James Bowie: A Hero of the Alamo (Illustrated)

Bowie left home in South Carolina when he was about 23, searching fruitlessly for the famous Spanish silver mine in Texas for some time. He married, but in short order, the fight for Texas independence from Mexico began. He sent his wife, the daughter of the Vice-Governor of Texas, along with her father to Mexico for safekeeping.

One of Bowie's legacies is the "Bowie" knife, which was invented by either him or his brother.