[104] In 1829 the Mexican government banned slavery, leading to dissension among the slave-owners in Texas. They moved twice more before James was 16 years of age, though they remained in Louisiana after it was acquired by the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the reversal in 1833. James Bowie immigrated to Texas in 1830 after U.S. officials determined that many of his land claims were rooted in fraud. "Biography of James 'Jim' Bowie." In 1818 he began to assemble a group of men in Natchez to enter Texas, separate it from Spain, and establish it as an independent republic. Santa Anna was furious, and vowed to personally retake the lost territory which had rebelled. (2021, May 9). As Colonel of the militia, Bowie organized and led a party of 26 men west into the Indian country, departing from Gonzales on January 23, 1832. "[117], Jim Bowie was inducted posthumously into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1988 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia, in recognition of the impact that his eponymous design had upon generations of knife makers and cutlery companies.[119]. Instead, he mounted a defense and fortified the Alamo. Wikimedia. Contrary to popular belief, he did not invent the knife which bears his name. Iman looked as youthful as ever on Saturday night as she attended the Gucci launch event in New York City.. The situation then descended into the Battle of Nacogdoches, often called the first shot of the Texas Revolution. Santa Anna, though hampered by the corruption rampant in the Mexican government and bureaucracies, recruited and assembled an army of over 6,000 men. The fight took place between the supporters of the duelists after the duel was resolved with no injuries. The letter attested to Bowies good character and standing as a citizen of the United States. James Bowie Elementary in Corsicana, Texas was also named in his honor. James Bowie was born in Kentucky in 1796 and was raised in present-day Missouri and Louisiana. General Sam Houston ordered him to demolish the Alamo, a fortress-like old mission in San Antonio, and a retreat from the city. His business dealings were questionable at best, and outright fraud at their worst. As a child, he had Indian friends and learned of their traditions and woodcraft. Long was imprisoned by the Spanish after the failure of the second expedition; eventually, he was shot and killed by a guard. [82] As they returned to San Antonio, Bowie took 60mounted men to intercept the party,[83] which they believed carried valuable cargo. [15] The children learned to survive on the frontier, learning how to fish, butcher meat, and run a farm and plantation. Son James T. bowie of Palm Desert CA. The city of Bowie and Bowie County, both in Texas, are named after him, as are countless schools, businesses, and parks. [29], Bowie never talked about his exploits, despite his increasing fame. When the Mexicans stopped to reload their cannon, the Texians climbed a bluff and picked off some of the soldiers. Known as the Battle of Calf Creek, as the Indians surrounded the men, the fighting lasted for 13 hours. He was the ninth of ten children. According to one biographer, he also learned to speak Cherokee, or at least some fashion of the language. The following year, Santa Anna dissolved the government of Texas, and ordered all Texans of American descent doing business in the Mexican areas of the region including Monclova arrested. Once there, he and Lieutenant Colonel James C. Neill, commander of the Alamo, agreed the place must be defended as it was clear that the Mexican Army planned to reoccupy Texas. Why James Bowie chose to ignore the orders of General Houston and remain at the Alamo is another mystery which has long been disputed. He dithered with Long, and profited from selling supplies to the men gathered at Galveston, while informing the Spanish authorities of Longs plans via the Spanish consul at New Orleans. His death on March 6, 1836, however, ensured his place in history as one of Texas most interesting figures. Some historians have postulated that Houstons orders were discretionary, allowing Bowie to decide for himself whether the fort could be held. Wikimedia. During the Siege of Bxar in October 1835, Bowie served on the staff of Stephen F. Austin, commander of the Federal Army of Texas. On the morning of October 28, troops under Colonels Bowie and James W. Fannin drove off a larger force of Mexican soldiers, winning the Battle of Concepcon. His wife and two young children died in an 1832 cholera epidemic. It was his prowess in using it which led to the design becoming known to posterity as the Bowie Knife. The weather was dreadful, by February record low temperatures were felt, and heavy snows impeded the army as it struggled north. James Bowie was raised on the frontier, and much of his childhood was spent working in the fields of his familys farm. Rezin Bowie, brother of James, left the first documented account of his brother using a knife similar to the modern Bowie knife. Hopewell (1994), p. 71. Meanwhile, a fight broke out among the spectators, between those who had supported either duelist. His first glimpses of Texas, and the vast amount of unsettled land there, intrigued him. When the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803, it promised to honor all former land grant claims made to French and Spanish colonists. [113] Various other stories circulated. On January 26, one of Bowie's men, James Bonham, organized a rally that passed a resolution in favor of holding the Alamo. The Mexican Constitution also prohibited the practice of religions other than Roman Catholicism. The wounded Bowie killed one of his opponents with a massive knife, which later became famous as the Bowie knife.. Surveys of many tracts were inaccurate. Over time, he owned some 700,000 acres. Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae lorem. Cos and his men were allowed to leave Texas, the General having given his parole that none of them would fight against Texan factions who supported the Constitution of 1824. Bowie, who was there at the time, fled to the American settlements to the north. Bowie was shot in the hip, and, after regaining his feet, he drew a knife, described as a butcher knife, and charged his attacker. Wikimedia. All the children learned to read and write, but James and his older brother Rezin also learned to read, write, and speak Spanish and French fluently. A charming and energetic man in his mid-thirties, Bowie visited San Antonio de Bxar where he met Ursula de Veramendi, the daughter of Juan Martn de Veramendi, vice governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. Much of Bowies business in Natchez was in the illegal slave trade. [29][52], On January 1, 1830, Bowie left Louisiana to live in Texas, permanently. With each retelling the size of the fight and Bowies heroics grew. Wikimedia. Thus, Bowie had allied himself to one of the most powerful families in Texas and with the Tejano community. Bowie traveled throughout Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi during the ensuing two years, engaging in land speculation and enhancing his reputation as a rugged and daring man of the frontier. In June 1819, he joined the Long Expedition, an effort to liberate Texas from Spanish rule. [78] Twodays later, Bowie resigned from Austin's army because he did not have an official commission in the army, and he disliked the "minor tasks of scouting and spying". Jim's wife, believing him dead, even declared herself a window and started dressing like one. Just three years later, Bowie went on to immortality at . JAMES BOWIE OBITUARY. By. In the ensuing fighting, the Texians suffered only a few casualties, including Milam, while the Mexican army lost many troops to death and desertion. From 1956 to 1958, Bowie was the subject of a CBS television series, The Adventures of Jim Bowie, which was primarily set in 1830s Louisiana, although later episodes ventured into the Mexican province of Texas. The knife he left us, which bears his name, ranks with the Kentucky rifle and the Colt Peacemaker as an iconic. James was born in Logan County, Kentucky, on April 10, 1796, to Rezin Bowie, Sr., and Elve Catesby Jones Bowie. It is entirely likely that Bowie died as he has so often been depicted, shot and bayonetted in his cot after discharging his pistols at the Mexican troops who battered down the door. Throughout his life, Jean Lafitte operated under the premise that Jean Lafitte came first. This is how the situation stood on February 23, 1836, when General Antonio Lpez de Santa Annas army arrived in San Antonio. Cs surrendered and returned to Mexico, taking with him the last Mexican troops in Texas. Santa Anna then led the rest of the army toward San Antonio de Bexar, where he intended to avenge the defeat. [109] After first ordering that Bowie be buried, as he was too brave a man to be burned like a dog,[110] Santa Anna later had Bowie's body placed with those of the other Texians on the funeral pyre. The citizens of San Antonio believed the members of the Bowie expedition must have perished, and Ursula Bowie began wearing widow's weeds. He was granted permission, but the government refused to fund the expedition. Austin believed his colony's success . Online, The Sandbar Fight. Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Easy Travel Organization Tips You Will Love, Bidwell-Bartleson Party Blazing the California Trail. Bowie soon urged Mexicans to apply for these grants, which he purchased from them. Black's life . It was an urban fight, house to house, and lasted into the night, with the Mexican troops withdrawing to the stone fortifications outside the city. . Paul Sexton. Bowie, with Wright's sword still protruding from his chest, was shot again and stabbed by another member of the group. Harris Gaylord Warren, Texas State Historical Association. Meanwhile, though it was against Mexican law, Americans continued to pour into Texas, a stream of illegal immigration into the Mexican state. [56] With his citizenship assured, Bowie had the right to buy up to 11leagues of public land. Austin's is just the latest death connected to the Bowie County jail. Other accounts have him born in April. beauty and history of the Alamo by supporting us with your donations. On February 20, Bowie swore an oath of allegiance to Mexico and proceeded to San Antonio de Bexar. In January 1832, James Bowie led a larger party to the west, seeking out hostile Indians along the Colorado River, before he planned to resume the search for the lost silver mine. It was a stop for a time on the route they used to smuggle slaves overland after purchasing them from the accommodating Lafitte. . Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. [66] Captain WilliamY. Lacey, who spent eight months living in the wilderness with Bowie, described him as a humble man who never used profanity or vulgarities. [121] The show, which starred Scott Forbes as Jim Bowie, was based on the 1946 novel Tempered Blade. July, 2018. Although the Superior Court originally confirmed most of those claims, the decisions were reversed in February 1831, after further research showed that the land had never belonged to the Bowies and that the original land grant documentation had been forged. Disheartened, the Mexicans fled back to San Antonio. In his grief, he . Throughout his life, which was poorly documented at the time, James Bowie was a controversial figure. In May 1824, Congress authorized the superior courts of each territory to hear suits from those who claimed they had been overlooked. He played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. [50] Bowie was baptized into the Roman Catholic faith in San Antonio on April 28, 1828, sponsored by the alcalde (chief administrator) of the town, Juan Martn de Veramendi, and his wife, Josefa Navarro. Who fired first is disputed, but Bowie was shot in the hip and fell to the ground, struggled to his feet, and charged his attacker, knife drawn. Bowie was the unofficial leader of these volunteers and he did not care for Travis, which made things tense at the fort. The mill did not function well, destroying too much of the cane in the process of grinding it, and it was soon abandoned. The Battle of Concepcion of the Texas Revolution, The Texas Revolution and the Republic of Texas, The Life and Legend of David "Davy" Crockett, 10 Facts About the Independence of Texas From Mexico, Biography of Sam Houston, Founding Father of Texas, 8 Important People of the Texas Revolution, The Battle of the Alamo: Unfolding Events, Biography of William Travis, Texas Revolution Hero. In 1814 war came to the frontier. Bowie migrated with his parents to Missouri (1800) and then to Louisiana (1802). Bowie supported duelist Samuel Levi Wells III, while Wright supported Wells's opponent, Dr. Thomas Harris Maddox. "David said: 'I just want to make it . [40], Newspapers picked up the story and named it the Sandbar Fight, describing in detail Bowie's fighting prowess and his unusual knife. 6970. Later, Bowie came up with a scheme for acquiring free land. . The Mexican Army, commanded by Mexican General Santa Anna, showed up in late February. According to his older brother, John, James Bowie was born in Logan County, Kentucky, on March 10, 1796 (Historical marker: 36 46' 25"N 86 42' 10"W). His mother died when he was young, and his . He began to look favorably at relocating to Texas, which at the time was opened to American settlement by the Mexican Government, under the laws of the Constitution of 1824. They were ill-equipped, ill-clad, and ill fed. Several Mexican states rebelled against Santa Anna, though only Texas was successful in breaking from Mexico. In 1852 his brother John published an article in a popular magazine which fictionalized James exploits in life, and began the expansion of his legend as a western and southern hero. Wikimedia. A former American slave named Ben, who worked as a cook for Santa Anna, supported Dickinsons claim. "Biography of James 'Jim' Bowie." In late October 1835, an army of men led by Stephen F. Austin and James Fannin, which included Bowie, marched on San Antonio, where Bowies contacts among the population proved extremely helpful. Bowie had supported Wright's opponent in the race for sheriff, and Wright, a bank director, had been instrumental in turning down a Bowie loan application. He ignored his business affairs, and spent his days in taverns and saloons. In death, he became a great hero, and today he is widely revered in Texas, even more so than his brothers-in-arms Travis and Crockett. Bowie renounced his American citizenship and became a Mexican citizen on September 30, 1830. It may have been pneumonia or tuberculosis. By then, the United States had outlawed the importation of slaves from Africa. Before the Alamo was defended by the Texans it was defended against them by the Mexicans. Bowie arrived in time to capture some fleeing Mexican soldiers. Most Tejanos were Catholic, spoke Spanish, and were opposed to slavery. Wikimedia. His appointment ended in May 1835 when President Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna abolished the Texas government. From the woods, he learned to track and hunt, and by the time he was a teenager he was proficient with rifle, pistol, and the knife. He was appointed a land commissioner and was tasked with promoting settlement in the area purchased by John T. Mason. Wikimedia. In 1830, Mexico passed a law which effectively ended legal American immigration. When the customs officers offered the slaves for auction, Bowie purchased them and received back half the price he had paid, as allowed by the state laws. Bowie's older brother John recorded his birth date as March 10, 1796. James and his older brother Rezin enlisted in the Lousiana Militia in late 1814 to fight inthe War of 1812, but they arrived inNew Orleans too late to participate in any fighting. 72,182. films have depicted the events of the Battle of the Alamo, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Bowie&oldid=1144426869, This page was last edited on 13 March 2023, at 18:23. In late 1827, the Arkansas Superior Court received 126claims from residents who claimed to have purchased land in former Spanish grants from the Bowie brothers. [73] The scouting party left with 92men, many of them members of the New Orleans Grays, who had just arrived in Texas. This account has been disputed by numerous other witnesses, and it is thought to have been invented by the reporter. It serves as the frontier picquet guard, and if it were in the possession of Santa Anna, there is no stronghold from which to repel him in his march toward the Sabine. He would not find out about the deaths until November. Minster, Christopher. He died at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution from the Republic of Mexico. The troops were marching on San Antonio, hoping to defeat Mexican General Martn Perfecto de Cos and end the conflict quickly. On February 24, Bowie collapsed. Bowie told his men to keep their heads and stay low. [62], Maria Ursula, her parents, and both children died in September 1833 during a cholera epidemic that swept through the South and along major waterways. James "Jim" Bowie was a frontiersman, explorer, and pioneer, who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo. The Bowies first settled in Georgia and then moved to Kentucky. It has been generally accepted lore for over a century that James Bowie's wife was Jeanne Mirabeau, to the extent that history books have it and there is a Find-a-Grave virtual grave set up for her with James Bowie. In the antebellum South, two commodities could lead to wealth and respectability land and slaves. His estate at his death was less than $100. Unknown to Long was that Lafitte was at the time a spy in the employ of the Spanish authorities. At some point, James and his brothers became acquainted with Jean Lafitte, the legendary Gulf Coast pirate involved in illegal slave smuggling. Within two years, they had established there the first steam mill in Louisiana for grinding sugar cane. He left Saltillo with about 15 of these grants. One of the most enduring misconceptions regarding the Battle of Bxar is a supposed family relationship between Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna and Martin Perfecto de Cos. Bowie was an interesting man in his time, a renowned hothead, brawler, and troublemaker who went to Texas to escape his creditors in the United States. Bowie may have been the first to induce settlers to apply for empresario grants, which could be sold in bulk to speculators, as Bowie had. Bowie bought slaves from Lafitte at Galveston, took them to New Orleans, and reported the transaction to customs authorities. The Texans believed the war was over, for the most part. His military career cut short, Bowie established himself in the lumber business in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The man hit Bowie over the head with his empty pistol, breaking the pistol and knocking Bowie to the ground. Bowie became engaged to a woman named Cecilia Wells in 1829. by Refugio de la Garza, parish priest of the city. Part of operating a large farm of the time included skills at the forge, to repair plows and other implements, and Bowie had experience both working iron and racking charcoal. Thus, there are no direct descendants of Col. James Bowie. Nonetheless, Colonel Bowie, as a result of the 1831 battle and his efforts in 1832, gained the reputation as an intrepid Indian fighter. Afterward,Bowie settled in Rapides Parish, where he supported himself by sawing planks and lumber and floating them down the bayou for sale. Bowie derived a scheme to take advantage of the law to acquire land in the Mexican state, and relocated there in January 1830. The Veramendi household was particularly hard-hit. Many early Americans were drawn to the western frontier of the new republic among them the Bowies. Like many frontiersmen of the time, Bowie eventually became intrigued by the idea of Texas. [12][19] He supported himself by sawing planks and lumber, and floating them down the bayou for sale. James "Jim" Bowie was a slave-trader, adventurer, and land speculator who spent his entire life on the American frontier. If so, he bequeathed his entire estate to his brother and sister knowing that he would leave behind two fatherless children. Believing the war was over, many of the Texian volunteers left the army and returned to their families. Bowie died on 10 January 2016, days after turning 69 and the release of his 25th studio album, Blackstar, having kept his illness a secret from the world. His death on March 6, 1836, however, ensured his place in history as one of Texas' most interesting figures. Bowie commanded a group of volunteers. 1992, The Grass Fight of 1835: A Huge Disappointment in the Texas Revolution. Bowies older brother John recorded his birth date as March 10, 1796. Wiki User. [35] According to legend, the mine had been operated by local Native Americans before being seized by the Spanish. Bowie led an expedition to find the lost San Saba mine, during which his small party repelled an attack by a large Native American raiding party. This made Bowie a hero to those Texans who favored independence, although it is not necessarily what Bowie intended, as he had a Mexican wife and a lot of money in land in Mexican Texas. This, and other stories of Bowie's prowess with a knife, led to the widespread popularity of the Bowie knife. Bowie's fluency in Spanish helped him to get established in the area. The battle ended with the Mexicans withdrawing from their positions in San Antonio. The Mexicans encouraged American settlement in part to help quell the raids of the Indians in the vast territory. General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna opposed the Centralist regime in power in Mexico City, announcing his position in early 1832. Two years later, he married Maria Ursula de Veramendi, the daughter of one of his business partners. Fearing the disease would reach San Antonio, Bowie sent his pregnant wife and their daughter to the family estate in Monclova, in the company of her parents and brother. September 25, 2017. Bowie joined lawyer William B. Travis, who had done legal work for him in the past, in a group of Americans who called themselves the War Party. On February 17, 1836, the Mexican Army under Santa Anna entered Texas. Bowie became very ill sometime in late February 1836. Andrew Jackson called for volunteers to defend Louisiana from the British. Lacking the capital required to buy large tracts,[25] in 1818 they entered into a partnership with pirate Jean Lafitte. As a Mexican citizen, Bowie had the right to buy up to 11 leagues of public land and convinced more Mexicans to apply for grants, which he bought from them. One version of the tale claimed the veins were so rich that all of the Spanish settlers of San Antonio at the time could have their own mines, extracting wondrous wealth. Bowie enlarged his reputation during the Texas Revolution. After earning $65,000, they quit the business. Bowie wrote to the governor of Texas and recommended the town be held. The Texas militia organized an army of 300 men to besiege Nacogdoches. They chose Bowie, infuriating Travis. Battle of the Alamo. Texas losses included one killed and one wounded. James Bowie, byname Jim Bowie, (born 1796?, Logan County, Ky., U.S.died March 6, 1836, San Antonio, Texas), popular hero of the Texas Revolution (1835-36) who is mainly remembered for his part in the Battle of the Alamo (February-March 1836). [115], Despite his continual claims of wealth, Bowie's estate was found to be very small. In late summer, 1833, Bowie was again in Natchez attending to business when he was stricken with yellow fever. The Texans returned fire and the Battle of Nacogdoches began. Neills departure from the Alamo on February 11, 1836, set the stage for a potentially serious struggle over command. The title of Indian fighter only added to his reputation. [34] The knife he carried had a blade that was 9.25 inches (23.5cm) long and 1.5 inches (3.8cm) wide. They erected a steam-powered mill on the plantation to grind sugar cane, the first such structure in Louisiana. Faced with additional mouths to feed after the reinforcements arrived, and insufficient supplies with which to continue to resist, Cos asked for terms on December 9. In December, after several skirmishes between the contending forces, the Mexicans were reinforced by about 650 additional troops, though most were inexperienced recruits. In the meantime, a party of friendly Comanche rode into San Antonio, bringing word of the attack, and citizens believed the members of the Bowie expedition must have perished. Daughter of Juan Martn de Veramend and Josefa Candida Gertrudis de Veramend Wife of Col. James "Jim" Bowie (commander Alamo volunteers) . Campsite Jim Bowie in Camp Sandy Beach at Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rockville, Rhode Island was formerly named in his honor to inspire visiting Scouts; the same campsite has been renamed to Paul Siple. Over the next several years, James and Rezin concentrated on purchasing large areas of land in Lafourche Parish and elsewhere. Bowie was unaware of their deaths in October, and was so ill himself that he dictated his will that month, leaving his estate to his brother Rezin and his sister. Hopewell (1994), p. 119. He was then to withdraw. The Texan sharpshooters also picked off artillerymen who were shooting the Mexican cannons. Hopewell (1994), p.56. [14] Raised on the frontier, the Bowie children worked from a young age, helping to clear the land and plant and cultivate crops. Bowie made three trips to Lafitte's compound on Galveston Island. Mother of Marie Josefa Elve Bowie James. Most historians believe he was informed while recovering in Natchez in November, 1833. "[41] Bowie's reputation as a superb knife fighter was set across the South. [91][92] Bowie refused to answer to Travis, who called an election for the men to choose their own commander. Unfortunately, his wife and both children died of cholera. General Cos was General Santa Annas brother-in-law, and the latter viewed the formers surrender as impugning the family honor. A memorial to defenders is in San Fernando Cathedral. At the time of Bowie's birth, his father owned eight enslaved African Americans, eleven head of cattle, seven horses, and one stud horse. Immigration was banned by the Mexican government in 1830, but the settlers in Texas simply ignored the ban. Best Answer. So did Bowies benefactor, Juan Martin de Veramendi, and his wife.
