From the Annals of the Frontier –  In 1786, David Crockett was born in Tennessee.  Crockett was an authentic frontiersman and hunter as a young man.  When he embarked on a political career, his legend grew.  Crockett was reputed to be uncomfortable with his portrayal in the popular media of the time and took exception to the unauthorized biography Sketches and Eccentricities of Colonel David Crockett of West Tennessee.   But his popular persona helped him gain election to the Tennessee state house.  From there his political career moved to Washington where served three terms as a U.S. congressman from eastern Tennessee.  He was arguably among the two or three most famous Congressmen in U.S. history (Henry Clay and Sonny Bono might even agree).  His stance against Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act likely caused him to lose his congressional seat and set him in motion towards Texas.  In 1835, Crockett set out for Texas with 30 Tennesseans.  Along the way he was greeted by enthusiastic crowds.  Crockett still had political ambitions and likely viewed himself as a potential president of an independent Texas.  Based on his previous experience, he was probably not interested in serious military activity in support of the Texas revolution and not interested in becoming a dead military hero.  The circumstances of his death at the Alamo have been hotly debated.  Credible accounts establish that he was among a handful of survivors who were executed after the fighting ceased.  That in no way detracts from the heroism of this true American icon.