Did Davy Crockett Survive The Alamo?

 

The list is a mile long: Jimmy Hoffa, Princess Diana, Jim Morrison, D.B. Cooper, Amelia Earhart, Adolf Hitler, Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Anastasia, I could go on and on…  and the Granddaddy of them all… Elvis.

Who are these people? All of them have been reported to be alive after their deaths. We might even add William Morgan to that list. Killed or not, there were enough "Morgans" sighted out there after 1826 to populate a small town.

And then there is that guy in my neck o' the woods… Jesse James. So many people claimed to be Jesse after he died that in 1994, archaeologists came to l'il ole Kearney, Missouri and dug him up. Do you know who was in that grave? Jesse James.

Well, this finally brings us to the Masonic connection to all this, Brother Davy Crockett. Is it possible that the King of the Wild Frontier did not die at the Alamo? Be careful, you skeptics, and consider this.

There were many Freemasons on both sides at the battle of the Alamo. Most notably on the Mexican side was General Santa Ana himself. Legend has it that he avoided execution after the Battle of San Juacinto by giving the Grand Hailing Sign of Distress when taken to Sam Houston. Houston, himself a Freemason, was then said to have spared the general's life. One way or another, there is no doubt that Santa Ana escaped with his life.

So, if Santa Ana could do it, why not Davy Crockett? And there are, in fact, reports that he gave the grand hailing sign and was spared.

Old newspaper articles exist which claim Crockett survived. One in particular from an April, 1836 edition of the Cincinnati Whig reports, "Colonel Crockett not yet dead," with the paper saying it is "much gratified in being able to inform readers that Colonel Crockett, the hero and patriot is not yet dead. This cheering news is brought by a gentleman now in this city from Texas." The article goes on to give details of Crockett's wounds and medical treatment. It says he received a severe blow from a tomahawk, and was shot in his left arm and one of his thighs. It also reports he is "doing well."

The main theory about what followed the Alamo says Brother Crockett eventually went to Winston County, Alabama. There, in 1859, a land grant was issued to a man named David Crockett. The document itself is signed by both David Crockett and President James Buchanan.

The story begs the question as to why Crockett would survive the Alamo, not return home, and more or less keep it a secret that he was alive. Jason Scott, who now owns the land, speculates Crockett had fought Andrew Jackson, president at the time of the Alamo, over the Indian Removal Act – which is true – and for some reason wanted to "lay low," using the Alamo as the perfect cover for his death, then resurfacing at the age of 73, fourteen years after Jackson died. The story clearly leaves a few gaps which Scott explains away by claiming, "Crockett just wanted to be left alone and go hunting."

Scott also claims Crockett was buried on the property, that bones were discovered, scientifically confirmed to be human, and then returned to their resting place. Ground penetrating radar on the property has turned up nothing.

In effect, the evidence that Crockett survived the Alamo is scant. It becomes more questionable when comparing the signature on the land grant to known Crockett signatures. It does not take a handwriting expert to quickly see they are not the same.

On the other hand, there are several eyewitnesses from the Alamo who gave an account of Crockett's death, or identified his body after the battle. Among the most notable of these is that of Susanna Dickinson, the wife of one of the Texans killed, who said she saw Crockett's body along with what she called his "peculiar hat," outside the chapel. Francisco Antonio Ruiz, mayor of San Antonio, whom Santa Anna ordered to identify bodies, corroborated her story. Other reports, differ, saying Crockett was captured and executed. 

So the debate over the years from legitimate historians has not been whether Davy Crockett died at the Alamo, but how he died. It is a virtual certainty that he did not survive; and it may not be as important how he died as the fact that of his own volition, he stayed and fought for what he believed in.

Sheriff Andy Taylor, Freemason?

In season six of the Andy Griffith Show, episode 7, Sheriff Andy Taylor comes into some money. Andy, his girlfriend Helen Crump, son Opie, and Andy's Aunt Bee, have dinner and discuss what he should do with his newfound riches.:

Andy: This has been quite a day.
Helen: How exciting! What are you going to do with the money?
Andy: Put it in the bank.
Helen: Put it in the bank?
Andy: What's wrong with that?
Helen: Why don't you do something fun with it? Splurge. Do something crazy.
Andy: What are you talking about?
Helen: Well, when was the last time you people took a trip?
Andy: We take trips. We go up to Raleigh every now and then. And we drove up to Asheville that time… remember?
Aunt Bee: When your cousin became a Mason.
Opie: "Can we take a trip, Pa? Can we? Can we Aunt Bee?
Aunt Bee: "Well, it's entirely up to your father, dear."
Andy: "Well, I suppose we could take a little of the money and take a little trip. Want to go to Parkinson's Falls? It's nice this time of year and Opie hasn't been there since he was a baby."
Aunt Bee: "Hmmmm…"
Andy: "Well, you wanna drive up to Asheville again and see cousin Evan Moore? He's a Grand Master now."

Well, whadya know? Andy's cousin was Grand Master of North Carolina. How about Sheriff Taylor himself? So, we know he went to see his cousin become a Mason, and you don't get in unless you also are a Brother. Aunt Bee and Opie, however, would have been shut out of the actual ceremony. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened, though. Still, the show doesn't specify. In another episode a few years before, members of a "gentleman's club" recruited Andy. Recruited? Whatever happened to 2B1ASK1? It's a moot point because Andy didn't join, since the members wanted him, but not his deputy Barney Fife. If Sheriff Andy was, in fact, a Freemason, he apparently kept it… dare I say… a secret.

Most viewers may not realize the iconic Andy Griffith Show was a spin-off from the Danny Thomas Show. In an episode of that show, country-bumpkin sheriff Andy stopped Thomas' character for speeding. The plot followed Thomas' trials and tribulations while dealing with the small town sheriff, who was also the town judge and newspaper editor. Thomas, a member of Gothic Lodge 270 in New Jersey, created the Andy Griffith show based on that pilot episode and was executive producer for several programs. He was also a 33° Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Al Malaikha Shrine in Los Angeles.

Andy Griffith himself was not a Freemason, but held the Fraternity in high regard. He actually got his comedic start performing for a few summers at the Dare County Shrine Club in – where else – North Carolina.

So there you have it: the Masonic ties to the Andy Griffith show. To recap:

Sheriff Andy Taylor: Maybe… but probably not a Freemason
Andy's cousin Evan Moore: Grand Master of North Carolina
Show creator and executive producer Danny Thomas: A Freemason
Andy Griffith: Not a Freemason

Who knows, maybe Aunt Bee or Andy's girlfriend Helen Crump were in the Eastern Star.

Lord Charles Cornwallis and Baron Johann de Kalb

 

Among the many stories of Brothers meeting in mortal combat on the battlefield, but nevertheless extending Brotherly Love and Masonic courtesies is the account of the meeting of Lord Charles Cornwallis and Baron Johann de Kalb. Not much is known of the Masonic activities of either nor are their Lodges known for certain. It is likely, however, de Kalb was a member of Pennsylvania's Armed Forces Lodge 29.

Brother Cornwallis is best known as the British General during the American Revolution who surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown, putting an end to the American Revolutionary War. As a member of the House of Lords, Cornwallis actually sided with the American Colonists, but chose country over ideology when he became the commander of British forces in the colonies on January 1, 1776. He led that effort until his surrender October 19, 1781. After the Revolution, Cornwallis went on to serve as commander-in-chief of India in 1786, as well as Viceroy of Ireland from 1798-1801. He returned to India in March 1805, serving as Governor General until his death seven months later at the age of 66.

Born in Germany in 1721, Brother de Kalb served in the French army for over 20 years, coming to America in 1768 on what was called a secret mission, designed to help France determine the level of discontent among the colonists. During that trip, he came to respect the colonists for what he called their "spirit of independence." Nine years later, he returned to the colonies with the Marquis de Lafayette, his protégé. Joining the American forces with the rank of Major General, he spent most of that winter at Valley Forge with a brigade of troops under his command. DeKalb was a popular figure given his support, loyalty and ultimate sacrifice to America. Across the country, cities towns and counties have been named after him. The ironclad Civil War ship, named in his honor sported a large square and compasses atop its mast. Brother George Washington described him as "The generous stranger, who came from a distant land to fight our battles."

...And at one of those battles, in Camden, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780. De Kalb's horse was shot from under him and while he was still on the ground British soldiers shot and bayonetted him.

Cornwallis saw what had happened and rode to his aid. "I am sorry, sir, to see you," he said,"not sorry that you are vanquished, but sorry to see you so badly wounded." He ordered his own surgeons to come to DeKalb's aid and supervised as they dressed his wounds.

DeKalb replied, "I thank you sir for your generous sympathy, but I die the death I always prayed for: the death of a soldier fighting for the rights of man." He died three days later at the age of 59. Cornwallis, his mortal enemy but Masonic Brother, attended his funeral and performed the Grand Honors of Masonry at his grave site.