James Bowie

James Bowie (1796-1836) was an American farmer, slave trader, and land speculator in the early 19th century. He saw military service in the Louisiana Militia during the War of 1812. His unit was ordered to report to General Andrew Jackson in New Orleans, but arrived at that city too late to participate in the war's final battle. In 1819 he also took part in the Long Expedition, a privately funded coup intended to "liberate" Texas from the Spanish Empire and establish a republic ruled by James Long, a US citizen. Bowie abandoned the expedition during its occupation of the town of Nacogdoches and was not present when the force was defeated by the Spanish army in 1820.

Bowie and his brother Rezin made a fortune as planters, slave traders, land speculators, and con men. In 1827 the Arkansas Supreme Court received 126 complaints from clients who had been sold forged land grants by the Bowie brothers. When many of these complainants attempted to sue the Bowies, they found that the evidence of the fraudulent land sales had disappeared.

Bowie became internationally famous as the namesake of the Bowie Knife, a name given to any very large hunting or buthcer knife used as a personal weapon. Bowie carried a massive knife, its blade 9.25 inches long by 1.5 inches wide, on his person at all times as a weapon for self defense. In 1827 he used this knife to kill Sheriff Norris Wright of Rapides Parish, Louisiana in a brawl. He had attempted to murder Wright the previous year but had been prevented from doing so by his friends. It was after this attempt that he began carrying the weapon.

Bowie took part in the Texas Revolution and was second-in-command at the seige of the Alamo in February-March 1836 after Colonel William Travis. Like all the Alamo's defenders, he was killed on March 6, 1836.

James Bowie in "Lee at the Alamo"
As Robert E. Lee prepared to stand hisown seige in the Alamo in February 1861, he thought of the stand made by Davy Crockett, William Travis, James Bowie and others almost exactly 25 years earlier. He reflected that the effective force at his command was hardly any larger than their tiny volunteer garrison and suspected that in the end he too would be defeated.