American History In Video: The Alamo, vol. 2
The Alamo, vol. 2 from The History Channel (A&E Television Networks, 2003) 111:45.
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Jack Perkins I'm Jack Perkins . Welcome to Biography. For more than 150 years the story of a common man from the Smoky Mountains has captured our imaginations and inspired us to celebrate his image in song, story and cinema. Tonight, Biography journeys to the backwoods of Tennessee to rediscover the life and legend of one of America's best-known folk heroes. A hero named Davy Crockett .
Jack Perkins To those of us who grew up wearing coonskin caps and buckskin jackets, he was the King of the Wild Frontier. His legend inspired the television generation to celebrate him as a screen star and to always remember the Alamo. As the focus of popular fiction and an icon in pop culture, he would ultimately rise to become one of America's most recognizable folk heroes. But heroes are not born, they are created. And before this legendary hero, there lived a man called Davy Crockett .
DAVY CROCKETT American Frontier Legend
DAVY CROCKETT I have met with hundreds, if not thousands of people who have formed their opinions of my appearance, habits, language and everything else. They have almost in every instance, the most profound astonishment at finding me in human shape and with the countenance, appearance and common feelings of a human being. Davy Crockett , 1834 .
Jack Perkin Davy Crockett was a sensation in his own lifetime. Part man, part legend, he stood as a symbol of the new American, the man of the West and the future of a new republic. He lived at the dawn of the age called "Manifest Destiny," the time of an expanding America . Pushed by a civilization that crowded him from behind, he was drawn to the rich wilderness that lay ahead in the West.
Gary Foreman Crockett Historian
Gary Foreman This was a man like other frontier people who had to use their physical endurance and stamina to survive and outlast the atrocities that existed on the frontier. These people had to hack it out in the wilderness and so their stamina, their physical endurance was part of what - it became part of their appearance.
Jim Claborn Historian Crockett Tavern Museum
Jim Claborn Crockett was between 5'10" and 6 feet tall. He was a large fellow with a large frame. His frame had been developed through hard labor in the area that, that he was raised. He spent a lot of time walking through hills and through howlers and his lungs were developed. He, he is a pretty impressive individual. He had dark brown hair. His complexion, though, was light and, and he was proud of his rosy cheeks.
Professor Michael Lofaro University of Tennessee
Professor Michael Lofaro Piercing eyes. I think one of things that strikes people most about Crockett when you look at an image of the actual Crockett , one of the paintings perhaps is that the, the attention you get from his eyes. He really, ah, does sort of rivet you.
Jack Perkins But it was his marksmanship and skill with his rifle, named "Old Betsy," that became Crockett's first trademark.
Professor Michael Lofaro Well, Crockett was first and foremost to himself a hunter. He loved being in the woods, he was an outdoorsman and, really, probably felt most alive when he was in that situation.
Jack Perkins Crockett's ornate flintlock firearms were of the kind remembered as "Kentucky long rifles."
Gary Foreman The long rifle was really a work of art. It was primarily crafted by German gunsmiths for the American frontier and the average gun weighed about 10 and a half to 12 pounds and it stood about five feet in length. So it took tremendous physical strength not only to load and fire it, but to carry it all day long.
Jack Perkins For hunters and explorers alike, 18th century America promised a breathtaking expanse of beasts and exotic native peoples. It held a richness that would excite and inspire many a young boy like Crockett born at the edge of a beckoning frontier, Tennessee .
DAVY CROCKETT I should not only inform the public that I was born, myself, as well as other folks but that this important event took place according to the best information I have on the subject, on the 17th of August in the year, 1786 . Whether by day or by night, I believe I never heard, but if I did, I have forgotten. Davy Crockett .
Jack Perkins At King's Mountain in Tennessee , David's father, John Crockett had fought the British during the Revolutionary War. Ten years later, David Crockett was born.
DAVY CROCKETT My father and mother had six sons with three daughters. I was the fifth son. I stood no chance to become great in any other way than by accident as my father was very poor and living as he did far back in the backwoods.
Paul Andrew Hutton Professor of History University of New Mexico
Paul Andrew Hutton The spot where Davy Crockett was born is one of the loveliest spots in all of Eastern Tennessee , one of the most beautiful states in the Union. A fast-moving little creek ran near the cabin and to the south rose the beautiful Appalachians, dark and green and in the spring, sparkling with wild flowers that grew all through the region. Still it was a wild place. And young Davy must have loved to walk in the forest. Animals were still in abundance and hunters still combed the forest to feed the family. It was a great place to grow up.
Jack Perkins David's father soon moved the family to nearby Jefferson County and opened a tavern.
Jim Claborn There were several taverns around the neighborhood but, but the Crockett tavern was pretty much a third-rate place and after you'd been on the trail for two or three days or a week or so without spending time indoors, a plate of home-cooked food tastes pretty good. And at night, you might get an hour to sleep and then a sudden pain had run through you and it would be a bed bug that, that was livin' among the animal parts in the bed. And then, ah, you've heard of those saying, "Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite." Well, it did happen there.
JACK PERKINS The Crocketts had no farm and young Davy found game was abundant in the backwoods of East Tennessee . Historians believe that the boy honed his hunting skills here to provide meat for the tavern table.
[sil.]
Jack Perkins By 1799 , his father insisted that Davy attend school.
DAVY CROCKETT He took it into his head to send me to a little country school which was kept in the neighborhood by a man named Benjamin Kitchen . I went four days and had just begun to learn my letters a little when I had an unfortunate falling out with a boy much larger and older than myself. Davy Crockett .
Jim Claborn After Davy's first try at schoolin' with Benjamin Kitchen , he, he got into a fight with a bully there. He met him after school behind and jumped at him from behind some bushes and scratched him up his head. He's afraid to go back to school the next day and he was afraid to go home because his father had paid dear money for his schoolin'.
Gary Foreman When his father finds out that he's been missing school, his father has had it. Not only is it the problem with his father, his father has now been drinking and he's, ah, totally irate. Crockett faces his father to find out that it's time to get switched and go right back to school. "Switched" meaning he was going to be punished with a hickory stick.
DAVY CROCKETT My father told me he would whip me if I didn't start immediately to the school. Finding me rather too slow about starting, he gathered about a two-year-old hickory stick and broke after me. I put out with all my might and soon we were both up to our top speed, but mind me not on the schoolhouse road for I was trying to get as far to other way as possible. Davy Crockett , 1834 .
Jack Perkins At the age of 13, young Davy Crockett was running away from home not knowing if he would ever see his family again.
[sil.]
DAVY CROCKETT I often thought of home and indeed wished bad enough to be there. But when I thought of the schoolhouse and my master and the race with my father and the big hickory stick he carried, I was afraid to venture back. For I knew my father's nature so well, that I was certain his anger would hang on him like a turtle does to a fisherman's toe. Davy Crockett , 1834 .
Jack Perkins Drifting eastward, young Davy Crockett would support himself working as a laborer and farmhand.
Paul Andrew Hutton Professor of History University of New Mexico
Paul Andrew Hutton The boy's early life was one of hard toil: working in the barn, shoveling muck, cleaning out the stables.
[sil.]
Jack Perkins Early farmers insisted that each plant in their crop be separately hoed and covered. For his labor, Davy would be paid the sum of 25 cents a day.
Jim Claborn Historian Crockett Tavern Museum
Jim Claborn One of the early jobs that had to be done in the region of Crockett's home was getting in the fuel. The cabins were drafty. They had a big fireplace that consumed enormous amounts of wood. The owners of the cabin would, would hire people like Davy to, to chop the wood. That was a hard job and they wanted a strong young man that, that was willing to do backbreaking labor.
Jack Perkins Almost three years passed since young Davy Crockett had left his family.
Gary Foreman Crockett Historian
Gary Foreman David has well reached the age of puberty and his growth is, ah, enormous. He has grown several inches, he's changed his, his, ah, features and he is now a young man. He is no longer the little boy that ran away from home.
Jack Perkins By 1802 , the young man had been as far east as Baltimore and decided to return home to his family's tavern in Tennessee .
Paul Andrew Hutton When Davy got back to the tavern, it was nighttime and the evening meal was being served to the herders and teamsters. He moved unannounced into the tavern and sat down amidst the other men.
DAVY CROCKETT I had been gone so long and had grown so much that the family did not at first know me and another and perhaps a stronger reason was, they had no thought or expectation of me. For they had all long given me up for finally lost. Davy Crockett .
Gary Foreman So he got inside the tavern, sat amongst the other travelers at the same table with the family. Finally, one of his sisters looked at him, recognized his features and discovered she has just found her long-lost brother, David .
[sil.]
Jack Perkins At the beginning of the 19th century, the young Republic was in a state of excitement as a series of expeditions promised to open the West to settlement. Lewis and Clark would explore as far as the Pacific and by 1805 , Zebulon Pike would lead an expedition into Spanish territories, taking him past an abandoned mission in San Antonio called the "Alamo." But such news seemed removed from Davy Crockett . He was 19 and absorbed by ideas of his own.
Paul Andrew Hutton Now Davy tried to make his own way and he was consumed, as young men often are, with thoughts of finding a wife. He courted a young lady named Margaret Elder and took out a marriage license, but she jilted him at the altar and broke his heart.
DAVY CROCKETT I had no peace day nor night for several weeks. My appetite failed me and I grew daily worse and worse. They all thought I was sick and so I was and it was the worst kind of sickness, a sickness of the heart and all the tender parts produced by a disappointed love. Davy Crockett .
[sil.]
Jack Perkins But life in the Tennessee woods would not disappoint Davy for long.
[sil.]
Paul Andrew Hutton They called them frolics. We would call them a dance. Sometimes they began with work on the farm, maybe husking corn or helping to put up a barn and then they were followed by an all-night party, sometimes with quite a bit of drinking, a lot of dancing to fiddle tunes. And its where the young people came together and met each other and get to know each other and it was at such a frolic that Davy met beautiful Polly Finley .
Gary Foreman And this is where the social gatherings allow for people to declare their eligibility to be married and David did that at this particular frolic, amongst all the singing and the dancing. In the, ah, enjoyment of the time, Crockett decided that this was the time he wanted to let everyone know that he was after Polly Finley .
Jack Perkins It was chance that again united the young lovers.
Paul Andrew Hutton Davy was out on a wolf hunt one night when he became separated from his companions. As he moved to the forest he heard a rustling, perhaps wolves were near and he followed the sound. But it wasn't wolves. It was a beautiful young woman who was, in fact, Polly Finley who he had met at the frolic. She was lost as well, she said.
DAVY CROCKETT She looks sweeter than sugar and by this time I loved her almost enough to eat her. Davy Crockett .
Jim Claborn They walked through the woods together. It was getting dark and they could see a little light far off and they walked up to that light and there was a cabin. And they knocked on the door and asked the cabin owner could they spend the night on the porch, sitting on the porch to, to be protected and, and he agreed. And that night I, I feel like that their love was fixed. They were married on August 15th, 1806 , one day before Davy turned 20 years old.
[sil.]
Paul Andrew Hutton Davy's proudest possession was his long rifle, but he needed something to start out in life with with Polly , something to carry her away on and so, he sold his rifle for a horse. And after the wedding, she jumped up behind him in her beautiful blue dress and they rode off together toward a new life on the frontier.
DAVY CROCKETT We got on well enough and arrived safely in Lincoln County on the head of the Mulberry Fork of Elk River. I found us a very rich country and so new that game of different sorts was very plenty. It was here that I began to distinguish myself as a hunter and to lay the foundation for all my future greatness. Davy Crockett , 1834 .
[sil.]
Jack Perkins The Crocketts had joined the popular Western migration where new land settlements held the promise of prosperity.
Gary Foreman At this time, David and Polly have finally built a small and modest cabin consisting in mostly perhaps about two rooms and a loft inside. It's a very simple structure and within a year, they had their first child, John Wesley .
DAVY CROCKETT I found I was better at increasing my family than my fortune. It was therefore the more necessary that I should hunt some better place to get along. And as I note I would have to move at sometime, I thought it was better to do it before my family got too large that I might have less to carry. Davy Crockett , 1834 .
[sil.]
Jack Perkins The year was 1813 , and the Crocketts were moving again. They would soon arrive in Franklin County , near the border with Alabama . The Union Jack would fly over parts of the country as the United States fought the War of 1812 with England .
Jim Claborn Historian Crockett Tavern Museum
Jim Claborn In the war of 1812 , when the Americans were fightin' the British, at first there weren't a lot of interest in fighting the British. Down in the South the British were supplying the Indians.
Jack Perkins Three hundred miles south near the Coosa River in Alabama , the Creek Indians massacred 500 people living at an outpost called Fort Mims. The Indians were supplied by the British.
Jim Claborn When Crockett and the other people on the frontier heard about this, they knew that they could be the next people in line. So, ah, they, they all quickly agreed to join up and go fight the Indians.
DAVY CROCKETT The warriors came yellin' on and continued 'til they were within shot of us and we fired and killed a considerable number of them. They broke and ran across our line where they where fired on and so we kept them runnin' under heavy fire until we have killed upwards of 400 of them. Davy Crockett .
Jim Claborn Durin' Crockett's time in the Creek Indian War, he was a mounted scout. Ah, he was chosen for the job because of his background as a hunter and a, and a woodsman. Ah, the soldiers were, were havin' a terrible time. They were faced with starvation and Crockett used his huntin' skills to try to feed the soldiers.
Jack Perkins When the war was over, Crockett would return to Tennessee to face tragedy.
Paul Andrew Hutton Professor of History University of New Mexico
Paul Andrew Hutton No sooner had he returned home, then Polly died. She had been fine after the birth of their third child, Margaret , but she soon took ill and passed on rapidly. Davy was devastated.
[sil.]
Jack Perkins Crockett needed to find a mother for his children and soon thereafter, married a widow, Elizabeth Patton . Davy took his new family West to Lawrence County, Tennessee , and settled along fast-moving Shoal Creek.
Paul Andrew Hutton The Patton family was a prosperous one and Elizabeth had some money, and Davy used this inheritance to set up a grist mill.
Jack Perkins Crockett established his mill along the edge of the creek.
Paul Andrew Hutton And at the same time, he began his political career; first as magistrate, later as Colonel of the local militia regiment, thus the title, Colonel Crockett . And soon, he began to think about running for the State Legislature.
Jack Perkins In Crockett's time, candidates traveled the backwoods and stood on tree stumps to give their speeches.
Gary Foreman Crockett Historian
Gary Foreman Crockett was quite different than the typical politician. Generally, he was warm, he was witty and, he didn't care to get involved in discussing the politics of the day. In fact, he was rather ignorant of most of the, ah, the issues. So what he would do is that he would talk all around them in his early days, and then finally when it was time to really discuss matters, he would invite everybody up to the bar to have a drink.
DAVY CROCKETT I got up and told the people, I reckon they'd know what I'd come for but if not, I could tell them I had come for their votes and if they didn't watch mighty close, I'd get them too. Bt the worse of all was that I couldn't tell them anything about government. Davy Crockett .
Paul Andrew Hutton Crockett was a master of backwoods campaigning. He told funny stories, but stories that were grounded in true native wit and in good common sense. He was a person just like the people who were voting for him. He was one of them. They felt comfortable having him as their representative in the State Capital. And later, in Washington, D.C. .
Gary Foreman Crockett's entering the politics is really a fluke because most of the time, he's not looking for the office, people were seeking him. And step-by-step, whether it is from Justice of the Peace to State Legislature, ah, Crockett makes it all the way just because people are requesting for his service into the, ah, arena.
Professor Michael Lofaro University of Tennessee
Professor Michael Lofaro When Crockett's elected to the United States Congress, it's clear that, ah, he is coming to represent a backwoods district as far as his constituents are concerned. He arrives in Washington and still takes the floor of the House pretty much dressed in his buckskins.
Jack Perkins Back in Tennessee , his family's new mill was washed away by floodwaters, and Crockett decided again to move West.
Gary Foreman As Crockett moves West with his family to the Obion River Country, what he doesn't realize immediately is that he is now entering an area that is incredibly rich with game and this was because of the Great Earthquake of 1811 , which entirely shifted the way the ground and the way the rivers all met. And this was the perfect paradise for hunters because of all the game that collected here in this area, including bear.
Professor Michael Lofaro Davy Crockett was known for his prowess as a bear hunter. It was probably one of his favorite games to track and to hunt, and he got into constant scrapes doing this, particularly in the regions of West Tennessee .
DAVY CROCKETT At the crack of my gun here, he came tumbling down. I took my tomahawk in one hand and my big butcher knife in the other and ran up within four to five paces of him, at which he fixed his eyes on me. I made a lunge with my long knife, and fortunately, stuck him right in the heart. Davy Crockett .
Jack Perkins Fresh from the backwoods, the Congressman named Crockett became increasing quoted in newspapers and celebrated in popular fiction. In 1831 , a Crockett -like character called Nimrod Wildfire was introduced to New York audiences in the stage play "Lion of the West".
Paul Andrew Hutton The play "Lion of the West" helped to cement his popularity, and in 1833 , there was a book written about him, "Sketches and Eccentricities of Colonel David Crockett of the State of Tennessee ." This book was amazingly successful and Crockett was a bit put off. He didn't like to see others profiting from his fame. So along with his friend, Thomas Chilton , a Congressman from Kentucky , he sat down and wrote his own autobiography. Crockett's autobiography was an instant success, a huge bestseller, reprinted over and over again throughout the 19th century and still in print today.
Jack Perkins But the Crockett legend was just beginning.
Professor Michael Lofaro From 1835 to 1856 , there were a series of almanacs published under the general heading of Crockett Almanacs. Now, first and foremost, these were almanacs. They gave you the faces of the moon, the tides, sunrise, sunset, et cetera, all the normal data that you would get in any almanac.
Paul Andrew Hutton But they were best known for tall tales of the West, hunting stories, and numerous tales. Little penny dreadful publications made on pulp paper, they sold to mass audiences in the East.
[sil.]
Gary Foreman The work illustrations in the Crockett Almanacs really demonstrate the public's demand and hunger for tall stories about the Frontier. They loved hearing about the frontiersmen going out and conquering the beast and the Indians and anything else that was out there and the illustrations really, ah, were about all that activity. They were about how people conquered and subdued the Western Frontier.
Professor Michael Lofaro The almanacs because of their great popularity did have a great deal of effect in terms of enhancing and spreading the popularity of the legend of Davy Crockett . There is no question about it. Everywhere from Boston to Louisiana , literally everywhere on the east side of the Mississippi , publishers did put out these Crockett Almanacs.
Jack Perkins But the fame did not bring prosperity to Davy Crockett . And in 1835 , he lost his bid for re-election to Congress.
DAVY CROCKETT I told the people of my district that if they saw fit to re-elect me, I would serve them faithfully as I have done. But if not, they might all go to hell and I would go to Texas . Davy Crockett , 1835 .
[sil.]
DAVY CROCKETT October 31st. "Dear brother, I am on the eve of starting to the Texas on tomorrow morning. We will go through Arkansas and I want to explore the Texas well before I return". Davy Crockett , 1835 .
Jack Perkins In 1835 , the object of Davy Crockett's explorations occupied an expansive 360,000 square miles of Northern Mexican territory and was called Tejas by a growing number of American settlers who would come there for the promise of free land.
MATILDA CROCKETT I remember distinctly the morning my father started on his journey to Texas . He was dressed in his hunting suit, wearing a coonskin cap and carried a fine rifle. Matilda Crockett .
Jack Perkins In his 49 years Davy Crockett had traveled the length of Tennessee on horseback. But when he splashed across the Red River in 1835 , he had gone to Texas .
DAVID CROCKETT "My dear son and daughter, I must say as to what I have seen of Texas , it is the garden spot of the world, the best land and the best prospects for health I ever saw, and I do believe it is a fortune to any man to come here. There is a world of country here to settle. I am in hopes of making a fortune yet for myself and family, bad as my prospects have been. Farewell. Your affectionate father, David Crockett ."
Gary Foreman Crockett Historian
Gary Foreman Texas is a tremendous promise to Crockett . He sees an opportunity to obtain land, become a land agent and do what so many other Tennesseans have done before him, and that is to move out to Texas and start all over again. And in this sense, like so many others, he has gone to Texas .
Jack Perkins But the future here was uncertain. Living under a repressive Mexican General, Santa Anna , the settlers Crockett found in Texas were growing uneasy. They were clustered in villages near the original Spanish missions of Goliad , Gonzales and San Antonio De Bexar , the Alamo.
Professor Michael Lofaro University of Tennessee
Professor Michael Lofaro What soon transpired, of course, was that Santa Anna , ah, needed in his own estimation to drive back some of the encroaching settlers, or invaders, depending on your point of view. Remember that this is indeed Mexican territory and these people are here illegally by Mexican law.
Douglas Crockett stopped at the Village of Nacogdoches where others from Tennessee had also gathered.
Paul Andrew Hutton Professor of History University of New Mexico
Paul Andrew Hutton He joined a company of volunteers under William Harrison and they moved from Nacogdoches , southwest toward the border, toward San Antonio , recently liberated from the Mexicans. And there, Crockett found a little garrison under the command of Jim Bowie , the famous knife fighter, and a young lawyer by the name of William Barret Travis .
Gary Foreman Incredibly, the commander of the garrison, William Barret Travis , has no idea that Santa Anna and his troops are rapidly approaching San Antonio . They have at least 2,000, maybe 3,000 men. And the Alamo Garrison, or San Antonio has only about 150 or so men. The Texans, ah, are so ignorant that Santa Anna is so close. They are even holding a fandango while Santa Anna is just miles outside San Antonio , with 11 men guarding the Alamo.
Jack Perkins Crockett and the group of volunteers from Tennessee soon joined those guarding the ancient fort at the Alamo.
Paul Andrew Hutton Ah, David Crockett was no warrior. The only time he'd ever been in battle was back during the War of 1812 . But his legend was already so great that he merited the toughest assignment in the post.
Gary Foreman What Travis does is he assigns Crockett and his Tennesseans to a very vulnerable place in the fort. This is the earth and wooden palisades that connects the church with the south wall. It is the softest and most dangerous point in the fortress.
COLONEL WILLIAM TRAVIS "Our numbers are few, and the enemy continues to approximate his works to ours. I have every reason to apprehend an attack from his whole force very soon. The Honorable David Crockett was seen at all points, animating the men to do their duty." Colonel William Travis , 1836 .
Paul Andrew Hutton More and more reinforcements arrive for Santa Anna's army, swelling it eventually to near 5,000. And finally, in the cold dawn of March the 6th, 1836 , he sent 1,500 of his best troops, storming toward the Alamo. The Texans awoke to the shrill cries of "Viva Santa Anna ."
Jack Perkins The Mexican attack is underway. They immediately storm from four sides, firing as they approached the walls. The Texans, who are finally stumbling from a deep sleep, realize the Mexicans are right on top of them, and begin firing back immediately. But it's too late.
Paul Andrew Hutton Crockett and his gunners held the palisade. But on the north wall, it went differently. Thousands of Mexicans now, for the reserves, came in, pressed against the wall. Their scaling ladders had fallen, by the way, but they pushed and shoved, some clambering onto the wall, and onto the shoulders of their comrades and pushed their way over. Now the Mexicans poured into the compound and the Texans retreated to the long barracks to make a stand, piling mattresses up against the door. The Mexicans simply pulled cannons up to the doors and murdered the inhabitants.
Jack Perkins Although some believed Crockett was killed during the battle, he actually survived long enough to be brought before Santa Anna as a prisoner.
Gary Foreman They closed in on Crockett and the others, who are still alive. And at his last moment, Crockett has a chance to look death in the eye. He sees that the Mexicans are upon them. They draw their swords, hacked them down. They are shot and bayoneted. Thus ends the life of Davy Crockett .
SUSANNA DICKERSON As we passed through the enclosed ground in front of the church, I saw heaps of dead and dying. One hundred and eighty two Texans and 1,600 Mexicans were killed. I recognized Colonel Crockett lying dead and mutilated between the church and the two-story barrack building, and even remember seeing his peculiar cap, lying by his side. Susanna Dickerson , Alamo survivor, 1836 .
[sil.]
Douglas From the smoking ruins of the Alamo, the nation would soon learn that Davy Crockett had given his life defending Texas and the American dream.
Professor Michael Lofaro University of Tennessee
Professor Michael Lofaro After Crockett had died at the Alamo, of course, the news didn't reach back to Tennessee or any of the other areas where he was known for a few weeks. But because of his death, really, more than anything else, the willingness to give his life in the cause of Texan independence and the expansion of the United States , he became the preeminent hero of the American frontier. From a more local hero of Tennessee , Texas , et cetera, he became the embodiment of the spirit of the nation at that time as well.
Paul Andrew Hutton Professor of History University of New Mexico
Paul Andrew Hutton The nation was shocked by Crockett's death. Fanciful accounts of his capture and execution, and sometimes of him fighting heroically, club rifle in hand, filled the press. Many couldn't accept the fact that he had died. Eventually, the Crockett Almanacs which continued publication, picked up on this story. First, that Crockett was a prisoner in the Mexican mines, and then simply that he was still alive, and throughout the late '40s and the '50s , they commented on him as if he was still a living human being. And indeed he was for his legend continued to grow throughout the '40s and the '50s .
[sil.]
Jack Perkins It wasn't long before steamboats were named for the famed hero of the Alamo. And by 1854 , travelers could sail the high seas aboard the clipper ship, " David Crockett ". Her passage from New York to San Francisco took just a hundred days. The real Davy Crockett may well have perished at the Alamo, but the Crockett of folklore and legend was just beginning to live.
Paul Andrew Hutton Even after the Civil War, when Industrial America embraced other heroes, there was a very famous play starring Frank Mayo as Davy Crockett that played for 25 years, and was a standard in American theater. The only thing that stopped it was Mayo's death.
"Martyrs of the Alamo" 1915
Jack Perkins It was only natural that the Crockett legend would be transferred from the stage to the new medium of motion pictures.
Paul Andrew Hutton One of the first Crockett films starred Dustin Farnum as Davy Crockett in a film based on the Frank Mayo play. Other films in the silent era dealt with the Alamo with Crockett always as a major hero and always wearing a coonskin cap.
David Zucker Filmmaker
David Zucker If you go back and look at some of the silent films, they, they're pretty goofy and, ah, I mean, I think because of the acting styles of the day. You know, transferring from stage, they, they went right into silent films, and I, I think that the acting styles were somewhat goofy, so I don't know if that helped the legend very much right there. But by the time of the mid- '50s , ah, I think they, they put it together and made him, made him into a pretty decent portrayal of a, of a frontiersman.
Jack Perkins The frontiersman continued to be a popular subject with moviemakers and audiences. But in 1954 , it was the image of Fess Parker as television's Davy Crockett that would be fixed in the culture and identity of America .
Gary Foreman Crockett Historian
Gary Foreman Walt Disney creates a new series called " Davy Crockett - King of the Wild Frontier". It's positioned perfectly because America's still in post-war era, ah, it believes strongly in patriotism, and along comes Davy Crockett , another effort to re - rekindle the light of a hero, that people have forgotten for many in so many years. And it's with this timing that Crockett emerges again as a monumental hero in America's past, and he does it in such a way that he captures the imagination of a whole television crowd that remembers him as, as the coonskin caps and, ah, a host of other kitsch in pop culture.
Newsfilm 1955
Professor Michael Lofaro In America , the Crockett craze certainly took off with the first episode. Everyone was really taken aback and unaware. Ah, they didn't have any marketing ready like they would today. It was just something that had to be developed after the fact, but quite soon we had little boys and girls running around in coonskin caps and full buckskins, ah, rifle, trying to hunt bear just like Davy Crockett did, trying to talk like Fess Parker did.
Paul Andrew Hutton Many children of course had a full Crockett costume: buckskin outfit, coonskin cap, plastic toy rifle.
[sil.]
Paul Andrew Hutton But others may do what imagination and a good stick and they played out the battle of the Alamo in backyards all across America . Of course, more often than not, Davy Crockett won his last battle because historic fact is pretty irrelevant to toddlers in America .
Paul Andrew Hutton Davy Crockett has had a remarkable afterlife, growing to proportions that no one at the time of his death could have ever imagined. New Crocketts have been created, meeting the needs of new generations of Americans and I think it's safe to say that David Crockett will always live in the American heart. At least as long as Americans cherish decency and equality and freedom and, most importantly, a good laugh.
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Jack Perkins Each generation has altered the Crockett legend to suit its need for heroes. But the real man was an authentic American hero and, in the end, Davy Crockett lived up to his legend. It cost him his life, but made his name immortal long after the steamboats and clipper ships named for him had vanished.
Executive Producers CRAIG HAFFNER and DONNA E. LUSITANA Produced By SCOTT PADDOR Coordinating Producer LOIS YAFFEE Segment Producer MELANIE BLYTHE Music By CHRISTOPHER L. STONE Editor MICHAEL W. ANDREWS Post Production Coordinator ERIC LINDSTROM Post Productions Supervisor for A DIANE FERENCZI Post Production Assistant ROB SENKEL Production Assistants: BRYAN SCHMIDT TROY BOGERT ( Tennessee ) TRACYE CRUMBLEY Field Cameras DAN WAYMACK BRIAN CALLAHAN BILL ROSSER Field Engineers STEVE CHILDRESS ED SARTORI Post Production Services MATCHFRAME VIDEO On-line Editor TERENCE CURREN Chyron Operator LEIGH THOMAS Archive Films: UCLA Film Archives "Martyrs Of The Alamo" Courtesy of Frank Thompson Animatics by Zona Productions Timothy Kitz Archival Sources University of Tennessee Special Collections The Collection of Paul Hutton The Collection of Gary Foreman The Collection of David Zucker Archival Sources American Antiquarian Society The Daughters of The Republic of Texas National Portrait Gallery Texas State Library Tenn State Library and Archives. Archival Sources The Tennessee State Museum Montana State Historical Society San Antonio Museum Association Lawrence County Archives Library of Congress Lawrence T. Jones Archival Sources The Institute of Texan Cultures The Lilly Library Indiana University Museum of the City of New York Mystic Seaport Museum. Archival Sources Missouri State Historical Society The North Dakota Historical Society The McClung Historical Collection (Knox County Public Library) The New York Historical Society Special Thanks To John Rice Irwin Paul Hutton Jim Claborn Nick Wyman Museum of Appalachia Carlock Stooksbury Julia Rathers Bill Landry Joe Swann Ray Rutherford Special Thanks To Chris Morelock Tiarra Giles Kevin Mullins Andrea Anderson Burt Kramer Robin Lilly Pat Lentz Don Rieseau Charlie Acuff . Executive In Charge For Arts Entertainment MICHAEL CASCIO Executive In Charge Of Production STEVEN LEWIS Produced By Greystone Communications, Inc. for the Arts Entertainment Networks (c) 1994 A Television Networks All Rights Reserved GREYSTONE COMMUNICATIONS INC. H THE HISTORY CHANNEL WHERE THE PAST COMES ALIVE HistoryChannel.com THE REAL WEST
Kenny Rogers The Texas Rangers, the heroes , their adventures, the legacy. The truth about what was next in The Real West.
AN ARTS ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTATION A GREYSTONE PRODUCTION
Kenny Rogers In the past, that is now lost forever, there was a time when the land was sacred and the ancient ones were as one with it. A time when only the children of the Great Spirit were here to light their fires in these places with no boundaries, when the forests were as thick as the fur of the winter bear, when a warrior could walk from horizon to horizon on the backs of the buffalo, when the deserts were in bloom, and the streams pure as freshly fallen snow and that time when there were only simple ways I saw with my heart the conflicts to come. And whether it was to be for good and bad, what was certain was that there would be change.
THE REAL WEST
THE REAL WEST THE TEXAS RANGERS Hosted by KENNY ROGERS
Kenny Rogers As America moved westward during the 19th century, a front line of armed man defended advancing settlements against Indian attacks and other threats. Texas was no exception. There, however, a unique breed of volunteers signed on to protect the settlers. It was said that these men could ride like Mexicans, trail like Indians, shoot like Tennesseans, and fight like the devil. Their unmatched record of service helped tame the West and made them legends. These men were the Texas Rangers.
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Samuel C. Reid Various are the excitement of a ranger's life. The wild foray, the secret scout, the ambush (inaudible ), the exciting skirmish and the hazardous yet enticing expeditions in which we were so frequently engaged, led a fascination, a romance to our existence which those who drag out a commonplace life in the dull city would never dream of. Samuel C. Reid , Texas Ranger 1847 .
DR. PAUL HUTTON Historian
Dr. Paul Hutton The Texas Rangers are unique in the annals of Western history in that they are our State Police force and mostly, devoted to frontier defense that they go to the most exposed area of, ah, the state's boundaries, that they battle the enemies of the state's inhabitants. And because of this fierce combat that they are engaged in that they established a legend of law enforcement that, ah, everyone else has admired ever since.
DR. STEPHEN L. HARDIN Author, "The Texas Rangers"
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin In many ways, the Texas Ranger was the prototypical Hollywood cowboy. He was a man of few words. He was a man of action. He represented a law in a lawless land. But unlike the Hollywood cowboys who always expressed regret at the death of even the vilest villain, Texas Rangers regarded the deaths of their adversaries with a studied indifference.
LEON METZ Writer/Historian
Leon Metz A ranger was absolutely fearless. You can describe him many ways, but that epitomizes a ranger, fearlessness.
Bill McDonald No man in the wrong could stand up against the fellow that's in the right and keeps coming. Bill McDonald , Ranger Captain.
Kenny Rogers The story of the Texas Rangers in the 19th century is the ultimate Western tall tale, except for one key difference: it's true.
MIKE COX Author, "Texas Rangers: Men of Action and Valor"
Mike Cox Well, the ranging tradition is not particularly just to Texas . I'd like to think that, that we Texans just improved on it, but, ah, it, it goes back to, ah, England and back to the 1400's . Ah, there were, there were rangers there who, ah, protected the, ah, king's forests.
DR. JOHN L. DAVIS Author, "Texas Rangers: Images and Incidents"
Dr. John L. Davis And that tradition of sending a person out to take care of a, a fairly open spot of ground and settle trouble that might be found anywhere he found it, that was a tradition that came over the Atlantic. And that was a tradition that ended up in the Southern part of the United States .
Kenny Rogers In the 1820's , Southerners brought this tradition to Texas , then a remote colony of Mexico . This new land was made for ranging.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin In Texas , you're always confronted with distance. It's just a hell of a long way from point A to point B and at any point along that route, your life is in danger.
TOM BURKS Curator, Texas Rangers Museum
Tom Burks The only way you could provide any sort of protection was to range the frontier, which meant to patrol, you had to actually ride along there and look for signs of the Indians.
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Kenny Rogers The Indians that threatened the new Texas settlers the most were the Comanches.
KEVIN R. YOUNG Texas Historian
Kevin R. Young The Comanches were used to simply being able to come in and make lightning-quick raids all across the Texas frontier in the Spanish and the, ah, Mexican periods because the Comanches could move in and within minutes could effect their raid, grab their goods, and be gone.
Dr. Paul Hutton The rangers were organized to meet this foe, because some sort of permanent frontier defense had to be established.
Kenny Rogers Stephen F. Austin , the most prominent colonist, made the first official reference to Rangers in Texas .
Steven F. Austin "I will employ 10 men to act as rangers for the common defense. The wages I will give the said 10 men is $15 a month payable in property." Steven F. Austin , 1823 .
Kevin R. Young That set up not only the ranging tradition, but it also helped to establish the independent mindset of the Texan settler in his citizen sort of response to threats and intolerable situations.
Kenny Rogers Living under Mexican dictator Santa Anna became an intolerable situation for the Texans by 1835 . Revolution was near and more rangers were needed.
Mike Cox A provisional government was beginning to organize, and they realized the need for a force that was not quite militia, not quite regular army, and the Rangers really pretty much be down the middle.
Kenny Rogers Paid $1.25 a day, these Rangers were organized as a volunteer force, and would remain as such for most of the 19th century.
Leon Metz They furnished their own horses. They furnished their own weapons. They found their own food. They elected their own officers. And they were the kind of men who served from three to six months ordinarily, and brought law and order to the state.
Kenny Rogers Their leader was Robert McAlpin Williamson , the first of many distinctive, if unlikely, ranger commanders.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin Better known in Texas lore as "Three-legged Willy ", because he had polio as a boy, and it bent his knee permanently and he had to wear a, a peg leg from the knee to the ground, ah, an outlandish character.
Mike Cox Well, I understand that he is still cut a lively jig and, and never let that get in the way of, ah, of his life as a ranger.
Dr. John L. Davis He started up the Revolution as a writer. He was called the Patrick Henry of the Texas Revolution.
Robert M. Williamson "Fellow citizens of Texas , liberty or death should be our determination. And let us one and all unite to protect our country from all invasion." Robert M. Williamson , July 4, 1835 .
Kevin R. Young When the siege of the Alamo broke out, the Rangers were about the only institution in place to try to respond to the, ah, the immediate threat of Santa Anna's invasion and occupation of San Antonio .
Kenny Rogers After the fall of the Alamo and the massacre at Goliad , every Texan it seemed was on the run from advancing Mexican forces. Every Texan that is, except Rangers.
Mike Cox The Rangers lagged behind, ah, protecting the families, ah, until they could pack their goods and, and move on East.
Kenny Rogers Though Texas won its independence at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 , the fledgling republic would remain in battle.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin The Mexicans and the Comanches and the Rangers realized that they were fighting for the existence of their cultures in Texas . There could be only one winner. So there were only two rules: one, winner take all; two, there were no rules.
Kenny Rogers And those were the perfect conditions for the Ranger legend to be born.
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Kenny Rogers In order for the new republic to prosper, Texas and its Rangers had to establish dominance over a foe perhaps more feared than the Mexican Army, the Comanche Indians.
DR. STEPHEN L. HARDIN Author, "The Texas Rangers"
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin The Lords of the South Plains, they were called. And, ah, that, that's a name they richly deserve. The finest light cavalry in the world.
TOM BURKS Curator, Texas Rangers Museum
Tom Burks The Comanche was very mobile, took great pride in his horsemanship and his war- like nature and his fighting ability considerably.
George Catlett "Among their feats, one astonished me. Every young man is able to drop his body upon the side of his horse, effectively screened from his enemies. He will hang whilst his horse is at full speed carrying his bow, shield and lance ." George Catlett , artist.
Kenny Rogers The Comanches would meet their match in a new Ranger leader, John Coffee Hays , also known as Captain Jack .
MIKE COX Author, "Texas Rangers: Men of Action and Valor"
Mike Cox Captain Jack Hays was probably the Texas Ranger who began the Ranger legend, ah, in Texas and across, ah, the United States .
Kenny Rogers Like Three-legged Willy before him, Hays was not an obvious choice to lead the Rangers.
KEVIN R. YOUNG Texas Historian
Kevin R. Young John Coffee Hays if you ever met him on the street, you would pass him by. A small man, very ill-framed man, who had killer eyes and it's the eyes that everybody says they noticed.
Samuel C. Reid " Hays had large and brilliant hazel eyes which are restless in conversation and speak a language of their own, not to be mistaken." Samuel C. Reid , Texas Ranger.
Mike Cox Ah, he was a small man, ah, but he made up for it in, in a, a indomitable spirit, ah, and a sense of toughness that, ah, the Indians greatly respected.
Kenny Rogers As did the Rangers, Hays gained their respect by teaching them how to fight on the range.
Kevin R. Young One ranger talked about how he took him out and made him shoot at boards, ride up with pistols and fire at the board, learn how to duck down behind a horse and literally, did one of the first Ranger training sessions probably, ah, ever on record.
Kenny Rogers Hays' master rolls reveal the kind of men who became Rangers in the 19th century. Though they came from various walks of life and different ethnic backgrounds, Rangers shared an essential core.
Nelson C. Lee "The qualities necessary in a genuine Ranger were a fleet horse, an eye that could detect the trail, a power of endurance that defied fatigue, and the faculty of looking through the double sights of his rifle with a steady arm." Nelson Lee , Texas Ranger.
Kenny Rogers Captain Jack's Rangers would take on the Comanches at a time when Texan-Indian relations were at their worst.
Kevin R. Young The pivotal moment in Texas-Comanche relations came in 1840 . There was a new President of the Texan Republic, Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar , whose Indian policy was very aggressive in the negative sense.
Kenny Rogers Lamar desirous to expand Texas settlement, boldly moved the Republic's capital from Houston to Austin .
Kevin R. Young That encroached very heavily on Comancheria , which the Comanches certainly do not appreciate.
Kenny Rogers After a series of Indian raids, a council attended by several Rangers erupted in violence over stories regarding the mistreatment of White captives. In what became known as the Council House Fight, all the Comanches present were killed.
DR. PAUL HUTTON Historian
Dr. Paul Hutton The Texans sent a Comanche woman North with the word that unless the captives were brought in, that this would be the fate of all Comanches. Well, the Comanches came in all right, but they didn't bring the captives. Hundreds of them descended upon Central Texas , marched through the settlements, burning, killing as they went.
Kenny Rogers But it was near Plum Creek that the Comanches returning home with their stolen booty, were ambushed by Texan forces, including Captain Jack and the Rangers.
Dr. Paul Hutton And there a great battle ensued. One of the Comanche leaders was dressed in a top hat and carried an umbrella. Other Comanches wore dresses that they had stolen from, ah, the White settlements. And while this is humorous, the fight turned out to be no laughing matter for the Comanches. Ah, they suffered many casualties, far more than they could afford. And the Battle at Plum Creek ended Comanche raids deep into the heart of the Texas settlement. But it was only the beginning of a long series of wars.
Kenny Rogers Those wars taught Captain Jack that in order to defeat the Comanches decisively, the Rangers would have to fight like them.
Mike Cox In fact, he is. They really taught the Texas Rangers in a way that the Rangers have to adapt and, ah, get good at horseback warfare too.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin The vaunted Kentucky Long Rifle, although amazingly accurate, was almost impossibly cumbersome for a man on a horse.
Kenny Rogers In the heat of battle, most Rangers would have to dismount to perform the life-threatening tasks of firing and reloading their long rifles.
Mike Cox What made the, ah, Comanches particularly fearsome adversaries was their ability to get off about 12 of these arrows during the period of time it would take a Ranger to fire one shot.
Kenny Rogers What Hays needed was a new weapon with which to fight the Comanches and he found it: the Colt Patterson revolver.
Tom Burks This is the Colt Patterson five-shot 36-caliber revolver, the first really effective repeating weapon. It was acquired by Captain Jack Hays to arm his Texas Rangers, and it changed the complexion of frontier warfare entirely.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin With this five- shot revolver, the Ranger could stay mounted and keep up with the Comanche, take the fight to the Comanche.
Kenny Rogers Hays' first recorded use of Colt revolvers against the Comanches took place while he was surveying at Enchanted Rock in 1841 .
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin He didn't know it at the time, but that was the worst possible place he could have gone because this mountain was sacred to the Comanches. That really annoyed them that he was atop their sacred mountain. This surveyor, this ranger, this hated White devil. There may have been as many as a hundred Indians at Enchanted Rock all after Jack Hays .
Samuel C. Reid As the Indians advanced, Hays discharged his rifle. And then seizing his five-shooter, he fell them on all sides, thus keeping them off until he could reload. In this manner, he defended himself for three long hours until his men arrived just in time to save him. Samuel C. Reid .
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Kevin R. Young Whether it happened or it happened as dramatically as it's been depicted, we can't say but who knows. But, ah, it's certainly is a moment that's forever etched in the lore of the Republic and the Colt Paterson and the Texas Rangers.
Kenny Rogers The legend of the Rangers and their Colts grew after an encounter with the Comanches at Bandera Pass in 1844 .
Kevin R. Young The Comanches charged at the Rangers, expecting the Rangers to dismount to reload to fire again, except the Rangers didn't dismount. They pulled out their Paterson revolvers, they yelled charge and into the middle of them they went. The Comanches were more than amazed. They were shocked. One of the Indians said, "I will not fight Jack Hays no more for he has a shot for every finger on his hands.
DR. JOHN L. DAVIS Author, "Texas Rangers: Images and Incidents"
Dr. John L. Davis The Comanche called him in one of their wonderfully long names "a man who it is very bad luck to get in a fight with because devils side with him."
Kenny Rogers The rise of " Devil Jack " and the Texas Rangers meant the inevitable decline of the Comanche Nation, but not before the Rangers adopted more Comanche tactics.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin They adopted their, ah, their stealth tactics. They adopted their techniques of riding. And they, they borrowed something else. They borrowed their terror.
Kenny Rogers The Rangers would make terror their most effective weapon when they fought in the Mexican War.
Kenny Rogers The annexation of Texas to the United States in 1845 , sparked the Mexican War. Up until then, the Rangers had earned the hard-won reputation within Texas as "fearless fighters against the Indian and Mexican raiders." But it was during the Mexican War that the Rangers' legend would spread far beyond the state's borders. Fighting alongside their new countrymen against an old enemy, the Rangers' controversial actions would brand them Los Diablos Tejanos, the Devil Texans. The Rio Grande, that's Mexico on the left and Texas on the right. There was a time when these simple facts were fighting words.
LEON METZ Writer/Historian
Leon Metz During the republic years of Texas , the border was not adequately defined between Texas and, and old Mexico . Mexico recognized the Nueces River. Texas recognized the Rio Grande as a Southern border. And in a sense, the area in between them became known as Nueces Strip, which meant it belong to Texas and it also belonged to Mexico and it belonged to nobody and it became a source of contention.
DR. PAUL HUTTON Historian
Dr. Paul Hutton And in fact, this dispute was one of the prime causes leading to the outbreak of war between the United States and Mexico , once U.S. annexed Texas in 1845 .
KEVIN R. YOUNG Texas Historian
Kevin R. Young When war was finally declared between the United States and Mexico in May of 1846 , the call immediately went out for volunteer forces to be organized and support the standing regular United States Army.
Kenny Rogers General Zachary Taylor especially needed men who knew the enemy. Enter the Texas Rangers.
General Ethan Allen Hitchcock Hays' Rangers have come, their appearance never to be forgotten, not any sort of uniforms, but well mounted and doubly well on. Each man has one or two Colt revolvers besides ordinary pistols, a sword and a rifle. The Mexicans were terribly afraid of them. General Ethan Allen Hitchcock .
Dr. Paul Hutton Ranging companies participated in the war much as a regular militia and they became legendary in the occupying army under Zachary Taylor .
Kenny Rogers Most prominent in the ranger legend is Samuel Hamilton Walker .
Kevin R. Young Walker organizes the only company of volunteers to participate in the first two battles in the Mexican War. Walker's service is enough to impress Taylor and get Walker a commission in the United States military, probably one of the only ranger actually to be offered a, a commission in the United States regular forces.
DR. STEPHEN L. HARDIN Author, "The Texas Rangers"
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin I think of Sam Walker as the, the thinking man's Texas Ranger. Ah, he was rough and rowdy, sure, but, but he was more than that.
Kenny Rogers Walker was also the co-designer of a world famous firearm.
TOM BURKS Curator, Texas Rangers Museum
Tom Burks This is the famous Colt Walker .44 Caliber six-shot revolver. It was designed by Sam Walker and Sam Colt . Improvement of the Walker over the Paterson revolver is fairly obvious, much more powerful, much more dependable mechanism, and it was much more accurate.
Kenny Rogers Walker died with his namesake in hand.
Kevin R. Young Sam Walker dies in the last major battle of the Mexican War. He dies weeks before the shipment of Colt Walker pistols arrives for his regiment and dies before the Walker or the Colt pistol becomes an established part of the United States military arsenal.
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Kenny Rogers Throughout the Mexican War, the Ranger legend grew, the Texans dazzling both friend and foe with their battlefield exploits.
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Luther Giddings Those fearless horsemen vied with each other in approaching the very edge of danger. Their proximity occasionally provoked the enemy's fire, but the Mexicans might as well have attempted to bring down swallows as those racing daredevils. Luther Giddings , 1st Ohio volunteers.
Kenny Rogers Embodying the Ranger spirit was William "Bigfoot" Wallace .
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin His personal exploits were so outlandish that he became the archetypal Ranger. At one battle of the Mier, he was riding, bolted and charged right into Mexican lines. The Mexicans, of course, thought that this man was utterly fearless to have ridden then alone. He eventually cut his way out. But, ah, that's the sort of scrape that he, ah, commonly got into and out of.
Kenny Rogers Like Bigfoot , other Rangers weren't afraid to go anywhere. Their bravery and familiarity with the enemy helped distinguish them as scouts and spies. At these roles, none was better than Ben McCulloch .
Ben McCulloch's greatest accomplishment during the war was his remarkable scout prior to the Battle of Buena Vista. He rode 30 miles south of Taylor's position to identify the specific location of Santa Anna's Mexican Army.
DR. JOHN L. DAVIS Author, "Texas Rangers: Images and Incidents"
Dr. John L. Davis He was actually credited with going far, further than anybody thought a man could even in terms of speed for a day, much less in terms of where he might be observed by an opposing army.
Kenny Rogers To avoid being observed while crossing enemy lines McCulloch disguised himself as a Mexican.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin He always, ah, speculated that because Texans were generally dressed in the wide-brimmed hats and serapes, that the Mexican sentries probably mistook them for common vaqueros.
Kenny Rogers The Battle of Buena Vista climaxed General Taylor's Northern Campaign.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin Although the victory was Taylor's , the information that made that victory possible was produced by Ben McCulloch and his Rangers.
Kenny Rogers But in spite of the heroics of McCulloch , Wallace and Walker , the Rangers were proving to be a little too rough and ready for General "Rough and Ready" Taylor himself.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin There was an ongoing love-hate relationship between General Taylor and his rowdy Texas Rangers. On the day of battle, they were indispensable. But when they weren't actually fighting, they tended to be more trouble than they were worth.
General Zachary Taylor The mounted men from Texas have scarcely made one expedition without unwarrantably killing a Mexican. There is scarcely a form of crime that has not been reported to me as committed by them General Zachary Taylor .
Kevin R. Young These are people that came with grudges and big chips on their shoulders.
Kenny Rogers Most rangers held grudges against the Mexicans ever since the Texas Revolution 10 years earlier. They never forgot the Battle of the Alamo in which Ben McCulloch's close friend, David Crockett , was killed. Other rangers such as Bigfoot Wallace lost family at the Goliad Massacre, and many, including Sam Walker , were survivors of bloody border raids during the republic years.
Tom Burks The Texas Rangers' perspective on the Mexican War was that here is a chance for us to pay some of those rascals back.
Kevin R. Young A terrible story, ah, in Mexico City , were one of the street urchins ran up and stole the handkerchief out of the, ah, pocket of a ranger. They proceeded to pull out a pistol and, and blow him away. And that was the kind of instant retribution that one could expect.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin Their adversaries gave them the name Los Diablos Tejanos, the Texas Devils. This suggested fierceness and the unforgiving quality of the Texas Rangers.
Kevin R. Young Which was terrible for the population. But for the guerillas, the Mexican guerillas who were equally as ruthless and, and devilish in their, in their campaign, it was the right means in the situation.
Kenny Rogers The notoriety of Los Diablos Tejanos spread far beyond the battlefield.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin The Mexican War was among the first where correspondents rode with the army and sent back dispatches, ah, depicting the, the battles. These journalists were seeking sensational stories and what better copy than these exotic Texas Rangers?
Kenny Rogers The Texas Rangers appeared to have a dreadful reputation even in our own armies while to the Mexicans, they might seem the very incarnation of cruelty. The New York Herald, May 1846 .
Dr. Paul Hutton They became legendary in an almost scornful way because even Taylor couldn't control the Texans. And after the initial fighting was over, numerous atrocities were committed against the Mexican citizenry. And Taylor finally had to send the Texas Rangers packing back home out of the path of the Mexicans.
Leon Metz Although the American Army would never admit it, probably the reason which they were successful was the Texas Rangers. Because the Army needed these lines of communications open, it was the Texas Rangers who'd kept it open. The Army needed someone to keep the guerrillas off of them, it was the Texas Rangers who kept the guerillas off. It was the Texas Rangers that did the dirty things that the Army didn't want to do. And as a result of that, they kept the bloodshed low and it was a much more remarkable military penetration into Mexico with the Rangers than it would ever have been without the Rangers.
Kenny Rogers If there was one Ranger who knew well the legacy of his men's service during the war, it was John "RIP" Ford .
Dr. Paul Hutton He used to write letters of condolence to families back home of sons and fathers who have died in combat. And he always signed them RIP, Rest In Peace. That's why humorous Texas Rangers, ah, gave him this as a nickname, Rest In Peace RIP Ford .
Kenny Rogers The end of the Mexican War also marked the close of the Jack Hays era in Texas Ranger history.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin After the Mexican War with no Mexicans defy, the, the Indians relatively subdued, Hays joined other 49ers who were flocking to California . Jack Hays found no gold. But in his spare time, he did manage to found the city of Oakland, California .
Kenny Rogers There would be other illustrious Rangers after Captain Jack . Some of them would make their name in the next great era in Ranger history.
Kenny Rogers The Texas Rangers would make the transition from frontier defenders to lawmen in the next great era of their history. It began in the years after the Civil War.
MIKE COX Author, "Texas Rangers: Men of Action and Valor"
Mike Cox The 1870s was probably the wildest time, ah, in 19th century Texas because the, ah, the Indians were still a problem in the first half of the 1870s . The outlaws, ah, kept the Rangers well occupied in the second half.
Kenny Rogers To deal with these threats, Governor Richard Coke approved the reorganization of the Rangers into two units, one of which was the Frontier Battalion.
Mike Cox Well, the Frontier Battalion was created in 1874 to, ah, protect the frontier of Texas . Their primary goal was Indian fighting and protection of the frontier against Indian fighting.
Kenny Rogers The Frontier Battalion was comprised of six companies of 75 men each. Their leader was John B. Jones , a man right out of the Captain Jack mold.
DR. STEPHEN L. HARDIN Author, "The Texas Rangers"
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin Major Jones presents an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, he was a very fastidious man, prim and careful dresser. His men, though, claimed that in a firefight, he was an absolute devil.
TOM BURKS Curator, Texas Rangers Museum
Tom Burks His method was to trail these Indians home if he could, trail them 'til you caught them to lure vigilance, kind of relax and then destroy them.
Major John B. Jones With a small detachment of my command, I found an Indian train in Lost Valley yesterday, overtook them and killed five, only one known to have escaped, one of my men slightly wounded. John B. Jones , Major, Frontier Battalion.
DR. PAUL HUTTON Historian
Dr. Paul Hutton The land was not a merciful place and neither were these rangers and they were a perfect match for the vastness of the Texas frontier.
Kenny Rogers Though this land was harsh, it was home to the Rangers.
Leon Metz A Ranger camp was a man's place. A Ranger camp ordinarily was temporary without a great deal of comfort because Rangers were not people used to comfort.
Samuel C. Reid Here was a scene worthy of the pencil. Men in groups with long beards and moustaches, dressed in every variety of garment, occupied drying their blankets, cleanin' and fixin' their guns, and some employed cooking at different fires, while others were groomin' their horses. A rougher look and set we never saw. Notwithstanding their outlaw look, there were among them doctors, lawyers and many a college graduate. Samuel C. Reid , Texas Ranger.
Mike Cox By the mid- 1870s as the Indian problem was beginning to fade in Texas , Texas was really starting to grow. The railroads were moving in. Ah cattle were being pushed north to the market. That brought in new people and, of course, when new people come in, you get more crime.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin Increasingly, Major Jones and the Frontier Battalion found themselves in the unaccustomed role of law enforcement officers, tracking down horse thieves, ah, cattle-rustlers, bank robbers, a role that they weren't entirely comfortable with in the beginning, but were to master.
Kenny Rogers The Frontier Battalion's most notorious catch was Sam Bass .
Mike Cox Sam Bass was a youthful train robber, ah, originally from, ah, Indiana , but, ah, he, his family had settled around Denton in North Texas , which is where he began robbing trains.
Dr. Paul Hutton John Jones' Texas Rangers were soon caught on his heels, and after a series of successful robberies, they managed to infiltrate, ah, Sam Bass' gang by capturing one of his men and getting him to act as a spy.
Kenny Rogers Jim Murphy , the spy, informed Jones to bring his men to Round Rock where Bass planned his next robbery.
Dan Roberts The Rangers heard Bass fire, and came from their hiding like shot off a shovel Ranger Dick Ware shot Bass , giving him a mortal wound. Lying under a tree, helpless, he said, "I guess I'm the man you're looking for. I am Sam Bass ." Dan Roberts , Texas Ranger.
Dr. Paul Hutton He became a legend in Texas by refusing to rat on his compatriots. "A man has to live by a code," he said as he lay dying. And even the Rangers respected Sam Bass for that.
Kenny Rogers In addition to hunting down outlaws, the Frontier Battalion found itself settling feuds and other civic matters.
Mike Cox A problem would develop in a town, it looked like somebody might be lynched or a mob was about to take over, the rangers would come in not so much to solve the problem as at least to stabilize the problem until it could be solved.
Kenny Rogers With impartiality and firmness, Major Jones and the Rangers handled such delicate matters with frequent success. But the El Paso Salt War in 1877 was a notable exception.
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin It is the only recorded example of a Texas Ranger detachment ever surrendering in the face of the enemy.
Kenny Rogers The Rangers became involved in the war when they arrested the disputed owner of the local salt mines, Charles Howard , for the murder of rival Juan Cardis . The Rangers, however, gave up Howard to outraged Mexicans who killed him before their own firing squad. The Rangers learned three costly lessons that day in El Paso .
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin Never surrender to a mob. Never hand over a prisoner to a mob. And regardless of the odds, keep fighting.
Kenny Rogers In spite of the El Paso Salt War , the Frontier Battalion served with distinction until it was disbanded in 1891 , the same year Major Jones died. The unit's demise came not because of the leader's death, but because with the end of Indian hostilities, it was the frontier that really died.
[sil.]
Kenny Rogers The other Ranger unit created at the same time as the Frontier Battalion was called the Special Force. It patrolled the border between Texas and Mexico .
LEON METZ Writer/Historian
Leon Metz There was no army guarding it to speak of. Texas Rangers were all they were and the cattle raids, the outlaw raids, the Indian raids, coming back and forth across the border was simply beyond belief.
Kenny Rogers Is Captain McNelly comin'? We are in trouble. Five ranches burned by disguised men near La Parra last week. Answer. Sheriff John McClure , Oasis County .
Kenny Rogers Captain Leander McNelly was the leader of the Special Force.
Leon Metz McNelly was one of the most complex Rangers we can imagine. Here's was a man who was an ex-Divinity student. Here's a man who's a tubercular.
Tom Burks In fact, he died very soon after his great exploits of tuberculosis. And in fact, a lot of times, he had to travel in a wagon in a, in a bed they had made up in the wagon. He couldn't ride.
George Durham The way Captain McNelly fixed control over this bunch can't be told. I still don't know how he did it, but he did. Here was a man who could tell you what to do and you do it and never have any suspicion that he might be wrong. George Durham , a McNelly ranger.
Leander McNelly These outlaws had been running roughshod over decent folks, burnin', plunderin' and raidin'. They claimed to be bigger than the law. It's up to us to see if they're right or wrong. We've got fightin' to do, but I'll never send you into a fight. I'll lead you in. Leander McNelly .
Kenny Rogers The border bandit soon found out that McNelly's Special Force meant business.
L.H. McNelly Had a fight with raiders, killed 12 and captured 265 beeves(ph). Wish you were here. L.H. McNelly .
Dr. Paul Hutton In 1875 , McNelly cause an international incident with a raid across into Mexico that's come to be known as the Las Cuevas War.
Kenny Rogers Las Cuevas was the name of an infamous ranch and rustler hideout located just over the border.
Tom Burks The Las Cuevas War was a good demonstration of Captain McNelly's determination to destroy these bandit gains.
Kenny Rogers With 30 men, McNelly trailed Mexican rustlers across the Rio Grande illegally. When he attacked the wrong ranch, innocent people were killed.
Dr. Paul Hutton Which, ah, got the whole countryside, ah, up in arms, and soon, ah, McNelly and his Rangers were being pursued by hundreds of Mexicans, both the regular forces, local citizens and the Mexican Army.
Kenny Rogers McNelly and his men retreated to the Rio Grande, but defiantly remained on the Mexican side.
Leon Metz At which time then, you have a unique situation with the U.S. Army, learning what had happened, closing in, telling McNelly to come back.
Colonel Potter To Major Alexander , advise Captain McNelly to return at once to this side of the river. If McNelly is attacked by Mexican forces on Mexican soil, do not render him any assistance. Colonel Potter .
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin When the US Secretary of War, ah, suggested to, ah, McNelly that he was violating a Mexican sovereignty, ah, McNelly told him to go to hell.
Kenny Rogers With tension mounting, McNelly still refused to leave Mexico .
Dr. Paul Hutton He then sent a message to the Mexican forces, a hundred -strong that were besieging him, that unless they promptly return the stolen cattle, that he and his Rangers would attack.
L.H. McNelly Mexicans delivered 65 beeves(ph) last evening, promised more and the delivery of the thieves. Have just received this assurance from the President of the jurisdiction. L. H. McNelly .
Leon Metz It was a feat without parallel. You can call it an international incident if you wish. But it went a long way towards stopping the outlaw and cattle-rustling raids in the Rio Grande lower valley.
[sil.]
Kenny Rogers John Wesley Harden was the most wanted outlaw of the era. It would take the persistence of a McNelly Ranger to track him down.
Dr. Paul Hutton Harden is generally credited as being the greatest killer that ever lived in the West. They say he killed 40 men. Probably not, but he killed more men than any human being should be allowed to.
Kenny Rogers In 1874 , Harden killed the deputy sheriff. With every lawmen after him, he fled Texas .
Leon Metz Texas Rangers never felt limited to state boundaries. Ah, they would cross boundaries particularly if there was a reward on the head of an individual.
Kenny Rogers To get the $4,000 reward for Harden's capture, John B. Armstrong , a McNelly Ranger, trailed Harden across the Southeast.
Mike Cox He and other Rangers, ah, went to Florida and, ah, found Harden on a train and, ah, arrested him. Ah, when Harden saw the guys with the hats and the, and the big guns, he was supposed to have said " Texas , by God."
Kenny Rogers Arrested John Wesley Harden , Pensacola, Florida , this p.m. He had four men with him. Had some lively shooting. One of their number killed, all the rest captured. Harden fought desperately, closed in and took him by main strength. J. B. Armstrong .
LEON METZ Harden then is, ah, is brought back to Texas and tried for murder and sentenced to, ah, 25 years in Huntsville .
Kenny Rogers Harden's capture highlighted the transition made by the Texas Rangers during the 1870s . Starting out as frontier and border defense, they evolved into lawmen by decade's end. A new century beckoned, and with it, new challenges. With the frontier of Texas tamed and the borderland made stable, the Rangers' transition from frontier defense to lawmen was complete. A reorganization in 1901 made it all official. The Rangers were now State Police Force. But this change in definition did not mean a change in attitude. Bill McDonald , the ranger captain of the period, proved that some traditions, like the rangers themselves, die hard.
MIKE COX Author, "Texas Rangers: Men of Action and Valor
Mike Cox Captain Bill McDonald is, is again another one of the rangers who helped build the Ranger legend. Ah, he is generally accepted as the source of the famous quote, ah, "One riot, one ranger."
DR. PAUL HUTTON Historian
Dr. Paul Hutton Dallas was the site, a riot was raging. The mayor wired for help. But when the train pulled up to the station, only a single ranger stepped down. "Where are the rest of your men?" asked the mayor. "Well, there's only one riot, isn't there?" said the ranger. And it became a metaphor for the strong individualism that represented the Texas Rangers.
Kenny Rogers While McDonald's Rangers were out creating their legacy, the surviving Rangers of the frontier days gathered to celebrate their own at various reunions throughout Texas .
TOM BURKS Curator, Texas Rangers Museum
Tom Burks And in later years, everyone who wrote about it, wrote about his days as a Ranger as the best time of his life that what he was proud of.
George I felt mighty chesty. For the first time in my life, I had a prime bit of horseflesh between my knees. And that always does something to a man. George Durham the last of McNelly's Rangers, 1940 .
Kenny Rogers From such memories, the myth and the mystique of the Texas Rangers endured.
Mike Cox The Texas Rangers are a major element of the Texas myth and maybe just a part of that myth that comes closest to reality.
KEVIN R. YOUNG Texas Historian
Kevin R. Young The rangers were, were common people. They were regular folks. They were, they were men of a frail stature that they became something greater than themselves.
Dr. Paul Hutton It's that lone individual going off against enormous odds, an ideal, of course, that the Texans hold so dear because of the Alamo and other such incidents in Texas history, ah, that help make the, the Texas Rangers beloved.
Kenny Rogers But this vaunted symbol for many has become an object of scorn for others.
DR. STEPHEN L. HARDIN Author, "The Texas Rangers"
Dr. Stephen L. Hardin Many people like to depict the rangers as vicious thugs who operated, ah, with a total disregard for, for due process of law. I think what these people failed to understand is, is the dynamic of a frontier in which there is no social structure.
Nelson Lee Bear in mind that Texas then was surrounded and threatened on all sides, overrun with robbers and murderers who spread everywhere desolation and death. A Texan had no other alternative than to return blow for blow and to demand blood for blood. Nelson Lee , Texas Ranger.
LEON METZ Writer/Historian
Leon Metz Rangers always thought of themselves as Texans. They always saw the land which is something that was worth defending, and, ah, it never occurred to them that they should do otherwise.
Kenny Rogers Rangers, like all Texans, have a spiritual connection with the land. You simply cannot live in Texas without being affected by the land.
J.B. Gillett All of Western Texas was a real frontier then, and for one who loved nature and God's own creation, it was a paradise on earth. Oh, how I wish I had the power to describe the wonderful country as I saw it then. How happy I am in my old age that I'm a native Texan and saw the grand frontier before it was marred by the hand of man. J.B. Gillett , Texas Ranger.
Kenny Rogers From their beginnings as an irregular force of volunteers to the eventual elite corps of appointed officers, the Texas Rangers ensured their existence by adapting to the changing scene in The Lone Star State. Regardless of what era they served in, all Texas Rangers shared the rarest of legacies, one that is every bit as colorful in reality as it is in myth.
Executive Producer CRAIG HAFFNER Co-Executive Producer DONNA E. LUISIANA "THE TEXAS RANGERS" Produced by ARTHUR DROOKER Director CRAIG HAFFNER Coordinating Producer LOIS YAFFEE Segment Producers STEPHANIE HAFFNER ANN TOLER CAROL REES Director of Photography DONALD M. McCUAIG Director of Photography Scenics BILL ROSSER Music By CHRISTOPHER L. STONE Associate Director DONNA E. LUSITANA Editor YANN DEBONNE Art Director HENRY COTA Production Coordinator BRIAN COUGHLIN Production Secretary ALANA MODENA Production Assistant BRYAN SCHMIDT Main Title Design Created By CRAIG HAFFNER Main Title Editorial Design JONATHAN MOSER Titles and Graphics LAWTON DESIGN Post Production Audio CRAIG PLACHY Assistant Camera ECHOL MARSHALL III Gaffer LARRY ROTH Electrician DAVID AVERY Sound Mixer KEN WILLINGHAM Key Grip FRED ALBRECHT Grip MARK CANE Grip Truck Driver BRAD McELROY Teleprompter JERRY BRANCATO Prop Master JOE D. COTA Art Department CARLOS C. COTA PICO COTA DAVID DOLIVEK Composite Editor MALCOLM COOK Assistant Editor PAT HOLMAN Post Production Services PREMORE, INC. Field Camera BRIAN PRATT DOUG FROEBE BILL ROSSER Field Engineers PHIL PRATT GREG ROTHCHILD MARK FEIST ARCHIVAL SOURCES The Institute of Texan Cultures, San Antonio, Texas Photography Collection, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin Hedrick-Long Publishing Co. ARCHIVAL SOURCES Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Library The Collection of Craig Covner Moody Texas Ranger Memorial Library Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum ARCHIVAL SOURCES Archives Division, Texas State Library The Center For American History, The University of Texas at Austin Texian Press: Jose Cisneros ARCHIVAL SOURCES The University of Texas at El Paso, Texas Western Press Museum of Connecticut History The Library of The Daughters of The Republic of Texas at The Alamo Joe Musso Coll. of Hirschl Adler Galleries ARCHIVAL SOURCES The Collection of Kevin Young The Collection of Stephen L. Hardin Lajos Markos Library of Congress Chicago Historical Society Star of Texas Museum ARCHIVAL SOURCES Austin History Center, Austin Public Library Texas Department of Public Safety National Archives Steck-Vaughn Publishing ARCHIVAL SOURCES Lee Herring Wells Fargo Bank History Room California Section, California State Library Scotts Bluff National Monument Museum Historic Urban Plans, Ithaca, NY The Cattleman ARCHIVAL SOURCES Friends of the Governor's Mansion, Texas California State Railroad Museum Collection of Chuck Terrill Reed produced by permission of Osprey Publishing Ltd., part of Reed International Books, Ltd. The Producers Wish To Thank Donaly Brice John Lovett Carrie Weddle Jean-Claire Van Ryzan Janice Reece Dave Corrigan Joann Long Thomas Ricks Lindley Robert Davis Eileen Flanagan Lorraine Mason Bert Kramer Al Silver Beau Weaver Blair Bess William Adams Charles Spurlin Danny Dark Michael Gough Rege Cordic Stu Nelson Jack Roth Clyde Melville Levi Issacs Texas State Parks Big Bend National Park Executive in charge for Arts Entertainment Network MICHAEL CASCIO Executive in Charge of Production STEVEN LEWIS A Co-Production of GREYSTONE COMMUNICATIONS and the ARTS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK THE REAL WEST © 1993 Greystone Communications/ Arts Entertainment Network All Rights Reserved GREYSTONE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Dennis Quaid " Sam Houston "
Dennis Quaid Hello. I'm Dennis Quaid and I'm here on the set of my new film, The Alamo. It looks almost like a ghost town now, but eight months ago, a cast and crew, nearly a thousand strong, were bringing one of America's most famous battles to life.
[sil.]
We're gonna need a lot more men.
Dennis Quaid As always, The History Channel knows that there are two sides to every story and Remember The Alamo is as complex and fascinating as the famous and infamous characters on both sides of The Alamo's crumbling walls. Join us as we go behind the scenes to witness how History and Hollywood each recreate the story of The Alamo.
REMEMBER THE ALAMO MAKING HISTORY HOLLYWOOD
Hal Douglas In the history of the West, no legend stands as tall as that of the Alamo. But in the fading dust of battle, the truth is often obscured, forgotten or ignored. A new program from The History Channel as well as the upcoming -
THE ALAMO
HAL DOUGLAS - Touchstone movie starring Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton both attempt daring raids on the walls that surround a myth to get at the truth inside the Alamo. But first, we'll take you behind the scenes of The History Channel's two-hour documentary, Remember The Alamo.
Glenn Kirshbaum Supervising Producer, "Remember the Alamo"
Glenn Kirshbaum This will come out before the feature opens. We're gonna do whatever we can so that both productions are successes. This is a 51-acre set. Believe me, on our budget, we wouldn't have been able to build a set of this magnitude.
Darryl C. Rehr So we're the back, come in the front, guys in the front on the back.
Darryl C. Rehr Director "Remember the Alamo"
Darryl C. Rehr We're shooting the events in history leading up to the Battle of the Alamo, which was more than just one dramatic battle in the middle of the night. It, ah, involved years and years of, ah, Americans coming to Texas , building a life and then wanting freedom. Of course, the Mexicans thought there was Americans invading Texas , stealing it from their country. So there's a lot involved, and it's a very important part of history for both countries.
Glenn Kirshbaum What's gonna to make this unique is we're telling the real story of what happened, not just from the American side, but also from the Mexican side. All too often in history, we only hear what the victors had to say. In this particular production, we'll focus upon both sides because truly, there are two stories to be told here.
Stephen L. Hardin, Ph.D. Historian/Author, "Texian Iliad"
Stephen L. Hardin, Ph.D. People tend to view the Battle of the Alamo as a clash of cultures and it's not that. It's a battle that's part of a larger civil war. So the issues at The Alamo are not issues of race but they're issues of competing political systems.
Richard Flores, Ph.D. Author, "Remembering the Alamo"
Richard Flores, Ph.D. It's not a story of Texan supremacy. It's not a story of liberty versus tyranny, but I do think there is a story about courage. The defenders who were inside The Alamo were very courageous. They fought for something they believed in. On the other hand, so did the Mexicans. For them, this was a civil war. There was valor for them to give their life as well. But I think we got to realize it's a story about courage and valor that runs in both directions.
HAL DOUGLAS The fall of the Alamo gave rise to a host of tall tales, tales so pervasive that most people know little of the fascinating truths of the battle. The biggest misconception is that The Alamo was a race war.
James E. Crisp, Ph.D. North Carolina State University
James E. Crisp, Ph.D. The Texas Revolution was rewritten as a war between White and Brown, between good and evil, between a civilized race and an uncivilized race.
Richard Flores, Ph.D. Author, "Remembering the Alamo"
Richard Flores, Ph.D. When I was in third grade, we took a field trip to the Alamo. As we exit out the back of the Alamo, my best friend nudged me and said, "You killed them, you and the other Mexicans." And that story stayed with me for a long time and it's not that I didn't realize I was Mexican. You know, I never doubted that. I just didn't realize it was a liability in the eyes of my best friend.
HAL DOUGLAS In truth, as we discover in this new documentary, many of the fighters of the Alamo were Mexican-Texans called Tejanos who fought bravely alongside their Anglo compatriots for the same country of Texas . Juan Seguin who bravely crossed enemy lines to deliver the last letter from the Alamo was one of several defenders of the fort who have been all been ignored by the popular myth.
By the time I was taught Texas history as a child in the 1950s or even as a student in the 1960s , I didn't see these people. I must admit that I had probably gotten into college or graduate school before I'd ever heard of Juan Seguin.
HAL DOUGLAS The most pervasive myths looming above the Alamo concerned the battle's heroes. The History Channel's Remember the Alamo examines these flesh and blood men with unprecedented scrutiny, separating the larger than life legends from the human reality, acknowledging their failings as well as their triumphs.
William C. Davis Author, "Lone Star Rising"
William C. Davis There's no question that James Bowie , was a large-scale criminal. Everything he was doing was against the law. James Bowie was involved in land grant fraud on almost an industrial scale. Had he succeeded, he would have been the largest private landowner in America and probably the first millionaire west of the Mississippi . William Barret Travis left Claiborne, Alabama , in 1831 as a man in disgrace. He simply rode out of town in the night abandoning wife, child, business, abandoning everything. David Crockett really is America's first media celebrity. The newspapers were publishing stories of these fantastic adventures by David Crockett riding a streak of lightning, taming alligators and all of the rest. Tennessee had played out for Crockett , and so in 1835 after his defeat, he tells his constituents, "You can go to hell, and I'll go to Texas ."
HAL DOUGLAS Although the tall tales of the Battle of the Alamo began the moment the battle ended, the biggest perpetrator of Alamo myths has been Hollywood.
Glenn Kirshbaum Supervising Producer, "Remember the Alamo"
Glenn Kirshbaum All throughout in Hollywood has taken stories from history and given their own interpretation. But this is nothing like that. This is the story as it actually happened with historians telling us what happened. We wanted to get the full breadth of this story and this is it.
HAL DOUGLAS Because they are so much a part of the way we understand the Alamo, the numerous films made about the battle are investigated in The History Channel's documentary from John Wayne's 1960 version all the way back to D.W. Griffith's Martyrs of the Alamo, released in 1915 .
Richard Flores, Ph.D. I've shown it a number of times to my classes and they always crack up laughing at it because for today's standards, it is just so racial. And yet, when it came out in 1915 , it was seen as an accurate and authentic depiction of the events of 1836 . You have a young boy. He runs and cowers behind this cannon, and he's, he's hiding there and you can see that he's pretty scared. And at one point, you see the arm of a Mexican soldier's uniform and the Mexican soldier reaches out, grabs the young boy by the throat, picks him up and tosses him across the room until he slams dead against the wall. It's a very disturbing scene for 1915 , even for today. And what it suggests is that, "Look at these Mexicans. They don't even follow the rules of warfare. They kill innocent children."
REMEMBER THE ALAMO MAKING HISTORY HOLLYWOOD
HAL DOUGLAS Later in the program, we'll visit the set of a new Hollywood film which tells a new version of the Alamo, this time with history on its side.
Do you have a passion for history pieces or the History Channel?
Dennis Quaid Oh, I absolutely. I watch the History Channel constantly. It's always on.
THE ALAMO
HAL DOUGLAS The History Channel and Touchstone have both stepped forward to tell the real story of the Alamo, stripping away the mythology and finding a fascinating true story. The History Channel's Remember the Alamo reveals not only the details of the famous battle, but also the historic events leading up to it, including the westward immigration of Americans to Texas , which set the stage for conflict.
Stephen L. Hardin, Ph.D. Historian/Author, "Texian Iliad"
Stephen L. Hardin, Ph.D. Mexico offered the average Anglo-American immigrant more opportunity than the land of opportunity itself. What you have is illegal aliens and the concern for Mexican authorities is you just have no idea how many of these people we're talking about. But we know it's in the thousands.
HAL DOUGLAS Remember the Alamo parts ways with popular myth to unearth some unpopular facts, including the numerous and complex motivations of the Alamo defenders.
William C. Davis Mexico has abolished slavery. But these Old Southerners like Travis and others think this is an affront to the rights of slavery. It doesn't matter that those rights don't exist in Texas . They only exist in the United States .
Gene A. Smith, Ph.D. Director, Center for Texas Studies, TCU
Gene A. Smith, Ph.D. The truth of the Alamo and the truth of the Texas Revolution is that it's a filibustering expedition. Here, you have Americans who, against the official policy of their government, they are crossing over the border and they are fighting for Texas independence.
William C. Davis Author, "Lone Star Rising"
William C. Davis It's virtually impossible to separate so-called pocketbook issues, land sales, land values, slaves, economic issues from patriotic and political issues as well because they're always inextricably intertwined. The man who's fighting for his country is also fighting for himself. So in a way, patriotism is a kind of enlightened selfishness. And that's certainly the case with the Alamo.
HAL DOUGLAS Who were the men who fought behind the walls of the Alamo? The History Channel documentary gets to the heart of the true stories behind the legends of Davy Crockett , William Travis , Jim Bowie and other men who fought a battle they knew they could not win.
Texians brought a knife to a gunfight. But the Mexican army is in very active for about the past 18 months. They know what they're doing. It's a tough army to beat.
HAL DOUGLAS Shattering the common mythology, Remember the Alamo tells the truth behind the demise of the battle's heroes. Popular myth holds that William Travis fought to the last man before taking his own life rather than be taken alive. The truth of the matter is that he was one of the first casualties of the battle.
William C. Davis Author, "Lone Star Rising"
William C. Davis Joe sees his master go down with a bullet to the head. But after that, Joe later says that he simply goes and hides and takes no further part in the actual battle itself since he doesn't really have a stake in it. Regardless of who wins, he's still a slave. Joe simply looks out for himself.
HAL DOUGLAS James Bowie who was bedridden with tuberculosis during the battle was said to have slain several Mexican soldiers with his Bowie knife before meeting his end. But the facts point in a different direction.
William C. Davis One Mexican account we have that deals with his death says that he was found hiding under a blanket. The Mexicans thought he was hiding. In fact, he was probably too sick to get up from his blanket. And so his death was not so much a death in battle as a simple execution.
HAL DOUGLAS The most pervasive image of the Alamo is that of Davy Crockett defending the fort until his dying breath. But the truth of the matter is that he most likely survived the battle only to be executed by Santa Anna's troops.
James E. Crisp, Ph.D. North Carolina State University
James E. Crisp, Ph.D. The Mexican officer witnessed the execution of prisoners following the Battle of the Alamo, ah, and one of these prisoners was David Crockett . Other soldiers stepped forth from the ranks of Santa Anna's retinue and killed these men with sword thrusts, ah, not immediate death, but a slow, difficult death with repeated sword thrusts. Ah, and the men died, according to Dela Pena , moaning, but without humiliating themselves before their captors.
HAL DOUGLAS And on the other side of the wall, you'll learn about the man who conquered the Alamo, Mexican President and General Santa Anna .
By insisting on killing every single combatant, he made it a last stand that inspired rather than depressed. Who's responsible for the moral power of the Alamo? Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna .
HAL DOUGLAS If it had not been for Santa Anna's defeat, we wouldn't remember the Alamo because the war would have been a successful Mexican campaign to put down a rebellious state and Texas would have remained part of Mexico .
Hal Douglas Both The History Channel documentary and the Touchstone film were shot on location in Texas at this astoundingly accurate set which replicates the original Spanish mission down to the last historic detail.
Michael Corenblith Production Designer "The Alamo
Michael Corenblith What you're looking at here is really old school Hollywood motion picture construction techniques. These buildings are primarily covered with plywood and then it's really plaster and paint. So we have now entered the gates, and this brings us into the parade ground, into the compound of the Alamo itself, and, uhm, as we walk around here, we see the, the icon, the facade that stands in San Antonio to this day, the one that people are most familiar with. Our major focus here was the icon since this is the piece that stands in San Antonio . When one thinks of the Alamo, this is really the piece that's associated with it, but it was really far more than that. So coming around to our, to our right here, coming clockwise was a building called the long barracks which had held the, ah, held the hospital. This, this facade here is the only other piece that stands in San Antonio today. As we move around, we get to the North Wall of the batteries and, and cannon placements. The ramp that's directly behind me was where the position that Travis went to defend at the very beginning of the siege and where he was killed. As we work our way around, we have the quarters. This is where Travis stayed during the siege. So all of the letters that were written appealing for assistance, appealing for men were written in this room here. As we come around, we have the gatehouse and then we resolve to what is known as Bowie's sick room. He had several communicable diseases and they certainly knew enough about those at the time to know that he needed to be isolated from the rest of the population here. So Bowie spent most of the siege behind these doors here, and then we resolve in the palisade which was the position that was defended by Crockett and the Tennesseeans. So this gives us a nice 360-degree look at the events that occurred here.
REMEMBER THE ALAMO MAKING HISTORY HOLLYWOOD
HAL DOUGLAS When we come back, we'll go behind the scenes at the filming of the Touchstone Feature, The Alamo.
TOUCHSTONE PICTURES
I'd like to ask each of you what it is you value so highly that you are willing to fight and possibly die for?
IN ONE OF THE GREATEST BATTLES IN HISTORY ONE SIDE WILL FIGHT WITHOUT SOLDIERS THEY WERE BANKERS FARMERS LAWYERS
It is my conviction that holding this fort is the key to defending our colonies. As goes the Alamo, so goes Texas .
HUSBANDS BROTHERS FATHERS
And when I return, we'll get a home of our own. I promise.
OUTCASTS DREAMERS AND LEGENDS
Davy Crockett . The Lion of the West. When Santa Anna and his bunch drops by, we'll lick 'em like fine salt.
Hal Douglas In the fight for Texas , they were a few hundred men who were inexperienced at war.
If there was just me, simple old David from Tennessee , I might drop over that wall and take my chances with that Davy Crockett feller. They're all watchin' him.
Hal Douglas They faced thousands of Mexican soldiers from one of the greatest armies ever assembled.
If you live five more years, you just might be a great man.
I think I will probably have to settle for what I am now.
Now, if you wish to stay here, in the Alamo we will show the world what patriots are made of.
Viva Santa Anna !
THIS SPRING
You will remember this battle. Remember each minute, each second, till the day that you die. That is for tomorrow, gentlemen. For today, remember the Alamo.
THE ALAMO THIS SPRING alamo.movies.com
HAL DOUGLAS After more than a dozen films over the past hundred years, a new film from Touchstone will arrive in theaters and this time, hopes are high for a version that forges a unique alchemy of both Hollywood and History.
Action.
Do you have a strategy? A general? Well, if he has to beg soldiers to follow him, he's no general.
John Lee Hancock Director "The Alamo"
John Lee Hancock I think every movie is Hollywood in varying degrees.
The Alamo is at hand.
Dennis Quaid " Sam Houston "
Dennis Quaid Well, of course, it's a combination of History and Hollywood because it's still a movie.
John Lee Hancock I think the biggest sin would be not knowing what the facts are. Uhm, there's no doubt that, that this could be absolutely historical. The fall of the Alamo would be 13 days long and, you know, our butts can't take that in theater seats. So there's documentary and then there's, ah, drama.
Dennis Quaid From a historical point of view, it's a, it was a very important battle in, in American history, you know, not just Texas history. And it's an interesting story. It's a story that keeps, you know, coming back and being retold.
Stephen L. Hardin , Ph.D. Historian/Author, "Texian Iliad"
Stephen L. Hardin, Ph.D. History is complicated, and movies have to be simple so there's a lot of streamlining. But I think in terms of the characterization, the actors playing the parts are gonna be closer than we've ever seen in any other Alamo movie.
Alan C. Huffines Historian/Author, "Blood of Noble Men"
Alan C. Huffiness I think it's gonna tell the truth about the Texian war of independence. But all movies are Hollywood, but it's good Hollywood. It's great Hollywood.
John Lee Hancock Learning(ph) remember the history books and probably just the mythology details as they grew as a kid. I mean it's, you know, almost a comic book hero. And I think as an adult, I respect and like the fact that they were real human beings that they didn't wear cloaks and capes and fly around and honor and death mean more when they're talking about people with fiber and blood and brown(ph) which is opposed to superheroes. They had something that's essentially a character movie that plays on a really grand scale and being able to find kind of the dramatic alchemy between those things. So they can be small and large at the same time. It's probably been the most difficult thing. But it's one where even the, the tiniest little shot, you've got 500 soldados and dragoons and horses and campfires and camps in the background.
Dennis Quaid Well, I'm Texan. I'm actually from Houston , in fact, and, uhm, growing up, we used to play the Alamo. And ah, I'm all grown up that, ah, there is great toys to play with. It's a lot more fun.
Don Miloyevich Prop Master "The Alamo"
Don Miloyevich This is, ah, Jim Bowie's knife here, and what can I say? It's, it's one we chose to recreate for the film. It's the biggest knife in the film, of course.
Vern Crofoot Master Armer "The Alamo"
Vern Crofoot I am the master armer on the show. And we take care of all of the firearms that are used on the show. And I stress the word, firearms. These are all real gun. They're not fakes.
Daniel Orlandi Costume Designer "The Alamo"
Daniel Orlandi We had to make all of the boots. We had to make all of the shirts. We had to make all of the jackets and epaulettes. Ah, so that was challenging, you know, to get it all done in time. Most people think of it as a Western and it's not. It's before Western. It's, ah, top hats and tail coats. For instance, look at this guy's top hat and this guy's top hat. He was probably a lawyer.
I am a lawyer, actually.
Daniel Orlandi Oh, really?
Strange that you've mentioned that.
Stephen L. Hardin , Ph.D. Historian/Author, "Texian Iliad"
Stephen L. Hardin, Ph.D. I'm participating in the John Lee Hancock film as a historical advisor and the, ah, History Channel documentary as a, as a talking head. And I, I guess the thing that's refreshing with The History Channel production is I don't have to hear anyone say, "We're not making a documentary."
Dennis Quaid Six weeks after the epic battle, the words, "Remember the Alamo," became the rallying cry that fueled the defeat of Santa Anna's Mexican Army, giving Texas its independence. Filming The Alamo here in Texas is about 50 miles from the actual site was an incredible and almost haunting experience. For making the past come alive, well, it's one of the most educational and rewarding parts of being an actor. For The History Channel, I'm Dennis Quaid . Thanks for watching.
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