What illness did Jim Bowie have that confined him to a cot just before the final Mexican attack on the Alamo?
Duff Hale
Midlothian, Texas
It’s likely he had advanced tuberculosis, also known as consumption or lung disease. It was quite common and contagious. Some believe Bowie had typhoid pneumonia. He also was a heavy drinker. I think a combination of the three wrecked his health.
Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and vice president of the Wild West History Association. His latest book is Arizona Outlaws and Lawmen; The History Press, 2015. If you have a question, write: Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or email him at marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu.
Related Articles
-
Did the Cowboys or the Pioneers use Snowshoes in Tough Winters?
-
Horses rarely get shot in the Westerns, although they often go down when the rider…
-
What Happened to Mike Cassidy, Butch Cassidy’s Mentor?
