A true American firearm: the Kentucky Long Rifle

[Jim McDougall]

This is such a great topic, I wasn't ready to let it go to the thread happy hunting ground!
Just some more on one of the illustrious users of these historic guns, as mentioned, Davy Crockett.

Actually, as has already been noted and along with the great information cited by Chris, Fernando, Michael and Lee, some things I found. I have always been intrigued by the great Davy Crockett as I have lived in both Tennessee and Texas and it is hard not to be surrounded by this history.

While these rifles were actually originated and made in Pennsylvania, primarily Lancaster County, they were of course widely distributed. In those early days, the frontier regions were often termed collectively as 'Kentucky'. Since the areas which popularized the guns were typically in the frontier, the Kentucky appellation became well known.

Whether or not Davy Crockett actually surrendered and was summarily executed at the Alamo or died in combat, as long popularly held, has long been the subject of debate. It does seem quite likely that if he did, as believed, die in combat, he quite likely might have been swinging a rifle as a club. In close combat it would have been impossible to reload, and would have become a weapon of opportunity ,using any means at hand. It was said by witnesses that he was found amidst an array of dead Mexican soldiers, and he seems to have used a knife as well.
The idea of the 'execution' is believed to have been perpetuated in later efforts to demonize Santa Anna further, and to place emphasis on his order for 'deguello' (=no quarter).

Actually Crockett had three rifles known.
1. a .48 cal. flintlock which was apparantly one of his personal early guns which has been held in a museum in Knoxville. It has never left Tennessee.

2. The .40 cal. flintlock rifle which was awarded to him by his constituents from Lawrence County, Tenn. and was made by James Graham c. 1822. From 1824-1834, he is known to have hunted bear with this rifle, and which was affectionately known as 'old Betsy'. The name appears to have come from his older sister, whom he held in deep respect, but it is believed that the name may have been 'pretty Betsy' as in one speech he refers to her as thed prettiest sister ever.
This rifle also remained in Tennessee when Crockett went to Texas.

3. A rifle, apparantly percussion, caliber not noted, was presented to him in 1834 by Whigs from Philadelphia. The gun is now in Nashville. The gun was also called either 'old' or 'pretty' Betsy.

Crockett openly disparaged the policies of President Andrew Jackson, which led to his defeat in his run for House of Representatives in 1834. Thoroughly disgusted he left Tennessee in 1834 for Texas. None of these guns went with him, so we have no idea what gun or type of gun he was using at the Alamo on March 1836 when he was killed. The #2 rifle, Old Betsy, is on display at the Alamo in San Antonio now.

It is known that on the way to Texas, Crockett and companions sought to acquire heavier caliber guns as the small caliber of these guns were not sufficient for the larger animals hunted in these regions to the west. I believe that this was the case with the use of rifles during the Revolution, of small caliber guns , and that only deadly aim direct to vital parts of the target would be successful. Naturally the question of velocity, as noted, would be considered as well.

I just thought these notes would be of interest, and I am hoping possibly that a separate thread focused on the symbolism of markings on these 'Kentucky rifles' might be started with some examples.

All best regards,
Jim