Sam Houston led Texas out of Mexican bondage, avenged the massacre of the Alamo and became the young republic's first president. He had a tempestuous career as senator, lawyer and governor of Tennessee. As statesman and general he adventured in two worlds—that of political Washington and the wild frontiers of the West.

At fourteen, in the Tennessee wilderness, Sam was the despair of his family, a giant of a boy who dreamed and dawdled instead of doing his chores. He tried clerking in a store and teaching school but felt bored and restless, so he ran away to live with the Cherokees, who adopted him as their son, and became their spokesman. Later he joined the Army, in alliance with the Cherokees against the fierce Creeks. He studied law and became governor of Tennessee. Pretty Eliza Allen swept him off his feet, but they separated soon after their honeymoon. Years passed before Sam found personal happiness.

Those years were tumultuous. Sam settled in Texas, then a Mexican province, and practiced law. Gradually he realized that Texans wanted their independence but had no leader. Santa Anna, the ruthless Mexican president, had a formidable army, but Sam refused to be intimidated. He appealed to American volunteers, "Come with a good rifle...and come soon!" They came to face bloody disaster at the Alamo and Goliad. Finally Sam and his ragged army vanquished the Mexicans at San Jacinto, but his problems weren't over. He had to organize a government out of chaos. When he finally guided Texas safely into the Union, the Civil War threatened.

In this candid biography, Curtis Bishop reaches past the mist of legend and re-creates the man as he was—a passionate patriot who thrived on danger and excitement. His story is an enthralling chapter in American history.

From the dust jacket