A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, of the State of Tennessee.

by David Crockett

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Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, American History, Classics, Audiobook

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1834

About the author

aka Davy Crockett

Colonel David Stern Crockett was a celebrated 19th-century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician; referred to in popular culture as Davy Crockett and often by the popular title "King of the Wild Frontier." He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the Texas Revolution, and died at the Battle of the Alamo. His nickname was the stuff of legend, but in life he shunned the title "Davy" and referred to himself exclusively as "David".

Reviews

[Warwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The King of the Wild Frontier was no great writer, but he certainly lived through some interesting times. The prose style is conversational, with often fascinating outbreaks of nineteenth-century backwoods slang (Davy gets "plaguy thirsty" and knocks back "a leetle of the creater"), although the constant military campaigning of the first half can get a little repetetive.

The matter-of-fact way in which he writes about slaughtering Native Americans can be quite shocking, the more so for being described in this down-home laid-back style. At one point during the Creek War, his unit burns forty-six Indians alive in a house; the next day, running short of food, they discover a stash of potatoes in the cellar of the building. Crockett remarks that

hunger compelled us to eat them, though I had a little rather not, if I could have helped it, for the oil of the Indians we had burned up on the day before had run down on them, and they looked like they had been stewed with fat meat.

Jesus, what a detail. There are a few times in the text where such things reach across the years and give you quite a shock. (Later he goes a little way to redeeming himself by speaking out against the Indian Removal Act.)

When he wrote this, he was a Congressman with a not-unrealistic chance at the presidency. There are several passages of political grandstanding which haven't dated all that well, unless political history is your forte. But really the overriding feeling when you read these expressions of political ambition is one of pathos, knowing that soon after the autobiography was published, this man with all his big dreams lost his seat in Congress, and headed ultimately towards Texas – and the Alamo….

(Jan 2014)

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revealing story of an American icon

This is not the complete autobiography of David Crockett. This volume ends with Crockett again taking a seat in congress despite the efforts of Andrew Jackson partisans to defeat him in the election of 1833. In an act of apparent conscience, Crockett had opposed Jackson's Indian Removal Act against his own political interests, resulting in his defeat in his reelection campaign of 1831. Crockett was now firmly in the anti-Jackson camp as a serious contender for the presidency.

I have read that there is some question among scholars as to whether David Crockett, who lacked formal education, actually wrote this volume. Whether he did or not, the story and the opinions are his. Those who know Davy Crockett only as Disney's King of the Wild Frontier and as a defender of the Alamo will be surprised by this volume. For one thing it comes through the pages that as an Indian fighter, Crockett would rather hunt bears. This is an entertaining and informative story of an American icon.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining story of an American icon, February 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, of the State of Tennessee. (Kindle Edition)

This is not the complete autobiography of Davy Crockett. How he went from Congressman David Crockett, presidential contender, to Davy Crockett, martyred legend of the Alamo is another story. This volume ends in January 1834, with him again taking a seat in congress despite the efforts of Andrew Jackson partisans to defeat him in the election of 1833. Crockett had been defeated in his 1831 reelection bid after he opposed Jackson's Indian Removal Act. This action was an act of conscience by Crockett against his own self interest, making an enemy of the powerful president and Tennessee politician. He was now firmly in the anti-Jackson camp as a serious future contender for the presidency.

I have read that scholars question whether or not Crockett, who lacked formal education, actually wrote this autobiographical story. Whether he did or not, the story and opinions are his. For those who know Crockett only as Disney's King of the Wild Frontier and hero of the Alamo, this story of Crockett's life will be a surprise. For one thing, it comes through these pages that as an Indian fighter, he would rather hunt bears. This is an entertaining, well told story of an American icon.

This review is from the free Kindle e-book released November 27, 2011.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davy Crocket was such an impressive man that, after being executed soon after the Battle of the Alamo, he was still able to include details of the battle in his own retrospective autobiography. I'm guessing a ghostwriter or two had a hand here.

Irregardless, the frontiersman of American legend and lore lays out his life in a very homespun, fireside style recollectin'. Highly enjoyable stuff here! Old-timey yarn after old-timey yarn is woven into as colorful a tapestry as you could hope for from a mostly illiterate backcountry man of his own making.

His Own Story (which I think was titled My Own Story early on) starts with Crocket's boyhood and upbringing. This is just as interesting as the battles and woodsman stories of his later life, as it gives the reader a deeper understanding of what made the man.

No matter the age through out the timeline of Crocket's life, his descriptions are sparing but adequate. His narrative often merely touches upon a subject or whole swath of an age, but once he gets into a story, he gets into it! Lively accounts of battles with the Indians and 600lb bears are relayed with so much excitement it's as good as watching a movie!

Highly recommended to those already interested in this interesting man!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this certainly was in his own words & I didn't care for the reader. His tone didn't fit Crockett's character at all. Kind of whiny & went up at the end of sentences - asking, not telling. Not horrible, just didn't fit.

This was written as a true autobiography to put to rest the many lies he said others told about him. He makes that clear at the outset & seems to have finished it the day before the Alamo fell, although very little about the last is mentioned. It was a very uneven document, dwelling on trivia & completely leaving out major historical events. For instance, Crockett went into a lot of detail about bear hunts. He still remembered just how many he'd killed & all sorts of trivia about each one, yet his time in congress was simply mentioned that he'd been. I guess he figured that was part of the public record.

Before reading this, get a basic grounding in Andrew Jackson & the south eastern US during the early 1800's. Knowing a little about the Creek (1814) & Seminole (1816) wars ahead of time will help make better sense of Crockett's words. It was tough going for them & his casualness about the butchery is chilling.

If you're a fan of the Disney Crockett & want to remember him that way, don't read this. I was, but I also realized there was a real man of different, harder times behind the legend, so didn't find any of this particularly shocking, although it was more than a little repugnant at times. It seems politics hasn't changed much.

I can't recommend this, but it is an important work. It's short & worth reading if you're interested in this period or person.

[JohnnyBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty entertaining. I enjoyed the hunting descriptions a lot, even though I'm not sure how exaggerated they were. David Crockett was definitely an interesting person. I read this book for a school assignment and wrote a small paper on him. Although I do think he might've boasted/exaggerated his hunting ventures a little bit, I still think they were my favorite part of the book. I think some content could've been cut out, and I found some parts to be very offensive, such as all the racist remarks comparing black bears to black people.

[Majenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story stopped at 81%, followed by 19% advertising. I wonder what ol' Davy would think of that.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this book. I found it very interesting in several ways. First of all it gave me a very different view of Davy Crockett. It also was interesting to see how people lived in that day from their perspective. The writing itself was pretty poor and sometimes hard to follow but I kind of liked the down to earth nature of it. It seems like he was a lot prouder of killing bears than any other accomplishment in his life, and boy did he kill a lot of them (if he's telling the truth :P)

[Nicholas Strait · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor grammar aside (author readily admits this as a fault), the entire read was filled with racist descriptions and stories of wasteful hunting practices. I chose to read this based on an interest in hunting and the legend of Davy Crockett. This is one legend that needs to fade away.

[Brian Byerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight. Davy Crockett’s writing is hilarious and engaging. He gives you real insight into one of the most engaging personalities of the American frontier, and there is no topic off-limits, from his love life, to his participation in the Creek Wars, to his presidential (!) aspirations.

[Chloe H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but let it be said that David Crockett was not an especially skilled writer. 😂
It was cool hearing about those times from his viewpoint. I did really enjoy those beginning chapters. Who knew Davy Crockett was such a softie?

[Mary Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Very interesting. True look into the past. Can get hard to read at times due to different way of speaking . Not always straight forward. However, I over all enjoyed this book.

[Joshua Rex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davy Crockett for President! Get us our deposits back. “If you don’t elect me, y’all can go to hell and I will go to Texas.”

A fun quick read, but I’d probably rather go with the Tall Tales from the Almnac. Davy clearly has his political aspirations in mind, though the story isn’t without value.

[M.K. Laffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging storytelling and fast-paced plot line. Side characters could have used some more depth, but other than that this was a very worthwhile read.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining story of an American icon, February 21, 2016

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, of the State of Tennessee. (Kindle Edition)

This is not the complete autobiography of Davy Crockett. How he went from Congressman David Crockett, presidential contender, to Davy Crockett, martyred legend of the Alamo is another story. This volume ends in January 1834, with him again taking a seat in congress despite the efforts of Andrew Jackson partisans to defeat him in the election of 1833. Crockett had been defeated in his 1831 reelection bid after he opposed Jackson's Indian Removal Act. This action was an act of conscience by Crockett against his own self interest, making an enemy of the powerful president and Tennessee politician. He was now firmly in the anti-Jackson camp as a serious future contender for the presidency.

I have read that scholars question whether or not Crockett, who lacked formal education, actually wrote this autobiographical story. Whether he did or not, the story and opinions are his. For those who know Crockett only as Disney's King of the Wild Frontier and hero of the Alamo, this story of Crockett's life will be a surprise. For one thing, it comes through these pages that as an Indian fighter, he would rather hunt bears. This is an entertaining, well told story of an American icon.

This review is from the free Kindle e-book released November 27, 2011.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I listened to this on audio*

This is a part of my self-prescribed introduction into Southern figures and history, while I live in Tennessee. Davy Crockett lived in parts of East Tennessee, not far from my home now. Prior to this book, I knew fairly little about Crockett beyond the ditty about killing bears “when he was only three…”, which, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a slight exaggeration.

Some of the highlights/interesting tidbits for me included:
• Started hunting with a rifle at the age of 8
• Left school at 13, and didn't learn to read and write until much later
• Extremely proud of his self-education ( I think this idea of "street-smarts" vs. official schooling is still a matter of a lot of Southern pride)
• Became a US Congressman for State of Tennessee, and even thought seriously about running for President when he didn't like the current politics
• Strongly opposed Pres. Jackson's Indian Removal Act
• Died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836

I think next I'll read something on Daniel Boone.... Any recommendations?

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad. I lost track of what exactly was going on a lot of times, but the author's way of putting things is hilarious. I could almost hear him speaking in that backwoods accent the whole time I was reading.

I got bored of the bear killing, and a bit confused about his references to government, and I always thought he liked Indians a lot better than he seemed to here. But overall it wasn't the worst (or the best) literature book I've had in recent months.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure there is a lot of embellishment here, but it's a fun story to read and the main reason Crockett was a big enough figure still in the 1950s for Walt Disney to lionize him. He was a political figure built on the mythology he helped to create. He published this memoir during his lifetime and with the journals found at the Alamo you even get an impression of what happened in the last days of his life.

[Honor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple but enjoyable read, one of the literature classics list for my high school class. The section on his participation in the war against the Creeks dragged a bit, but overall Crockett had a great sense of humor. I was surprised to learn that part of his motive in writing an autobiography was to promote himself as a presidential candidate!

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an entertaining and enlightening book, a window into the Joe-Sixpack thinking of the early 1800s.

Seen through 2017 eyes, Crockett's life demonstrates:

* an apparently common (I am finding) abandonment of one's family to go off for months or years at a time to do "manly stuff" like bear hunting, Indian fighting, politicking, or looking for a new place to live.

* extreme cruelty and barbarism so common as to render modern day thoughts of PTSD as absurd

* writing a book to advance one's political career (which I would say is what drove Crockett to produce this book; more than once he offers the possibility of him becoming President) is quite an old idea on the American scene. The book is also full of his descriptions of adoring crowds. It seems he was the subject of some highly favorable publicity early in his career, almost like T.E. Lawrence being built into Lawrence of Arabia by Lowell Thomas, but this book doesn't get into that.

* Crockett's journey to Texas was not exactly altruistic. He was bitter about being defeated for re-election to Congress, claiming ugly partisan politics that did not reflect the will of the people was responsible for it. When going to Texas, he felt he was, in effect, renouncing his country. "I was done with politics for the present," he wrote, "and that they [my constituents] might all go to hell, and I would go to Texas."

* a perspective on Texas being wrestled from Mexico that I had never seen before. Crockett says the history of Spanish conquest of Mexico and a subsequent coup by which Santa Anna took over the Mexican government had left Mexico with an invalid claim to Texas. He also says pretty plainly that the American colony in Texas had always intended to become an American state when it revolted and declared independence from Mexico.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1869728...

It's a book which is quite obviously a first step in a presidential election campaign that never happened, full of references to the incumbent Andrew Jackson, most of which are rather obscure to anyone not familiar with the micro-politics of the year 1834. There is a lot of interesting detail about life on the frontier, including gruesome details of combat with various tribes and indeed with other white men; there's a surprisingly lengthy section about the intricacies of bear hunting; there's a sense that Crockett (and/or his ghost-writer) intended for large sections of it to be read aloud to his adoring public. There is surprisingly little detail on the politics - this is the most substantial passage about his falling out with Andrew Jackson:

"I can say, on my conscience, that I was, without disguise, the friend and supporter of General Jackson, upon his principles as he laid them down, and as "I understood them," before his election as president. During my two first sessions in Congress, Mr. Adams was president, and I worked along with what was called the Jackson party pretty well. I was re-elected to Congress, in 1829, by an overwhelming majority; and soon after the commencement of this second term, I saw, or thought I did, that it was expected of me that I was to bow to the name of Andrew Jackson, and follow him in all his motions, and mindings, and turnings, even at the expense of my conscience and judgment. Such a thing was new to me, and a total stranger to my principles. I know'd well enough, though, that if I didn't "hurra" for his name, the hue and cry was to be raised against me, and I was to be sacrificed, if possible. His famous, or rather I should say his in-famous, Indian bill was brought forward, and I opposed it from the purest motives in the world. Several of my colleagues got around me, and told me how well they loved me, and that I was ruining myself. They said this was a favourite measure of the president, and I ought to go for it. I told them I believed it was a wicked, unjust measure, and that I should go against it, let the cost to myself be what it might; that I was willing to go with General Jackson in every thing that I believed was honest and right; but, further than this, I wouldn't go for him, or any other man in the whole creation; that I would sooner be honestly and politically d—nd, than hypocritically immortalized. I had been elected by a majority of three thousand five hundred and eighty-five votes, and I believed they were honest men, and wouldn't want me to vote for any unjust notion, to please Jackson or any one else; at any rate, I was of age, and was determined to trust them. I voted against this Indian bill, and my conscience yet tells me that I gave a good honest vote, and one that I believe will not make me ashamed in the day of judgment. I served out my term, and though many amusing things happened, I am not disposed to swell my narrative by inserting them.
I wish he had swelled his narrative by inserting them. There's almost no indication in the book as to what Jackson's "Indian bill" (actually the Indian Removal Act) was about, and none at all as to Crockett's objections to it (other than that he thought it wicked and unjust)."

Part of the charm of the book is the obscure vocabulary. What are we to make of the word "toated" in this passage, where he has an unexpected encounter with his future first wife?

"I was sent for to engage in a wolf hunt, where a great number of men were to meet, with their dogs and guns, and where the best sort of sport was expected. I went as large as life, but I had to hunt in strange woods, and in a part of the country which was very thinly inhabited. While I was out it clouded up, and I began to get scared; and in a little while I was so much so, that I didn't know which way home was, nor any thing about it. I set out the way I thought it was, but it turned out with me, as it always does with a lost man, I was wrong, and took exactly the contrary direction from the right one. And for the information of young hunters, I will just say, in this place, that whenever a fellow gets bad lost, the way home is just the way he don't think it is. This rule will hit nine times out of ten. I went ahead, though, about six or seven miles, when I found night was coming on fast; but at this distressing time I saw a little woman streaking it along through the woods like all wrath, and so I cut on too, for I was determined I wouldn't lose sight of her that night any more. I run on till she saw me, and she stopped; for she was as glad to see me as I was to see her, as she was lost as well as me. When I came up to her, who should she be but my little girl, that I had been paying my respects to. She had been out hunting her father's horses, and had missed her way, and had no knowledge where she was, or how far it was to any house, or what way would take us there. She had been travelling all day, and was mighty tired; and I would have taken her up, and toated her, if it hadn't been that I wanted her just where I could see her all the time, for I thought she looked sweeter than sugar; and by this time I loved her almost well enough to eat her.

"At last I came to a path, that I know'd must go somewhere, and so we followed it, till we came to a house, at about dark. Here we staid all night. I set up all night courting; and in the morning we parted. She went to her home, from which we were distant about seven miles, and I to mine, which was ten miles off."

I'm mystified. I find definitions for 'toat' including "The handle of a joiner's plane" and "A tenth of a ton, or a woman weighing 200 pounds", but those are nouns; I need a verb which suits the situation, and can't really think of one. But it certainly has the effect of adding to Crockett's homespun mystique. He concludes that

"I do reckon we love as hard in the backwood country, as any people in the whole creation."

Of course, the book failed to get Crockett re-elected to congress in late 1834, and consequentially he went south to Texas and his story ended at the Alamo on 6 March 1836. But it's interesting to see an early example of a potential presidential candidate writing his autobiography, a path later pursued more successfully (from the perspectives of both political success and literary quality) by the current chap.

[Timothy Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book with only 122 pages. It was written as he would have said back in the day, so the language, humor, and roughness of character came through. Being a Crockett myself I do have an interest in the type of man Davy Crockett was. He truly was a Frontiersman. The stories of living/surviving on the frontier are sometimes harrowing. His exploits when on the hunt for wild bears are a reminder of what it took to feed and take care of family and Davy Crockett, his neighbors, and friends who he would gladly share his last piece of food with if they were hungry.

There wasn't a lot mentioned about his political career. I think there were some gaps in the biography on this part of his life.

I laughed when I read the first line of the first chapter - "As the public seem to feel some interest in the history of an individual so humble as I am..." I admit I chuckled a bit at this. I learned he had family in North Carolina, and I learned a couple of years back that my dad did as well. Would be interesting to run some kind of genealogy and see where that would lead.

Anyway, I enjoyed the book. It was short and easy to read and fun.

Read a good book on Frontier Life many lessons to be learned for sure.

[Joe]

This was extremely interesting. His manner of speech, and the things that he held to be most important were reflected by the times that he lived in. Which were common to him, but unknown to me. He DID spend a lot of time killing bears. It did in fact, seem to be his main occupation...or at least his favorite hobby. There are accounts of battles with native Americans, and battles WITH native Americans...AGAINST other tribes. There didn't seem to be any clear delineations between who fought whom. But that must have been only MY perception. This is the only account of Crockett written by himself. He appeared to be interested in becoming the President of the United States, but couched his interest by insisting that OTHER people were suggesting it ...or that if called, he would have no choice but to accept. This was a good read..and gave me a greater understanding of the man. The King of the wild frontier.

[Dustin Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading King of the Wild Frontier The Autobiography of Davy Crockett. It’s a very quick read but one that took me ten times longer to finish than most other books.

The book is in Davy Crocketts words and covers his life from when he was a baby till about the time he entered the US Congress in 1827. But the book was actually written in 1834 about two years before he came down to Texas and became a legend. He was a bear killing son of a gun that’s for sure. At one point in the book he says that he killed over a hundred bears in a year. So that’s one bear every 3-4 days on average. And he hunted with dogs.

Overall it was good to learn about his life before he came down to Texas. If you are in to reading about history and hunting pick it up.

“You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas.”

[JK · Rating 4 out of 5]

The telling of David Crockett's life is wonderfully done. It is interesting, amusing, and the colloquial terminology of the time and place is pure delight. Crockett was known to exaggerate in his storytelling and I would be surprised if he didn’t do any of that in his own memoirs. It is evident that the man couldn’t hold still and was charismatic. The end came suddenly to me as it would seem he was still making a record of some of his doing, even at the Alamo. And then it is over.

I can see how modern readers may get upset over Crockett’s opinion and use of words that have fallen out of favor in our time. If we can be wise enough to weigh the man against his environment, and not ours, I think we could appreciate this account and other historical records.

[Justin Feyereisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an age where US Olympic athletes are ashamed of representing their own country and politicians are fleeing because they don't have enough support for a bill, it's great to hear stories of a true American. Crockett's motto was "make sure your right then go ahead" I wish more politicians and people in general lived this way. He was voted out of congress because he went against party lines and voted against President Jackson's Indian Removal Act we need more politicians who have their own beliefs and morals instead of just voting for party lines. We need a lot more David Crockett's in both politics and throughout the United States.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not nearly as exciting as I hoped it would be. This is probably petty, but minus a star because he was not "born on a mountaintop in Tennessee" and, despite the massive bear body count, he did not, in fact, "kilt him a bar when he was only three." His son, however, seems possibly to have (? age of child unspecified during bear hunt stories). My disappointment in this fact is unmatched.

That aside, he did lead an interesting and compelling life. I think he's probably underselling himself in this work. There are many interesting stories in here and he seems to have had a good sense of humor.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whiggish autobiography

Crocketts autobiography is one of the most important primary sources not only for the settlement of the old Southwest but also for American politics in the early republic and Jacksonian era. The main body of the text is Jackson's exploits as a hunter soldier and local politician in western Tennessee. The last several chapters of the book I want of the more interesting descriptions of the difference between the Jacksonians who broke with Jackson--early Whigs--and the Democratic Party machine ruled by Jackson.

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't want to disparage Davy Crockett who was an icon of my youth by giving only 3 stars but... I recently listened to a class on American Myths and the professor recommended this and one of the Custer auto/biographies. For Davy the language was homespun but no problem. The book covers his wandering childhood, his electioneering, some adventures with Jackson, and a whole lot of bear hunting. It is just that there wasn't much to this biography, and he obviously couldn't cover the Alamo. Not sure I'll read Custer or Jesse James either.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up loving the fictionalized Davy Crockett popularized by Disney. I find these histories from this time period fascinating in terms of how differently kids of age 8-15 were treated back then compared to today, and how the histories seem to show that most children rose to the challenge. It is interesting to learn that Davy Crockett was indentured to a quasi stranger at a very young age and was very independent in the world just barely into his teens.