The Legend of Yancy Claypool

   The Legend of Yancy Claypool

Suzanne Marsh

Yancy Claypool, boarded the side wheeler bound for Texas. He stood at the rail watching the paddle wheel turn as the mist rose off the Mississippi. Yancy, was a dark haired, blued eyed young man of eighteen. He left home when he was sixteen, longing for a life of adventured. He learned to gamble from the men who were professionals. He hoped Texas was all that it was cracked up to be. They said it was like the garden of Eden. Yancy, began to feel a chill; we went back to his cabin to rest; then he heard a fist fight in front of his door. He opened the door to find a rather tall, elegantly dressed man, swinging punches but outnumbered. That did not seem to matter to this man. Yancy, helped that dark haired stranger, who after the fight introduced himself as David Crockett. Yancy, stood with his mouth agape, he had heard many stories about this Crockett; to meet him was something he never thought would happen.

Crockett, was flushed but glad that Yancy had helped him:

“Where you bound fer young man?”

“Sir, I am goin to Texas.”

“We are too, there are nine of us. How would you like to come with us?”

“I would be honored sir.”

Yancy, was feeling pleased with himself; perhaps his luck was finally changing the thing was Yancy was a terrible card player and worse gambler. He had gambled away most of the money he made gambling; he was going to Texas to begin a new life. He wanted land to make him wealthy. David Crockett had just made things easier for Yancy; since he was going to Texas and asked Yancy to join him.

Yancy learned from David Crockett, the circuitous route he had taken to find himself on the side-wheeler. A early morning in late December the party of ten, including David Crockett, disembarked in Clarksville, Texas. They then made their way to San Augustine on January 7, 1836. They stopped for a few days in Washington-on-the-Brazos, learning about the Texas fight for independence. They left Washington-on-the-Brazos and arrived in San Antonio, Texas on February 8, 1836. Crockett sent a message to Colonel William Barrett Travis, stating that there were four men who wished to fight for Texas. Colonel Travis sent a return message to come to the Alamo. The four men rode into the Alamo on a cold winter’s day in 1836. Preparations were already underway to create as strong a defense as possible. Yancy, sat upon his stallion “Simon”, surveying men scurrying to reinforce parts of the Alamo. One spot, stood out to Yancy, it was a low wall made out hastily cut down trees. Yancy with a growing feeling of foreboding thought that was the worse place he could find himself. Why had Crockett brought the four of them here? Yancy, along with the others had signed an oath of Allegiance; he remembered Crockett inserting something with the word ‘Republic’, he now understood why. Fear gripped Yancy; but he was here and was going to make the best of a bad run of luck, once again.

Colonel William Travis stood on the stairs leading to his office as the four men rode in. Travis was a rather tall stocky man with sandy brown hair. He had refused General Sam Houston’s orders to leave the Alamo. He was turning it into a fort to fight for the life of Texas. Crockett was forty-nine years of age; he had done everything he wanted to do; Yancy was eighteen with his life ahead of him.

February 23, 1836

The bells began to ring, the Mexicans were not far from the Alamo. Men began to move quickly into positions on the ramparts. Soon after the Mexicans reached Bexar a red flag was hoisted. One of the captured Mexican soldiers who had been captured began to turn pale. That was all Travis was waiting for. A Mexican Colonel rode up to the Alamo with a message from General Santa Anna:

“Senor Travis, General Santa Anna wishes you and your men to surrender.”

Travis nodded to Captain Almeron Dickinson who fired a canon on the Mexicans. Yancy, watched quietly; then he noticed a red flag being hoisted over one of the other missions. He asked one of the Tejano’s what it meant:

“The red flag Senor Yancy means no quarter, no mercy. We are doomed here in the

Alamo.”

Yancy, the hairs on his neck standing up knew with certainty that he would not leave the Alamo alive. He also realized that this was the fight for Texas independence; a great deal was riding on these men holding out until help arrived. Santa Anna held siege for thirteen days. Yancy each day hoped his luck would change; he would emerge from this battle unscathed. Each time he heard a bugle he asked what the melody was; a Mexican prisoner after being badgered by Yancy:

“Senor, that is the deguello, the word means beheading or throat slashing. It is a song of hate

and a merciless death. It will continue no doubt until we are all dead.”

Yancy, now understood fear in a way he had never understood it before.

March 6^th, 1836

“Here, they come!”

Men began pulling on their boots, racing toward the ramparts. David Crockett, Yancy Claypool and several others headed toward the area of the chapel. The few woman and children were inside the adobe chapel. Canons began to boom, the women could be heard screaming and children crying. The Mexican kept coming; a navy blue and white sea. The men began firing their long rifles. Men began falling down.

Yancy Claypool eyes darted around to find himself face to face with a Mexican. The Mexican fell dead; Crockett it seemed was everywhere. Yancy, began to shake with fear once again. Crockett soothed him:

“Yancy, listen to me; fightin Mexicans is like fightin a bear, both want you dead. We are

in a safer area than some of the other men. We are gonna do our best right?”

Yancy nodded slowly; his luck had run out. There was a ball with his name on it. He clutched at his chest, noted the blood and was gone from this earth.

One hundred and eighty-nine men died that day for Texas freedom; may none of us forget

“The Alamo”.