On to the Alamo: Colonel Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas (Penguin Classics)

On to the Alamo: Colonel Crockett's Exploits and Adventures in Texas (Penguin Classics) by Smith, Richard Penn. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780142437643.

"Davy" Crocketts backwoods dress, slangy language, and sharp sense of humor made him a popular Washington figure and an American icon - his death in the battle of the Alamo in 1836 made him a legend. First published in the year of Crocketts death and falsely credited to his authorship, Colonel Crocketts Exploits and Adventures in Texas presents the battle of the Alamo as a heroic effort to halt the ruthless Mexican leader Santa Annas "invasion" of Texas. Glorifying the vastly outnumbered defenders who refused to surrender, taking many Mexican soldiers down with them before they were finally killed, Richard Penn Smiths "eye-witness" narrative was a huge success in its day. Accepted as fact for nearly a century, Smiths fictitious account of the famous battle created a myth that became a cornerstone of Texan identity and American popular culture.