Free American Legend: The Real-Life Adventures of David Crockett by Buddy Levy

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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    While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
     
    Copyright © 2005 by Buddy Levy.
    Map by Jeffrey L. Ward.
    Portrait of Davy Crockett (1786-1836), 1834 (w/c on paper) by De Rose, Anthony Lewis (1803-36) © New York Historical Society, New York/Bridgeman Art Library; Image of The Fall of the Alamo © Stringer/Getty Images; Photograph of rifle © John Donelson.
     
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    eISBN : 978-1-440-68473-9
     
     
    Levy, Buddy, date.
American legend : the real-life adventures of David Crockett / Buddy Levy.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
    eISBN : 978-1-440-68473-9
    1. Crockett, Davy, 1786-1836. 2. Pioneers—Tennessee—Biography. 3. Frontier and pioneer
life—Tennessee. 4. Tennessee—Biography. 5. Legislators—United States—Biography.
6. United States. Congress. House—Biography. 7. Alamo (San Antonio, Tex.)—Siege, 1836.
8. Soldiers—United States—Biography. I. Title.
F436.C95L
976.8’04’092—dc22
     
     
    http://us.penguingroup.com

No man can make his name known to the forty millions of this great and busy republic who has not something very remarkable in his character or in his career. But there is probably not an adult American, in all these widespread States, who has not heard of David Crockett. His life is a veritable romance, with the additional charm of unquestionable truth. . . . As such, his wild and wondrous life is worthy of the study of every patriot.
     
    JOHN S. C. ABBOTT, 1874



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    Many people deserve thanks for their assistance at various levels in the creation of this book. My core group of writing colleagues, the Free Range Writers, has been supportive and constructively critical throughout the entire process of this book and during all my writing endeavors since the late 1980s, and my appreciation of their support is deep and abiding. They are Collin Hughes, Kim Barnes, Jane Varley, and Lisa Norris. My agent, Scott Waxman, was instrumental in the conception of this work, and he provided sage counsel during the proposal phase, offering a shrewd editorial eye and positive vision for what the book could become. He is creative, attentive, exceptional. Thanks also to his colleague Sally Wofford-Girand for recognizing that Scott and I would