10 Myths of the Alamo: How Did Davy Die?

"The 13-day siege and Battle of the Alamo, 23 February to 6 March 1836, is among the most famous in American history, but, like any such event, it has inspired several myths, many accepted as historical fact. Disney's miniseries (1954-1955), especially Davy Crockett at the Alamo, and John Wayne's full-length feature film The Alamo (1960) popularized many of these myths as they were both often people's introduction to the story of the Alamo."

"The writers for both the miniseries and movie were not making events up, of course, but were simply repeating what they understood as actual history. Among these myths is one which is still, often hotly contested: that Davy Crockett died fighting on the walls of the Alamo. According to Mexican Colonel José Enrique de la Peña (1807-1840), present at the Battle of the Alamo, Crockett was among those who surrendered and were executed on 6 March 1836."

"Other myths have taken on the sheen of historical fact through propaganda written on the siege and battle from the 19th through the mid-20th century, and some are more recent inventions. The Most Shocking Place in Texas - Real Alamo Ghost Stories on the Shocking Ghost Stories YouTube channel, for example, claims that the room Jim Bowie died in at the Alamo is now haunted by his ghost."

The Alamo siege and battle generated numerous myths that many people accept as historical fact. Mid-20th-century media, notably a Disney miniseries and a John Wayne film, popularized several of these myths and shaped public perception. One contested myth holds that Davy Crockett died fighting; an eyewitness claim by Mexican Colonel José Enrique de la Peña asserted Crockett surrendered and was executed, a rumor circulating since 1836 and later gaining some scholarly acceptance. Other cinematic or propagandistic claims include a large long-range Mexican cannon and modern ghost stories alleging Jim Bowie’s death room is haunted, despite that room no longer existing.

Read at World History Encyclopedia