6. James Bowie and the famous Bowie knife
James Bowie did not invent the Bowie knife, nor did his brother Rezin as some sources claim. The knife which became known as the Bowie knife likely evolved over time. In other words, there were many different versions of the large hunting knife which Bowie became famous for carrying. It was his prowess with the knife which forever linked his name to it, though there is considerable evidence that his skill, and his penchant for using it, were greatly exaggerated. In 1826 Bowie, as a result of an ongoing feud with the local sheriff, began carrying a knife which had a blade over nine inches in length, and an inch and a half wide at the base. He wore it prominently at his side, as a man would a sword, rather than on his hip as did most hunters.
Norris Wright, the sheriff with whom Bowie feuded, and Bowie attended a duel between Samuel Wells and Dr. Thomas Maddox on September 19, 1827. The duelists exchanged shots on a sandbar on the river outside of Natchez, emerged uninjured, and resolved their differences with a handshake. Meanwhile, a fight broke out among the spectators, between those who had supported either duelist. The melee which ensued was reported in the press in Natchez, picked up by other newspapers, and eventually became known in Mexico and in Europe. With each retelling the size of the fight and Bowie’s heroics grew. So did his fearsomeness as a knife-fighter. The melee became known in legend as the Vidalia Sandbar Fight.