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"You May All Go to Hell and I Will Go to Texas."
Davy Crockett
Below is the "You may all go to Hell and I will go to Texas" story as told by Davy Crockett himself in Nacogdoches,
Texas in 1836 as reported on page 99 of the April 9, 1836, Niles' Weekly Register.
A gentleman from Nacogdoches, in Texas, informs us, that, whilst there, he dined in public
with col. Crockett, who had just arrived from Tennessee. The old bear-hunter, on being toasted, made a speech
to the Texians, replete with his usual dry humor. He began nearly in this style: "I am told, gentlemen, that, when a
stranger, like myself,arrives among you, the first inquiry is -- what brought you here? To satisfy your curiosity at
once as to myself, I will tell you all about it. I was, for some years, a member of congress. In my last canvass,
I told the people of my district, that, if they saw fit to re-elect me, I would serve them faithfully as I had done;
but, if not, they might all go to h---, and I would go to Texas. I was beaten, gentlemen, and here I am."
The roar of applaus was like a thunder-burst.
[Louisville Journal.
Below is Page 99 of the "Niles' Weekly Register" in It's Entirety
This is page 99 of the April 9, 1836 Niles' Weekly Register. There is a lot of great Texas history on this page.
Martin Parmer's letter to his wife from the Convention at Washington on the Brazos is included on this page. His letter
is dated March 6, 1836 which is a significant date in Texas history. Unknown to Martin Parmer, the Alamo had fallen
on the morning of March 6, 1836.
Page 99 of the Niles' Weekly Register also includes one of the earliest reports of the famous story about Davy Crockett
telling the people of Tennesee that if they did not re-elect him, "they might go to hell, and I would
go to Texas." Davy Crockett told this story while in Nacogdoches, Texas. See the transcription of the story
above. The actual newspaper article is below in the left hand column about half way down.
Page 99 also has one of the earliest printings of General Sam Houston's March 5, 1836 "Army Orders" and the Texas Declaration
of Independence. The rest of the Declaration of Independence is found on Page 100.
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