I am glad we are 'sifting through the mists' to find the reality when it comes to these knives. I understand there is a lot of myth, but we also know that thousands of these type blades (both 'Arkansas' and bowie)went to war as side knives proven by the records. Now how much actual battlefield play they had is up for opinion.
According to several sources I read, when Sam Houston and his Texian Army pursued and ultimately defeated Santa Anna's forces, much of the fighting devolved into bloody, hand-to-hand fighting with bowies and tomahawks (these men rejected the bayonets usually carried by traditional troops). Such was the rage after the Alamo massacre that many of Mexican forces were quite literally cut to pieces. The battle lasted 18 minutes and hundreds of Mexican troops perished. This is quite a graphic and squeamish subject, but war can be brutal.
