|
|
Post by Jim Boylston on Jun 2, 2007 15:51:16 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Allen Wiener on Jun 2, 2007 20:34:58 GMT -5
That's a very interesting interview. I think she got a couple of small details wrong, like saying Crockett took the presentation rifle from Philadelphia with him to Texas. But her recollections and identification of family members, spouses, children and their movements seem very exact. I also believe her when she says that Crockett was gone most of the time and she didn't remember spending much time with him, hence few personal recollections of him. Crockett does not seem to have been much of a family man. However, she does say that his original intention was to bring the entire family to Texas, but that his wife persuaded him to go alone first.
She also says that the family had no inkling that he intended to join in the war effort in Texas and that it came as a surprise to them that he had done so. This contradicts Cobia's contention that Crockett intended all along to join the fight, but I found Cobia's book and his arguments difficult to follow. He seems to have had some sort of political agenda in his constant references to "postmodern" history. I think he also may have relied on newspaper accounts of the time that speculated about Crockett heading for Texas to fight Mexico. There was some of that in the press, which tracked Crockett's trip throughout its duration.
The first of two Crockett letters that discuss Texas was written before he departed and refers to his intention to explore the territory well before returning; no mention of Mexico or fighting. The second letter, written from Texas, informs his family that he had done all the exploring he needed to do and had enlisted in the army. That must have been an unpleasant surprise to Elizabeth and the kids. It's interesting that Matilda recalls this letter being written to her mother, when it was actually addressed to Crockett's daughter Margaret and her husband Wiley Flowers.
AW
|
|
|
|
Post by Jim Boylston on Jun 2, 2007 21:45:42 GMT -5
I thought the same thing, that Matilda must be referring to the Flowers lettter, but it could be that Crockett wrote Elizabeth as well. There are no extant letters to her, but it may well be that she didn't save any of them.
I agree with you about the presentation rifle, I think that's just a faulty memory.
I also agree about the Cobia book. I found the premise of that book interesting, and thought it attempted to fill a gap in the Crockett history, but I found it somewhat rambling and a bit confusing. Particulary disorienting was the author's tendency to move back and forth between fictional and factual sources. Sometimes he would discredit a source only to refer to the same source again later...very strange. He liked mentioning scenes in films too, if memory serves.
On the whole though, I found it to be a worthwhile addtition to the library. Never cared much for the title, though.
Jim
|
|
|
|
Post by Allen Wiener on Jun 3, 2007 11:18:52 GMT -5
Yeah - bizarre title.
Does anyone know which issue of "Alamo Journal" or "Crockett Chronicle" included an interview with one of Crockett's daughters? I think it was different from this one, but maybe it was the same one. I really need to index both of those publications because I know end up going through every issue to find various articles.
AW
|
|
|
|
Post by billchemerka on Jun 3, 2007 12:35:07 GMT -5
Yeah - bizarre title. Does anyone know which issue of "Alamo Journal" or "Crockett Chronicle" included an interview with one of Crockett's daughters? I think it was different from this one, but maybe it was the same one. I really need to index both of those publications because I know end up going through every issue to find various articles. AW The Matilda Fields recollection document appeared in issue #14 (Nov. 2006) of The Crockett Chronicle. It is the same document as linked in Jim's aforementioned post. There may be other appropriate documents as well in The Alamo Journal and The Crockett Chronicle. A simple Back Issue Index (main articles) is available for The Alamo Journal but, perhaps, I should make a more comprehensive one. Twenty-two years worth of issues which historians, authors and researchers have utilized has made for an interesting read. |
|
|
|
Post by Allen Wiener on Jun 3, 2007 14:09:48 GMT -5
To say the least; an extremely valuable resource.
AW
|
|
