Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett's Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution (New Narratives in American History) Reviews

• historian's personal story researching the Texas Revolution

  
  By AP26NWNNVKV3S on 2004-12-11
  James Crisp provides a unique account of historical research, written in the first person, about doing documentary research - much like a detective - on various aspects of the Texas Revolution. His approach begins with how he was first exposed to Texas history and all its myth and legend as a schoolboy in Texas. His personal experiences with race and segregation then began to mold his worldview and contributed to his academic study of history. Race and Texas continued to be important themes in his professional pursuits, as one chapter shows how Crisp uncovered the real Sam Houston speech to volunteers at Refugio, a speech much different from the one alleged to have been a racist attack against the Mexican opposition. This episode in Sleuthing the Alamo illustrates how history is often more complex than it appears at first glance (even with hindsight) as a document purported to be a genuine record of Houston's speech and relied on by academics was the product of censorship, mistranslation, and embellishment - by four different parties influencing the document itself for over a century. Uncovering the stories behind the allegedly racist Houston speech solidified Crisp's thesis that race was more a consequence than a cause of the Texas Revolution. The Houston speech "detective story" is just the beginning. No doubt the most controversial part of this book will be what Crisp has to say about the de la Pena diary and the fate of Davy Crockett at the Alamo, a subject to which Crisp is no stranger to controversy. He provides a similar rundown of the Yellow Rose of Texas legend in the afterword, but the final verdict on that legend seems less well settled by comparison, and it appears to in fact remain under investigation. Overall, an extremely readable book that will capture anyone interested in Texas history, the Alamo, the role of legend in culture, and the process of historical documentary research.
  
  

• Not For The Novice Alamo Reader

  
  By A2A8ZMZSBSORPU on 2005-03-17
  If you're looking for your basic action-filled tale of land-grabbing "foreigners" valiantly holding their ground for 13 days against the "bloodthirsty" hordes of Mexican soldiers at the shrine of Texas independence, this book definitely is NOT for you. More of a thin, scholarly piece (less than 200 pages of actual text) this is more for the person who knows something about the battle of the Alamo and has read other books on the subject. Crisp's main thesis is well-thought-out; notably that many of the past injustices in Alamo writing have their roots in racist attitudes perpetuated from the 1800's following the fall of the Alamo and which are today, to some extent, still prevalent.
  Beginning with his childhood we are shown how even he, a native of Texas, was exposed to those racist attitudes and it was not until his late teens that he came to realize that just because a person's skin is a different color doesn't mean they are a bad person. Yet this attitude, he explains, was what gave the native Tejanos in Texas the proverbial "short end of the stick" when discussing the Alamo. As a result, what we get is more a story of personal discovery and education wrapped around the Alamo narrative.
  If you aren't familiar with the controversy surrounding such items as the de la Pena diaries (one Mexican soldier's account of the battle) and are simply looking to find out how good old Davy (he preferred David) Crockett died, there are other books on the market which should no doubt be read first. If, on the other hand, as mentioned before, you're well-versed in the Alamo battle and lore, you'll want to pick up this most recent Alamo book.
  Gets 4 stars instead of 5 mostly due to length since it seems there are other areas Crisp could have discussed as well. Eminently readable, you can read it in one sitting with no problem.
  
  

• Great example of how the historian's work should be done

  
  By A3AUL23GMCOP2A on 2005-05-24
  Books like this are one of the reason I love reading history. A partisan of neither the traditional interpretations of Texas history nor of the newer "revisionist" narrative that explains the events of the 1830s as nothing but a race war, Crisp dives deep into some critical primary sources, showing how they have been largely misinterpreted throughout the dialectical debate. Facts may be immutable things, but it's the historian's job to weave them into a narrative (p. 183) and to deliver that narrative to a broader public (p. 188). Facts can only be understood in that broader context. And when our context changes, so too must our narrative. In that sense, this little volume sets off some pretty big explosions in the way Texan history should be understood.
  
  But more than just a great work of history, this is also a memoir that ranks with Martin Gilbert's In Search of Churchill - A Historian's Journey as a sterling example of how a fine historian does his job. In contrast to those who think history can ever be a "nailed-shut" case (Henry Clausen and his Pearl Harbor: Final Judgement come to mind), Crisp displays the curiosity, perseverance, skills -- I'm shocked to discover there are apparently serious writers on early Texas history who can't read Spanish -- and skepticism that kept him digging deeper into the historical record.
  
  This is a fascinating work of history that, to use the obvious and inevitable comparison, is as interesting and exciting as a well-crafted detective story. But it's also a wonderful example of how the historian's work should be performed. For that reason, I would heartily recommend this book, not only to students of the Texas revolution, but to anyone interested in the theory and practice of historiography.
  
  

• Excellent detective story.

  
  By A2VC881UIUMDIM on 2005-02-14
  The author's enjoyable account of his personal perspective derived from growing up in Texas is further enhanced by some excellent detective work on historical questions. The author makes a compelling case endorsing de la Pena's history of the Mexican army's loss of Texas (de la Pena was an officer under Santa Anna who roundly criticized Santa Anna for poor military judgment, including a denunciation of Santa Anna's decision to attack the Alamo as a wasteful expenditure of Mexican lives to achieve glory for Santa Anna with no real military value). The author also examines the circumstances of Davy Crockett's demise at the Alamo, and suggests the commonly held view of how it happened may not be the accurate one. Well worth the read.
  
  

• How did Davy die?

  
  By A3PGGI7A6XCNF1 on 2005-02-28
  This extremely well written book just does not concentrate on the facts of the Texas Revolution in general, and the battle of the Alamo in particular. It is, rather, a record of the author's personal journey to discover the facts and the truth about what happened in 1835-36 Texas. We follow along almost breathlessly as he navigates through many contradictory opinions, and works himself into a place where he feels that he has found a truth that conforms with his researches. He is not so bumptious as to assume that his truth is the truth, but it suffices for him based upon his research. It's a fascinating journey, and we learn many new things about the Texas Revolt against Mexico, and what may have ben the ultimate fate of Davy Crockett at, or after, the battle for the Alamo. Perhaps we will never know with certainty what exactly happened, but for now I am content to accept the author's conclusions, until something different, and more convincing, comes along.
  
  
• Revealing Facts about the Alamo, the Texas Revoloution with Social History of Texas
  By A3CX9ZSEFCDXX4 on 2006-10-28
  This book covers a variety of Alamo subjects but the obvious most fascinating chapters are on what really happened to Davy Crocket at the Alamo. Was he really one of a half dozen survivors that were forced to surrender and then promptly executed? Besides this fascinating study are five primary subjects of interest. The first is a social history centering on the treatment of Hispanics in Texas after the revolution, the second chapter on a Sam Houston controversy, the next centers on Santa Anna and the Alamo and the presumed capture of Davey Crockett, followed by a detaile historical sleuthing of the facts around Crockett's alleged capture, a section on whether there really was a woman literally having a tryst with Santa Anna at San Jacinto to keep him occupied while the Texans maneuvered into a surprise attack and the final section covers the evolution of portraits about the Alamo that creates the Custer like "Last Stand" presentation as well providing a negative portryal of the Mexican army. A small book loaded with fascinating analysis that starts with Crip's social study of Hispanic prejudice based on his own child hood experiences and education supplied by actual cartoons from books of his youthful era that reflect negatively on Hispanics and black Americans. The study indicates that over time, the Tejanos participation in Texas independence was forgotten not too long after victory. Houston's chapter focuses on a speech to Texas forces in an attempt to persuade them not to prematurely invade deep into Mexico. A historical presentation of that speech indicates that Houston used deragatory references to their Hispanic associates. Crisp challenges the references leading him to the only original recording of the speech made by a Prussian Texan who wrote the version in German. Crisp's findings reveals a new interpretation of that speech. The Crockett mystery is a virtual detective historical study. Much was written about the de la Pena diaries/book that states that Crockett survived with six others. Although de la Pena was an officer serving with Santa Anna and claimed to be a witness to the Alamo's final capitulation, his diaries were only recently discovered and many historians claimed that they were either fraudulent or fiction. Crisp does an incredulous job of research addressing the alleged inconsistencies but he also determined other witnesses and testimonies that address the same subject. This is the most exciting part of the book as many still remember the famous portraits with Davey Crockett swinging his rifle to the end or in mid century, Fess Parker fighting to the death in the Disney Crockett version. Well presented and virtually satisfying, you will have to read the book to enjoy the end of the mystery. The final chapter studying the evolution of the Alamo as a virtual shrine reminds me of Paul Hutton's study of the "Little Bighorn" in his book "The Custer Reader". This is a unique and satisfying book but remember it is a social history mixed with the Alamo study. The meat of the Crockett mystery is dead center in the book, previous sections build toward that and other mysteries. One thing I think the author was only slightly remiss in, if Crockett and a small company were captured, it does not make them any less heroic. They stayed when they had the option to leave and they fought Santa Anna's army for 13 days until the Alamo's defenders were overwhelmed. They will always remain heroic as we "Remember the Alamo!"
  
  
  
  
• Interesting historical read about the Alamo and myths
  By A3DRSOGQJRX10 on 2006-09-07
  For so many reasons, it is difficult for Americans (or any nation's people) to face up to what may be the truth versus the "mythology" that they believe and/or were taught to believe. Mythical, larger than life figures give us a sense of purpose and pride. James Crisp deals with just such an issue with David Crockett and how he died at the Battle of the Alamo.
  
  Did Crockett die in the Alamo fighting until his last breath? Did he die after being captured? Are the de la Pena diaries real, and if so, did Crockett die the way de la Pena says he died? People have lashed out at Crisp for his book, but his arguments are solid and he is willing to look at all sides of the issues about the Alamo, the battle that took place there, and the legend of David Crockett.
  
  It's a short read, but well written and worth the time to learn more about Texas History and the realities of the Battle at the Alamo.
  
  
• A man with an agenda
  By A22WOAW4KP1NBM on 2008-07-31
  Anyone who has ever listened to James Crisp knows he has an agenda to destroy the history of the Texas Revolution. Crisp has an ego and wants to be remembered (along with others) as the historian who discovered that "Davy surrendered". Never mind the fact that the de la Pena diary is most certainly a fake (it is written in several different scripts). If you want to buy into this "snake oil salesman" of a historian fine. If you want to read the truth...then skip this book.
  
  
• A very important book
  By A3KZTEUNNB20OY on 2006-01-13
  This book proves how important it is to possess a logical mind, to ask questions rather than just accepting the history served to you, and, if possible, to go back to the original source material. Crisp's book should serve as a guidebook to all future historians. Yes, it's a relatively short book, but it's well worth your time and money.
  
  
• Intriguing
  By A3IRLFDJSKFSZA on 2006-11-11
  Very well done. I couldn't put it down. I especially liked the "Personal Prologue". Excellent.
  
  
• Great Gift for Your Favorite Texas History Buff
  By A1NUPFBJ96BN8S on 2006-11-27
  A friend gave me this book a couple of years ago, and I've kept it on my nightstand ever since. It's a great, quick look into some of Texas' most infamous mysteries. A good starting place for digging deeper into Texas history.
  
  
• Good if you want to learn about obscure Texas Revolution history. Not much else.
  By A14K5N3HUX6FER on 2008-10-26
  I have to say that this is one of the more bland and sleep-inducing books I've been forced to read in some time. I was assigned it for my historiography course to learn how to study history. I have to say the only part I considered to be "good" was the personal introduction. I don't know if that is supposed to carry through to the next too-many pages in this book, but it didn't.
  
  My main beef with this book was the sheer dullness of it, to me at least. I am not an American Historian by trade, I usually find it a little unrooted in significantly major events history, such as the rise and fall of Rome, so that is likely influencing my view. However, the long exerpts of history contrasted with the "present" time very oddly in my view. After a hundred pages though, I looked forward to the present time perspective of the author; the pure history was literally putting me to sleep in my chair.
  
  If you want to learn about the Texas Revolution and how it happened, this is a good book for you. If you don't have that focus in mind, don't waste your money on this one, there's likely better books written in a similar way in a different realm of history.
  
  
• Nice book about the alamo from a Native Texan
  By ASFM5KDC7VWI8 on 2006-02-25
  Mr Crisp does an excellent job of descirbing the events of the Alamo. How the Disney Davy Crockett movie has had an affect on us. I would Not recommend this book to anyone who is just starting out on the details of the Alamo, but for the more knowlegdable person in regards to background/history of the Alamo(this is just one man's opinion though).
  
  
  
• Mostly for buffs
  By A10F2RGD2D36ZI on 2006-02-25
  That Sleuthing the Alamo has no index is a tip-off that this volume is not the sort of academic book usually published by Oxford University Press.
  
  Crisp does two things well here: 1. he carefully unravels the earlier bowdlerizing, mistranslation, and general mishandling of a German memoir of the Texas Revolution by one Herman Ehrenberg, a retelling that puts anti-Mexican sentiments into the mouth of Sam Houston, and 2. he defends the authenticity of a diary of a Mexican soldier, Jose Enrique de la Pena, which (among other merited swipes at Santa Anna) asserts that the general ordered Davy Crockett's murder after the latter was taken prisoner at the fall of the Alamo.
  
  Around these two themes are wrapped the author's musings about his Texas childhood and the racism once de rigueur in Texas elementary schools, as well as speculations about the Yellow Rose of Texas and overly solemn assessments of silly missives Crisp and his predecessors received from amateur defenders of received wisdom about the Texas Revolution.
  
  If you're a Texas Revolution buff and already have a command of its controversies and primary sources, this is an important book. If you have limited interest in Sam Houston's views of Mexicans or in how Davy Crockett died, then you'll probably find Sleuthing the Alamo of marginal interest.
  
  It's a poor historian whose juices don't flow when he's on the hunt for documentary shenanigans. But it takes an unusual one to make a coherent narrative out of the search.
  
  
• Sleuthing the Alamo : Davy Crockett's Last Stand
  By A3ISYAFXKR5UIL on 2006-03-03
  very good book.
  
  enjoyed it very much
  
  

• The History of Texas
• Alamo Traces: New Evidence and New Conclusions
• Sam Houston and the American Southwest, 3rd Edition (Library of American Biography)
• Gone to Texas: A History of the Lone Star State
• The First Waco Horror: The Lynching of Jesse Washington And the Rise of the Naacp (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students Texas A & M University)