James 'Jim' Bowie (1796-1836) was a frontiersman, land speculator, slave trader, and militia officer who became a legendary figure following the Sandbar Fight in 1827, an event that also made the Bowie Knife famous, and an international hero after his death at the Battle of the Alamo on 6 March 1836.
Prior to his death at the Alamo, Bowie was famous for the Sandbar Fight, notorious for his land deals, and admired for his leadership during the Texas Revolution in the fall of 1835, but, afterwards, he became an American hero, even though, for most of his life, he had done little that would suggest heroism as that term is usually understood.
He could be considered the accidental hero of the Alamo: a man of the right reputation in the right place at the right time to be immortalized after death as one of the greatest inspirational figures of 19th-century America.
Early Years
James Bowie was born on 10 April 1796 in Logan County, Kentucky, to Reason Bowie and Elve Ap-Catesby Bowie, the ninth of ten children who included his older brother Rezin, later to play an important role in his life. In 1802, Reason Bowie moved his family to the region of modern-day Louisiana, where James would grow up. Reason insisted on literacy for all his children, who were taught in English, but Rezin and James also learned French and Spanish, in which they became fluent.
James learned early how to hunt, fish, work the land, and manage the slaves his father owned. He became especially adept with a knife but, through hunting, was also proficient with firearms. During the War of 1812, James and Rezin enlisted in the Louisiana militia when James was 18, eager to fight under Andrew Jackson, but arrived too late to participate in the Battle of New Orleans (8 January 1815). The war was over, and the brothers mustered out and found work in the lumber business.
Land, Slaves & Jean Lafitte
James and Rezin had been left a quantity of slaves and other assets by their father's will, and, before Reason died in 1820, the brothers were already trying to increase their wealth through land speculation. There were many large lots in Louisiana that had the potential to earn their owners a great deal of money. The problem was that neither of the brothers had enough to buy the choicest lots. They needed a large influx of cash, and quickly, and so they hit upon slave trading.
The United States had outlawed the slave trade in 1808, and this had created a lucrative black market since slave owners still wanted to purchase slaves, but the supply had now been cut off. James and Rezin entered into an agreement with Jean Lafitte in which Lafitte would import slaves to his stronghold on Galveston Island, the Bowies would smuggle them to the mainland, and sell them for a high profit.
This plan, however, entailed serious risk and, further, all their effort could be for nothing if they, or any agents they used, were caught and the slaves were confiscated. Texas and Louisiana, like most Southern states, offered sizeable rewards for informing on illegal slave traders. The Bowie brothers, however, developed a plan that was risk-free, as described by scholar William C. Davis:
They would not sell the slaves to the planters themselves. Doing so ran them the risk of being caught and charged, with potentially deadly consequences, and also some planters could be reluctant to buy, knowing that the slaves would be confiscated if discovered. The Bowies wanted something that was as risk free as possible, and they hit on a brilliantly simple scheme.
They would themselves turn the slaves in to a state or federal official as illegal imports, while concealing their own roles as the conveyors of the Blacks. The slaves thus seized would be sold at auction, and the Bowies would outbid the other buyers, secure in the knowledge that they could afford to do so because half of the purchase price would be paid to them for having turned in the slaves in the first place.
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They had set their financial goal at $65,000.00, and when they reached this, they quit the slave trade and embarked on land speculation in Louisiana and Arkansas. Although they made some legitimate deals, they also seem to have sold lands they had no right to. When the purchasers threatened to sue them, the Bowies called upon the same government connections that had served them so well in their slave-trading days, and all official papers concerning these deals mysteriously disappeared.
The Sandbar Fight & Fame
Until 1827, Bowie was known locally as a land speculator and slave trader, but that all changed with the Sandbar Fight, which propelled him and his large knife to fame.
Bowie's problems with the banker Norris Wright, who was also sheriff of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, began in 1826 when Bowie supported Wright's opponent in the local election. Afterwards, Bowie applied to the bank for a loan and Wright turned him down. Further, Wright was heard to insult Bowie on several occasions.
Bowie confronted Wright who, without saying a word, drew his pistol and shot Bowie in the chest. The shot was deflected by a change purse he was carrying, and Bowie lunged at Wright, taking him to the floor and, holding him with one hand, tried to open a clasp knife (pocketknife) with his teeth. Before he could get it open, his friends pulled him off Wright.
Afterwards, Rezin Bowie gave his brother a large hunting knife so that, if he were ever in a similar situation, he would not have to fumble with a pocketknife. The origins of the Bowie knife are disputed, with some writers claiming James Bowie invented it, others that it was Rezin, and others that Rezin designed the knife and had it made by a local blacksmith. The best-known version of the knife was made by James Black, but that was not until late in 1830, and by that time, the Bowie knife was already famous. It seems the most generally accepted origin story is that the knife was made, or at least designed, by Rezin.
In 1827, two men of Rapides Parish – Samuel L. Wells III and Dr. Thomas H. Maddox – got into an argument they felt could only be settled by a duel. To evade the anti-dueling laws of Louisiana, they chose to face each other on a sandbar near Natchez, Mississippi, on 19 September 1827. Bowie agreed to come to support Wells, but had no official role in the duel, and Norris Wright did the same for Maddox. Others also accompanied the duelists, forming two separate parties of six in each.
Maddox and Wells faced each other and fired – both missing – then reloaded and fired again. After the second round, they made amends with a handshake and were retiring to a grove of trees to seal the peace with some wine. Their supporters, however, had various long-standing problems with each other, and General Samuel Cuny (of Wells' side) called to Colonel Crain (a Maddox supporter) that this was as good a time as any to settle their own differences and drew a pistol.
Crain turned and shot Bowie, standing next to Cuny, and then shot Cuny in the thigh, severing an artery. Bowie then drew his knife and ran at Crain, who hurled his empty pistol at him, striking him in the forehead and knocking him down. While this was going on, the others who had been walking toward the woods came rushing back.
Dr. Denny (Maddox's surgeon) grabbed Bowie, begging him to stop the violence, just as Norris Wright shot Bowie in the chest, taking off one of Denny's fingers. The Blanchard brothers (Maddox supporters) opened fire on Bowie, one bullet tearing into his thigh, dropping him to the ground. Wright then stabbed Bowie with his sword cane, and, while trying to free the blade, Bowie grabbed him, while Alfred Blanchard was stabbing Bowie with his sword cane.
As Wright pulled back, Bowie held on, rising to his feet, wounded Blanchard, and drove his knife into Wright, killing him instantly. The casualties in the approximately 90-second brawl were: Samuel Cuny and Norris Wright dead, Colonel Crain and Dr. Denny slightly wounded, Alfred Blanchard and James Bowie severely wounded. Bowie had been stabbed multiple times, struck on the head, and shot at least twice. No one understood how he had survived, and it took him two months to recover, but he lived.
During the two months of his convalescence, news of the Natchez brawl spread, the details exaggerated with almost every telling, until the story was picked up by the popular weekly periodical, Nile's Register in New York. At first, Bowie's name did not even appear in reports, but as the story was revised, he became a hero, set upon by overwhelming numbers, and yet, as Davis puts it:
He stood his ground and simply kept fighting. That was the sort of thing that turned brutal, pointless brawling into legend.
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The court was convened to hear the case in January 1828, but no indictments were issued, and Bowie was never called to testify. Bowie himself never publicly commented on the event, but fairly quickly, he would not have needed to, as newspapers and periodicals spread the story.
Reports of the 'great knife' used in the fight made the 'Bowie knife' a highly sought-after weapon in the United States, and, after the story traveled to England, British bladesmiths were producing large numbers of the knives less than five years after the fight, exporting many to the USA to capitalize on the demand. Bowie, described by friends and family as humble and sometimes even shy, was suddenly a household name.
Marriage, Land & the Lost Mine
Bowie moved to Texas in 1828 and, in order to better do business there, converted to Mexico's state religion of Roman Catholicism and was baptized, sponsored by the wealthy official Juan Martín de Veramendi and his wife. Traveling back to Louisiana, Bowie courted one Cecilia Wells and was engaged to be married, but Cecilia died in September 1829, two weeks before the wedding.
Returning to Texas in 1830, Bowie was elected colonel of the Texas Rangers and became a Mexican citizen. He dressed well, spoke fluent Spanish, and was well-versed in social etiquette, passing himself off as a wealthy land speculator and forming a business partnership with Juan Veramendi.
On 25 April 1831, Bowie married Veramendi's 19-year-old daughter, Maria Ursula, lessening the age difference between them by claiming he was only 30, when, in fact, he was 35. Although Bowie continued to pass as a wealthy member of the upper class, he had little money and borrowed from his in-laws to pay for the honeymoon. It is unclear why Juan Veramendi continued to give Bowie money when Bowie claimed he had plenty of his own, but, for whatever reason, he did.
To change this situation and become truly wealthy, Bowie embarked on an expedition to discover the legendary San Saba silver mine, said to be located somewhere northwest of San Antonio de Béxar, which was said to hold enormous wealth in untapped silver reservoirs. Bowie's party rode off into 'Indian Territory' where they were attacked by Native Americans, and the survivors returned having failed to find the mine. Bowie's second expedition also failed, and he gave up further attempts.
Texas Revolution
In 1832, tensions were rising between Anglo-American colonists and Tejanos in the district of Texas and the Mexican government over what the residents interpreted as a loss of their rights. The Anahuac Disturbances of 1832, led by William Barret Travis (who would again lead in the same region in 1835), were the first armed conflicts leading up to the Texas Revolution, and Bowie, who had formerly supported the Peace Party, seeking reconciliation between Texas and the Mexican government, joined the War Party in August 1832 after General José de las Piedras demanded all colonists in Nacogdoches surrender their arms.
He participated in the Battle of Nacogdoches (2 August 1832) and, in 1833, was among the delegates who met to outline demands for an independent Republic of Texas. That same year, a cholera epidemic broke out in Texas, and Bowie had his wife, children, and in-laws moved to their estate in Monclova. The epidemic struck there, however, killing Maria Ursula, their children, and Bowie's in-laws.
After the death of his family, Bowie began drinking heavily and, after the Battle of Gonzales (2 October 1835), which began the Texas Revolution, threw himself into the conflict. Of the six battles of the Texas Revolution in the fall of 1835, however, Bowie only participated in two: the Battle of Concepción (28 October 1835) and the Grass Fight (26 November 1835).
At Concepción, Bowie and James W. Fannin led 90 men on a scouting mission to establish a camp from which to launch an attack on San Antonio de Béxar. They were surprised by Mexican forces under Colonel Domingo Ugartechea and defeated them, owing largely to their more accurate firearms and strong position.
The Grass Fight was a Bowie-led mission to attack a troop of Mexican soldiers who were thought to be carrying the payroll to San Antonio de Béxar. Bowie's men scattered the Mexican soldiers and, afterwards, went through the saddlebags and packs on the mules. They found only freshly cut grass for the cavalry horses in Béxar, and afterwards, this engagement was known as the Grass Fight.
Alamo & Death
The Siege of Béxar (12 October to 11 December 1835) ended in a Texian victory and forced Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cos to surrender the fortification of the Alamo and retreat from Texas. A small force, under Colonel James C. Neill, then took over the Alamo and repaired damage from the siege.
In January 1836, Sam Houston sent Bowie with 30 men to destroy the Alamo after removing cannon, ammunition, and any other useful items. Houston felt the Alamo could not be held and should be leveled to prevent Antonio López de Santa Anna from using it should he return to try to retake Texas.
Bowie and Neill, however, felt the Alamo should be held and, instead of destroying it, sent word for reinforcements, provisions, guns, and ammunition. There was no way Bowie could have removed the cannon from the Alamo anyway, as he had too few oxen to pull any of them. He and Neill continued repairs to the fort while Bowie sent out the requests for aid.
In February, Lt. Colonel William Barret Travis arrived with around 30 men, and also David Crockett of Tennessee with another 30 volunteers. On 11 February, Neill left to deal with family matters and turned his command over to Travis. A dispute arose over who would lead at the Alamo – Bowie or Travis. Bowie was a militia colonel and claimed he outranked Travis, but Travis was a Lt. Colonel in the regular army and maintained he outranked Bowie.
Bowie's volunteers did not want to be led by a regular army officer, and so Travis, trying to maintain order and discipline, allowed them to vote. The men overwhelmingly chose Bowie, who decided to celebrate by getting drunk, releasing all the prisoners in San Antonio's jail, parading the Alamo garrison through the streets, and harassing the civilians for around 24 hours. Afterwards, once he sobered up, he and Travis agreed to co-command the garrison.
On 23 February 1836, Santa Anna's army marched into San Antonio, and the siege of the Alamo began. The next day, Bowie fell ill, and Travis assumed full command of the Alamo. Bowie remained confined to his bed throughout the 13-day siege, only making appearances periodically outside of his room in the low barracks to boost morale.
On 5 March, when Travis is said to have drawn his line in the sand, offering any man who wanted leave to go and those who would stay to step over the line, Bowie is alleged to have had himself carried over the line in support of Travis.
The Battle of the Alamo on the morning of 6 March 1836 was a Mexican victory. The fort was stormed, and all the defenders killed except a handful that surrendered, including David 'Davy' Crockett, who were executed immediately afterwards. There are conflicting reports concerning Bowie's death, but it is generally agreed that he died in his bed, fighting with two pistols and his famous knife, before he was bayonetted.
This image of Bowie's death, coupled with his legendary stand at the Sandbar Fight, established his enduring status as a hero who battled on against the odds, never surrendering, fighting to the death for what he believed in.
Conclusion
Bowie's death at the Alamo made him a national, and then international, hero. For most of his life, Bowie had done little to win him any fame. The Sandbar Fight was more of an accidental fracas than the heroic stand it became in news reports, and Bowie's participation in the siege of the Alamo was nearly non-existent.
Even so, the 'inventor of the Bowie knife' was mourned along with the other Alamo heroes in the years following the battle, and various stories began to circulate of his heroic exploits before and after coming to Texas. In the 20th century, Bowie's fanbase widened further, and between 1956 and 1958, The Adventures of Jim Bowie series aired on television, capitalizing on the popularity of Disney's Davy Crockett miniseries (1954-1955).
Today, Jim Bowie remains the larger-than-life figure created by 19th-century writers, and one must wonder what Bowie himself would make of his modern-day status. Most likely, as he seems to have done after the Sandbar Fight, he would have little to say, but he would no doubt be amused to find he had become a worldwide inspirational figure for almost 200 years.
