A letter written by famed frontiersman Davy Crockett on the eve of his trip to Texas is being sold at auction.
The letter, dated September 30, 1835, is Crockett’s reply to a dinner invitation. The reply was written while he was still living in Tennessee, before he moved to Texas and about six months before Crockett’s death in the Alamo, according to RR Auction.
Crockett had recently lost his seat in Congress and displayed his distaste for politics in the letter. He states his desire not to attend a political dinner and only accepts due to the social nature of the event.
RR Auction Vice President Bobby Livingston says the letter captures Crockett “at the crossroads of his life.”
“He’s been defeated for re-election as a congressman from Tennessee. He’s been vilified by the President, Andrew Jackson, and humiliated to his constituents, because David Crockett, at this time, was a very famous person already. His autobiography had been published; he was a national figure.”
In the letter, Crockett wrote that he would attend since he had recently announced "I never expect to offer my name again to the public for any office."
Livingston adds “We know that to be true, because around this time is when he started saying to people that famous quote that he used in his speeches: ‘You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.’”
Bidding on the letter is underway online; it currently stands at a little over $27,000. Bidding ends May 16.
