Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Readable History
Review: A brilliant work by one of our finest popular historians. In this case the work is so well documented, with endnotes, that it is worthy of a doctoral thesis. But it is as well written as a novel. The endnotes themselves are filled with vignettes about each of the three "great men", Travis, Bowie and Crockett. It is interesting to watch them develop, in effect grow, to become the men who became legend. Heatily recommend it because of it's outstanding scholarship and it's readability. Anyone who enjoys real history will love this.
Rating:
Summary: A great history book
Review: A great book full of information that you don't read about in the normal history books. I wonder if the administration at the Central Texas school named for Bowie knew at the time what a stinker he really was? Anyway, he was not short on courage, so maybe he was okay to name the school after anyway.The life and times of Davy Crockett written about in the book is also very interesting. His life was as interesting as it was troublesome. His financial ups and downs (even at the peak of his political career) make interesting reading, especially when you learn about his title as author and how his earnings were sometimes tied directly to his ability to make money through his books.
Rating:
Summary: Three is Better than one.
Review: After spending a semester of my college life studying William Barret Travis, I became versed on the Texas Patriot's life. Authors who wrote singly on Travis have not scratched the surface on his life. But, Davis has, in his triple biography of Travis, Crockett, and Bowie, effectively described in amazing detail the life of William Barret Travis. He bests those who focused only on the young Texan. His work is first-rate and second to none. 5 out of 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: In depth analysis of the people behind the myths
Review: Almost immediately after the Alamo fell March 6, 1836, it became shrouded in so many myths that there's still some that people hold firm beliefs in today. Naturally, the majority of the myths and legends surround the three main personalities: David Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis. This book attempts to strip away all of the folklore that has become virtually synonymous with these three. Their lives are laid bare, showing the common reader that they were human, after all. The legendary Crockett had political troubles, Bowie was notorious for dealing heavily in land swindles and slavery, and Travis was pretty much a failure at everything before packing up and moving to Texas (unfortunately, leaving his family behind him in Alabama). Despite showing their flaws and shortcomings, however, the author does not attempt to undermine their brave stand at the Alamo. He maintains that they fought for what they believed in, and that makes them admirable. This book is unique in that it is, essentially, a triple biography. There is not one complete section for each of the three subjects; rather, the book is written so that the chapters alternate between each of them. This provides the reader with a sense of where the other two were and what they were doing while maintaining a primary focus on the third. While it is quite a hefty tome, it is at the same time quite readable and enjoyable to boot. Davis clearly has done his homework and hopefully this will become one of the quintessential books on the Alamo.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable and fascinating background on Alamo heroes.
Review: An endlessly fascinating account of the lives of Travis, Bowie, and Crockett, the three most familiar names from among all the Alamo heroes. Meticulous research shows the dark side as well as the heroic side of their characters,and one is struck by the impression of an inexorable force drawing these three disparate personalities from widely separate backgrounds to stand together and take their place in history. A "must read" for anyone interested in how Texas got that way. (Warning for Sam Houston devotees: be prepared to deal with a distinctly unflattering impression of this Texas icon.)
Rating:
Summary: Rich in detail.
Review: An outstanding, if occasionally tedious, book, crammed with detail. It's a long book, too; essentially three biographies rolled into one. I had wanted for quite some time to read a biography of Crockett, which is what led me to this book.
It turns out that Crockett was the real thing: a true backwoodsman and accomplished hunter, and an honest and honorable man. He was always dirt poor, but strived to be (and be accepted as) a gentleman. He was a peaceful man, too, not a brawler.
He became involved in politics almost immediately after his return from the Creek War, obtaining elected office in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was a naturally astute politician who knew how to ingratiate himself with a crowd by telling funny stories and displaying his frontiersman wit, but without taking any controversial positions. And, while he was a bona fide backwoodsman, he capitalized on that persona -- in today's parlance, one of the first "outside the Beltway" types. He also portrayed himself as a reluctant candidate, which he often was at the municipal level. He had a strong sense of honor and prized his reputation. He took offense at the slightest suggestion of any impugning or ridicule of his name, which, of course, made him somewhat vulnerable to political enemies. He had two terms in the Tennessee legislature and three terms in the US Congress (with a failed reelection bid in between his second and third term), with various municipal posts in between and after his last term in Congress.
Jim Bowie, on the other hand, was something of a gentlemanly fraud. Part of a large family that participated in his schemes, he ran contraband slaves early in his adult life. He would defraud the Government by smuggling blacks into Louisiana from Texas (which was still part of Mexico), then turn them over to the Government as runaways. Being runaway slaves, but not knowing to whom they belonged, the Government would auction them (perish the thought of freeing them). Bowie would buy them and then get half his bid back as his reward for having turned them in in the first place. He would then turn around and sell them at a profit.
His principal vocation, however, was trying to make the big score via land fraud -- forging Spanish land grants and their subsequent conveyance to him of land in Louisiana, then applying to the Government for recognition of his "ownership" so that he could turn around and sell the land for profit. Most of his land schemes ultimately proved unsuccessful and never provided the big payoff for which he constantly strove. Davis goes into numbing detail on his many land schemes.
William Barret Travis was an unsuccessful yuppie of his times, failing in his marriage and his law practice in Alabama. He deserted both for a new start in Texas, having gotten himself into more debt in Alabama than he could handle.
All three wound up in Texas for similar reasons. They weren't prospering at home -- Crockett in Tennessee, Bowie in Louisiana, and Travis in Alabama. All three were basically good men -- even Bowie, a product of his times, had many redeeming qualities -- and neither had any shortage of personal courage. Their paths converged, and ended, at the Alamo.
The battle of the Alamo occupies about 30 pages towards the end of the book (chapter 21). While interesting, it doesn't provide any new insight as far as I can tell. However, the description of events leading up to the Alamo is an illuminating example of how a lack of discipline in a military force -- in this case, the Texas militia -- among leaders as well as the men, leads to ineffectiveness. Had they been better organized and disciplined, they undoubtedly could have cleared Texas of Mexican troops in October or November of 1835. In the event, it took the appearance of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his main force, along with the heroic example of the Alamo, to motivate Sam Houston's "army" into becoming a sufficiently effective fighting force. And, arguably, the Texas militia that died at the Alamo had no choice but to tend to their defense as well as they could.
Rating:
Summary: some are born great, some achieve greatness....
Review: and others have greatness thrust upon them...This seems to be the theme of this excellent book, dealing the "Alamo Trinty" of Crockett, Bowie and Travis. None of these men were born great, but wound up achieving (in the case of Travis) or having it thrust upon them..(Crockett and Bowie)All of these men were flawed, Travis and Crockett with irreponsibilty and Bowie a general disregard for the law. (The book doesn't say this, but you get the impression that Bowie's death wasn't terribly far ahead of an arrest warrent..)Crockett had failed in two terms as a congressman, but not really through any fault of his own in this case. He had angred Andrew Jackson,and in the election of 1835, told the voters he had done his best and if they didn't like it,"You can go the hell and I'll go to Texas" (not "I'll go to hell or Texas" as another reviewer puts it. Bowie was a land swindler, Travis's marriage had failed...Yet these three flawed men rose above all faults and failings to become American heroes. We need our heroes and this book helps us understand how ordinary men, feet of clay and all, can and often do become heroes....
Rating: 
Summary: missing many important notetations on statements made
Review: appears well writtin at frist, but makes many statement without facts to back them up. still I enjoyed the book
Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: As a Tennessee native and a Texan by choice, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Davy Crockett was the representative from the Congressional district where I grew up and it was very enjoyable to learn more about how things were when my ancestors first came into the area. The book also reveals a lot about who each of the three main characters really were and offers a lot of insight into the War For Texas Independence. It should be mandatory reading for Texans. Sam McGowan,
Vietnam Veteran and Author of "The Cave," a novel of the Vietnam War.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, I learned so much from this book.
Review: As with other Davis books, history changes after you have read them. His research is impeccable and fascinating.One can almost see him poking about in old courthouses following a seemingly obscure reference to discover "historical gold." This would make an interesting movie.
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