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The Legend of Jim Bowie and His Famous Fight near Natchez

Photos by Sarah Sookraj

You’ve heard of the Bowie Knife. But did you know that the man for whom it is named, Jim Bowie, nearly died in a bloody brawl on a sandbar near Natchez, Miss.?

On September 19, 1827, Bowie and a few other men, about 15, had gathered for a duel between Samuel Wells and Dr. Thomas Maddox. Bowie reportedly was a supporter of Maddox.

Wells and Maddox saw the duel as a formal, gentlemen’s fight that included the use of pistols. The men fired two shots, but they missed each other. Since neither was injured, they shook hands as friends with the intention of moving on and putting their dispute behind them.

However, a fight broke out among the group of men who came to the event, and it resulted in Bowie being savagely assaulted by a man known as Maj. Norris Wright. Wright was a supporter of Wells.

The men had brought swords, guns, and other weapons, but “James Bowie didn’t have anything but his hunting knife,” according to Jimmy Riley, manager of Giles Island Hunting Club in Ferriday, La. The hunting club is located near the site of the battle.

“Bowie was shot three times and run through with a sword,” Riley said. “He cut some people up, and despite his injuries, he kept fighting.”

Wikipedia gives this colorful description:

“Bowie was shot in the hip, and, after regaining his feet, he drew a knife, described as a butcher knife, and charged his attacker. The man hit Bowie over the head with his empty pistol, breaking the pistol and knocking Bowie to the ground. Wright shot at and missed the prone Bowie, who returned fire and possibly hit Wright. Wright drew his sword cane and impaled Bowie. When Wright attempted to retrieve his blade by placing his foot on Bowie's chest and tugging, Bowie pulled him down and disemboweled Wright with his large knife. Wright died instantly. Bowie, with Wright's sword still protruding from his chest, was shot again and stabbed by another member of the group. The doctors who had been present for the duel removed the bullets and patched Bowie's other wounds.”

Bowie survived the fight, and he went on to fight in other battles. But it was on this day on the sandbar that the legend was born. By the end of the fight, four men were dead and four were wounded.

Bowie, who was born around 1796 in Kentucky and raised in Louisiana, died in 1836 in the Battle of the Alamo.

The news of the sandbar fight made national headlines. Bowie and his knife became famous. Bowie’s brother, Rezin P. Bowie, is credited as the one who made the knife that Jim used to kill Wright.

Today, a life-size sculpture of his fight with Norris Wright is on display at the Natchez Convention Center. It commemorates “the fight that fueled the colorful legend of the Bowie knife,” reported the Clarion Ledger. The sculpture was created by award-winning artist and sculptor Roy W. Butler and was purchased from the Historic Arkansas Museum.

The actual site of the duel occurred on the southeast corner of Giles Island in Ferriday, according to Riley. That section is under water now. In 1827, the island was called Clermont Plantation. At one time the area was also known as Cowpen Point.

Giles Hunting Club hosts groups for corporate events, family reunions and other group gatherings for overnight stay. Riley enjoys telling the story. In fact, the club is described as the place “Where Legends are Born.”

For more information, call Jimmy Riley at (601) 431-2004 or visit https://www.gilesisland.com.

Historian Jeff Mansell of Natchez National Historical Park has featured Jim Bowie in two of the Natchez History Minute videos:

* “Sep 19 The Famous Sandbar Fight,” narrated by Adams County Sheriff Travis Patton, can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moBYVhj1Vzg

* “Mar 6 Jim Bowie Dies at the Alamo,” narrated by John Ashton Hicks, can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_rWkgvxa3A