Journey into the Land of Trials: The Story of Davy Crockett's Expedition to the Alamo

No event in Texas history has experienced as much analysis as the tragic fate of the defenders of the Alamo in 1836. Of the main trio of martyrs for Texan independence, perhaps the most popular in the generations since was Davy Crockett. The final days of the Tennessee congressman have been played out again and again on stage, screen, and in the written word. With Journey into the Land of Trials, Manley F. Cobia has masterfully put together what may well become the definitive account of Crockett's trek from Tennessee politician to Texan hero.

Cobia points out early on that there is a reason why so little has been said of Crockett's last journey: there is very little from which to work. Working primarily from personal accounts of individuals who claimed at one time or another to have witnessed Crockett at various stages on his trip from the Tennessee frontier, through the Comanche-filled wilds of northeast Texas, and finally to Bexar, the author attempts to separate fact from fiction. Throughout, Cobia does a magnificent job of interweaving more than a century-and-a-half of historiography. Where documentary evidence is scant, he uses contemporary accounts of the territories through which Crockett is known to have traveled to paint a portrait of the wilderness and bring the reader alongside Crockett on his way to destiny.

The author brings late Mexican Texas to life with his narrative, continuously returning to a major theme of the book: what was Crockett's motive for his Texas adventure? Cobia examines the multitude of theories, from political ambitionto a desire to escape politics altogether, to a mission to assist in Texan in-dependence. The other heroes of the time—Houston, Bowie, and Travis—are present throughout the work, but attention never wanders far from Crockett and his journey.

The book does fall short in some ways. Cobia depends heavily on speculation to connect the dots of what is known to have happened, and where the evidence leaves off. While speculation is inevitable in this instance, many historians may have trouble accepting the degree to which the author puts this into practice in his work. Also, Cobia often does not make his own opinions clear. He frequently quotes postmodern historians and historical theories concerning Crockett, yet it is often unclear as to whether he agrees or disagrees with their ideas.

Those criticisms aside, Cobia has produced a first-rate analysis and synthesis of the subject that will doubtless become one of the major works on the subject. He uses a vast array of both primary and secondary literature and works each equally into his own analysis. Journey into the Land of Trials, then, emerges as a remarkably well-organized study of a man and his times. The early days of the war for Texan independence come alive. Ever cognizant of the broader picture of what is going on throughout Texas and the United States, Cobia's account of the last great adventure of Davy Crockett is a significant addition to Crockett literature.