"A stunning tour de force of research and analysis that illuminates the last three months of ‘Davy's’ life. Wiener's book will stand in the top rank . . . . He also adds important new speculation and analysis on those last thirteen days in the Alamo."
—William C. Davis, author of
Lone Star Rising: The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic
David Crockett in Texas: His Search for New Land
, by Allen J. Wiener, takes a fresh look at the well-known figure from the perspective of his quest for land in Texas and the new start it promised for his family. This retelling of what the author terms “the last adventure in the life of a nineteenth-century Tennessee frontiersman who became a national celebrity” presents a picture of Crockett that contrasts with the popular image of the brash adventurer who sought glory on the battlefield as well as that of the bitter, failed politician who came to Texas as a last resort. Wiener presents a nuanced examination of Crockett’s motivations that places them in the context of the full arc of his career and aspirations, starting long before he ventured to the south side of the Red River.
Notably, this book devotes a full chapter to the fate of Crockett’s family after his death, contributing perhaps the most complete account to date of the astute legal actions taken by Elizabeth Crockett to secure title to the land obtained by her late husband’s enlistment in the Texian cause. Uniquely to studies of Crockett, Wiener presents Elizabeth Crockett as a shrewd businesswoman who ably managed her husband’s various enterprises at home while he was off campaigning or serving in Washington, DC.
David Crockett in Texas
offers fascinating new evaluations of what we thought we already knew about one of the most studied and debated figures in Texas and American history.