People from Opelousas, Louisiana - James Bowie, Dud Lastrapes, Rezin Bowie, W. W. Dumas, Rod Bernard, Cat Doucet, Richard Eastham, T. H. Harris (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 24. Chapters: James Bowie, Dud Lastrapes, Rezin Bowie, W. W. Dumas, Rod Bernard, Cat Doucet, Richard Eastham, T. H. Harris, Clifton Chenier, Albert Tate, Jr., Benjamin Pavy, Carl A. Brasseaux, Karl Dunbar, Paul Prudhomme, Rod Milburn, Paul B. Freeland, Don Cravins, Jr., Charles E. Nash, Tony Chachere, Thomas Clark Nicholls, Henry D. Larcade, Jr., Blair Daly, Daniel Baldridge, Keith Thibodeaux, Joseph Willis. Excerpt: James "Jim" Bowie (pronounced -ee) (April 10, 1796 - March 6, 1836), a 19th-century American pioneer, slave trader, land speculator, and soldier, played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of him as a fighter and frontiersman, both real and fictitious, have made him a legendary figure in Texas history and a folk hero of American culture. Born in Kentucky, Bowie spent most of his life in Louisiana, where he was raised and later worked as a land speculator. His rise to fame began in 1827 on reports of the Sandbar Fight. What began as a duel between two other men deteriorated into a melee in which Bowie, having been shot and stabbed, killed the sheriff of Rapides Parish with a large knife. This, and other stories of Bowie's prowess with the knife, led to the widespread popularity of the Bowie knife. Bowie's reputation was cemented by his role in the Texas Revolution. After moving to Texas in 1830, Bowie became a Mexican citizen and married the daughter of the vice governor of the province. His fame in Texas grew following his failed expedition to find the lost San Saba mine, during which his small party repelled an attack by a large Indian raiding party. At the outbreak of the Texas Revolution, Bowie joined the Texas militia, leading forces at the Battle of Concepcion and the Grass Fight. In January 1836, he arrived at the Alamo, where he commanded the v...