bowie was an out-and-out crook and con-man. (His story is really pretty shocking to someone who grew up with the hagiography of Texian heroes!) Travis also had a few skeletons in his closet, in that he came to Texas to escape an unpleasant personal situation elsewhere. But people like these men were the founders of The Republic of Texas. It's my observation that some of the most successful Texans have combined aspects of all these men. (Lyndon Johnson and Ross Perot immediately come to mind.) Even though I'm a native Texan (some my ancestors came to Texas with the Robertson colony and another fought at San Jacinto), there were a lot of things that were new to me in this book. This is insightful and incisive writing. I recommend it to all lovers of Texas history. It has deepened my understanding of everything else I have read on the subject.

Ever since I was a introduced to Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, the 1950's television series created by Walt Disney and Fess Parker, I was awe-inspired by his legend and death at the Alamo. To a lesser degree, James Bowie and William Barrett Travis held similar positions in my mind. This does not discount or minimize in any way the contribution and ultimate sacrifice of the other 200 or so volunteers at the battle of the Alamo.

But I always hungered for more information about these men, what made them "tick", and what motivated them to make that valiant last stand. This book by William C. Davis has finally filled that void for me. I can't say enough good things about it!

As another reviewer has pointed out, the end notes are nearly 200 pages in length and add considerable detail and depth to the narrative. I found myself not only flipping back and forth to review them, but reading them one after another as if they WERE the narrative itself!

The research that the author has obviously done on his subjects is almost beyond belief. He presents these three individuals with the detail and depth that finally allows us to begin to view them on a more human level. He removes the bigger than life legends that surround them, revealing not only their strengths of character, but weaknesses as well.

In short, I cannot recommend this book more highly. It is a truly great piece of work. Thank you, Mr. Davis!!!

Three key figures in the Alamo legend, three biographies intertwined into a single story. Davis is able to write parallel accounts of the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis, so that the reader knows what the others have been up to while reading about the third. Meticulous research, and Davis does not bog down the narrative with long explanations about sources. However, he does supply adequate information in the notes at the end of the book, for those who are fond of reading them. Perhaps the most interesting information to come from the book is the shattering of myths surrounding these three men. Travis was a failure in life, whose law career didn't pick up until he abandoned his native Alabama--and his wife and family--for Texas. Bowie was a swindler, who forged documents claiming to be Spanish land grants for land in present-day Arkansas and Louisiana. And Crockett was the Jesse Ventura of his day, an unlettered self-promoter who became nationally known in the early 1830s and parlayed his fame into a political career that eventually collapsed for lack of substance. A great American story, "Three Roads to the Alamo" can be enjoyed by anyone--even Texas newcomers like me.

This may be the best history book I have ever read. It is in the same league as "The Guns of August" and "The Face of Battle". Davis illuminates the lives of three of the greatest American heroes--heroes whose lives were previously shrouded in their own glory. We all know the Davy Crockett played by Fess Parker--the King of the Wild Frontier. Our images of Jim Bowie and William B. Travis come to us from John Wayne's Alamo rendition. But these men have no flaws--they are not human. Davis brings us back to reality by showing that they were simply men of their times.

The parallel biography is an excellent vehicle for driving this story, especially, as Davis points out, since the three men in the story represent the three levels of civilization. You have Crockett, the trail blazer, Bowie, the speculator, and Travis, the settler. Each has his own unique qualities, and adds a dimension to this tale of Jacksonian America.

It is apparent that Davis was bound and determined to correct the myths around these three men, and for the most part he succeeds. He seems to come down unduly hard on Crockett, but then again, Crockett's image needed the most redressing. However, he does not totally undo the Crockett myth, with his much more heroic description of Davy at the Alamo. Bowie and Travis are also cut down, but to lesser degrees. In fact, Davis almost plays down Bowie's land schemes and he is obviously the author's favorite.

As for the book itself, it is very readable if somewhat long. But once you pick it up, you will not want to put it down as Davis brings these men alive, and in the end, you truly feel their loss. It is a unique story, because as it progresses, it seems these men are invincible--giants in their own age, but we all know how the story ends, and yet still find ourselves wishing something will happen and history will change. Not many books can accomplish that kind of involvement. "Three Roads to the Alamo" does.