Davy Crockett - Summer Library 15

Meadowcroft tells us the story of the famous woodsman and hunter who could shoot out a candle with a bullet, was hated by every bear in the state, and was known by politicians as “the desert fighting cock.” Crockett was born in Tennessee in 1786. He was the fifth of John and Rebecca Crockett’s nine children. Davy’s father taught him to shoot a rifle when he was only eight years old. He avidly followed his older brothers on hunting trips as a child. However, when he reached the age of 13, his father insisted that he enrol in school. Davy confronted the class bully after only a few days and was afraid to return, fearing punishment or retaliation. Instead, he ran away from home and wandered for more than two years, working hard and perfecting his skills as a woodsman and hunter. Davy Crockett was a frontiersman who rose to prominence as a folk hero. In 1813, he participated in a massacre against the Creek Indians, and eventually became a member of the 21st United States Congress.