The Long-Rifle of David Crockett

Subject: The Long-Rifle of David Crockett Fri 03 Aug 2007, 8:33 pm

It seems that the Quedlinburg Hoard may not have been all of the treasure to have found its way into little Whitewright, which extends a way from Grayson into Fannin County.

According to Miss Bright Ray in her 'Legends of the Red River Valley,' a member of Col. David Crockett's traveling party as it ventured westward into Texas was none other than the venerable Grayson-County pioneer, Andrew Thomas. After passing through deep East Texas the group made its way northward, finally stopping to rest in the vicinity of modern Honey Grove (Fannin County). According to legend, Davy Crockett himself named the little community for the abundance of bee trees clustered together, and carved this description into the bark of an old post oak (was this ever seen and documented?).

It was at this point that Col. Crockett prepared to journey southward to meet his fate at the Alamo. And according to Thomas family tradition, he determined that a shorter rifle would suit him better than the five-footer that he had been shouldering these many months. Davy Crockett thereupon made a swap with Andy Thomas: his lengthy weapon for Andy's more compact one. The two shook on the deal, said their goodbyes and the rest, as they say, is history.

Except that many people probably don't know that this venerable relic -- the long-rifle of Col. David Crockett, hero and martyr of the Alamo -- rested for many years in the clothes closet of a home in Whitewright. Weighing some twenty-seven pounds, and once bearing a Texas star inlayed with silver .... carved by David Crockett himself and fitted in Nashville, * the rifle was bequeathed by Andrew Thomas not to one of his three sons, but to his daughter. She passed the weapon on to her son. In 1941, when Miss Ray's book was published, the long-rifle never had been loaned to a museum or exhibited beyond the family and community circle.

Does anyone know if this rifle might be Col. Crockett's 'Betsey,' which was written of by Walter Lord in 'A Time to Stand'?

Thanks ...

Holly

* Sadly, this star was removed and stolen by a corrupt gunsmith, to whom Andy Thomas had entrusted the rifle for cleaning.
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Trailblazer Joined : 29 May 2007 Posts : 88

If it in fact weighs 27(!!) pounds, almost certainly (99.999999999% confidence level) NOT a gun taht Col. Crockett would have carried on his trip to Texas. I'll also beg to doubt that he would have inlaid a "Texas star" prior to leaving Tennessee - because the "Texas Star" wasn't an established symbol of Texas in 1835 - certainly not in the outside world, and as far as i know, not in the Teas of the time, either.

A 27 pound Muzzle-loading rifle would be a target rifle, and probably a bench-rest instead of an off-hand arm at that. Not what a man would take on trip where hunting and (possibly) defense against hostiles (be thinking of hostile Indians or white outlaws, not Mexican government, probably) was in prospect.

Sorry - just one of what are called in teh gun-collecting fraternity "Uncle Charlie stories".

Subject: Re: The Long-Rifle of David Crockett Sat 04 Aug 2007, 7:51 pm

There may be a little tall-tale-telling in Bright Ray's 'Legends' book. For instance, the story goes that after the silver star was stolen from Davy Crockett's former rifle, Andy Thomas was reluctant to allow the firearm to venture very far from his person. The result?

"This constant gun-toting may have had something to do with making Andy such a muscular man for it is said that the circumference of his upper arm when flexed was that of a gallon bucket -- 'yes sir, big as a water bucket' said one who knew him well." (page 114)

Still, it seems that before dismissing the tale out of hand, it would be a good idea to verify that Andrew Thomas and family did travel with Davy Crockett's party to Texas (which I have not). Could the rifle that ended up in Whitewright have been a secondary weapon which, nevertheless, was at some point in the possession of Col. Crockett?

A posting on the following forum does, at least, mention a trade of rifles having taken place between Crockett and Andy Thomas (though not giving a sources ... 'Legends of the Red River Valley,' again?):

http://alamosentry.proboards24.com/index.cgi?board=rebels&action=display&thread=1124121989&page=2

I wasn't sure after reading this message whether the rifle indicated now is displayed in the Alamo Museum (?).

According to Bright Ray, and through oral tradition, Davy Crockett told Mr. Thomas that he had carved "the little five pointed star ... when he was making his up his mind to come to Texas and help the folks make a new country; at Nashville he had had the silver put in it." (page 113)

Clyde ... reading back through the postings on 'Texas' Betsy Ross' and the flags that were being sewn at the time of the Revolution, it appears that the symbol of the lone and single star already had appeared among the people. Could it be that word of this symbol somehow had made its way to Davy Crockett in Tennessee?

Anyway, this seems like a case for that 'History's Mysteries' television program!

Holly

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_1_50/ai_110470560
_________________
The woman of the frontier made the best of her situation, for she had developed a respect for the land that gave her freedom as well as the courage to live in it.
~~~ from the perspective of Anne Seagraves

Trailblazer Joined : 29 May 2007 Posts : 88

Anything is possible, and the "lone star" was a known symbol of revolutionary movements 9the short-lied Republic of North Florida, for example, flew a Lone Star flag, indeed an early example of the Bonnie Blue, c.1829 IIRC) by the time Crockett headed for Texas. It should also be noted that "long rifles" (the classic Pennsylvania and Kentucky rifles of legend and fact) often (from at least the late 18th century on) had inlaid decorations, in brass, silver and German silver. a star (either a single star or more than one) was one fo the commonly encountered ones.

That said - what I deem to be the most credible accounts of Crockett's 1835 trip to Texas that led to his death in San Antonio de Bexar in March, 1836 suggest his movement was NOT to engage in revolutionary activity or help form a new nation, but to check out the possibility of obtaining inexpensive land suitable for cultivation to establish a new home in a different place, Tennessee having become distasteful after his recent political reverses there.

I don't see any reasonable probability, considering how arms were used in the time, that a heavy target rifle would have been part of Crockett's equipage ON THAT TRIP. Entirely possible that he did own one or more target rifles, though I'd think more likely a considerably lighter type used off-hand (standing, unsupported) like Scheutzens, for such things as beef-shoots. And I doubt one went along on this trip. If he'd found land and decided to acquire it and move, THEN the target guns would have come along. Though - I will admit a target arm can make a pretty good hunting arm - once used a Winchester 52C target rifle to hunt squirrels (wish I had that gun, but it wasn't mine). Heavy enough to be less than comfortable carrying it, but boy would it shoot. If I did my part, head-shots every time.

My recollection of the purported Crockett rifle in the Alamo Museum collection is that it is not a heavy-barreled target arm, but it has been several years since I was last in San Antonio and memory can be fallible.

All of that said - I remain "nine nines" confident that a 27 pound rifle was NOT something Crockett carried to Texas in 1835. Now -a trade of one rifle for another that for some reason he deemed more suitable for his purposes - that i can believe easily enough. Just not that the Crockett piece was a heavy target arm.