Awesome subject, indeed. Sadly to say, I don't know anything on this subject (very sad, considering I was raised in Ohio on the Cuyahoga River), but I would love to hear more tales of such. Jim, by coincidence, I just read a small biography on James Bowie and it was fascinating. Besides the Battle of the Sandbar and him killing 3 would-be assassins, he did have one rather well researched battle on a Mississippi river boat. The details from different sources vary, but what becomes clear is that it was a duel with pistols after Bowie caught a man cheating friends of his out of their cash. Both men ascended to the highest part of the ship, stood back to back with their seconds watching, took several paces and fired. The rules said that they would continue firing over the course of five, as someone counted out. Both men's first shots missed, but Bowie's second struck the man full in the chest. According to all accounts, the man fell to the deck below and then plunged over the side into the waters of the river. At least one unsubstantiated account claims the victem was Jean Lafette's illegitimate son (Lafette the pirate was friends with Bowie by all accounts). Anyway, fascinating stuff. Are there any books on the subject?
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7th September 2009, 11:18 AM
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