Aylett C. "Strap" Buckner
BUCKNER, AYLETT C. (1794?–1832). Aylett(e) C. (Strap) Buckner, filibuster, Indian fighter, Old Three Hundred colonist, and folklore hero of colonial Texas, was the son of Aylett and Elizabeth (Lewis) Buckner of Louisa County, Virginia. Red-headed, of Irish and Scottish ancestry, he was supposedly nicknamed "Strap" because of his prodigious size and strength.
Buckner became one of Austin's Old Three Hundred settlers when he received title to one sitio of land on July 24, 1824, and two labores on August 24, 1824, all later in Matagorda County. In the summer of 1824 he was probably among those sent by Austin to make a treaty with Waco and Tawakoni Indians near the site of present Waco. The census of March 1826 listed Buckner as a single man with four servants and one slave.
He was in command of an attack against the Karankawa Indians at Live Oak Bayou in 1831, and in 1832 he led a company of volunteers from the area of present Fayette and Matagorda counties at the battle of Velasco. There, on June 25 or 26, 1832, he was killed.
Though legend has it that the Indians (who, impressed by his strength, reportedly nicknamed Buckner the "Red Son of Blue Thunder") offered him marriage with Indian princess Tulipita, Buckner never married. One historian has suggested that perhaps it was in part this lack of heirs which allowed the growth of ever-more outlandish legends of his strength and size. Notable among these are the tales of how with one blow he turned back the huge black bull Triste Noche, which had been terrorizing the colony, and how after this feat he was emboldened to challenge the devil himself to a duel.
"BUCKNER, AYLETT C.," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbu09), accessed May 01, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Buckner became one of Austin's Old Three Hundred settlers when he received title to one sitio of land on July 24, 1824, and two labores on August 24, 1824, all later in Matagorda County. In the summer of 1824 he was probably among those sent by Austin to make a treaty with Waco and Tawakoni Indians near the site of present Waco. The census of March 1826 listed Buckner as a single man with four servants and one slave.
He was in command of an attack against the Karankawa Indians at Live Oak Bayou in 1831, and in 1832 he led a company of volunteers from the area of present Fayette and Matagorda counties at the battle of Velasco. There, on June 25 or 26, 1832, he was killed.
Though legend has it that the Indians (who, impressed by his strength, reportedly nicknamed Buckner the "Red Son of Blue Thunder") offered him marriage with Indian princess Tulipita, Buckner never married. One historian has suggested that perhaps it was in part this lack of heirs which allowed the growth of ever-more outlandish legends of his strength and size. Notable among these are the tales of how with one blow he turned back the huge black bull Triste Noche, which had been terrorizing the colony, and how after this feat he was emboldened to challenge the devil himself to a duel.
"BUCKNER, AYLETT C.," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbu09), accessed May 01, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Suggested Reading
Title: The Legend of Strap Buckner: a Texas Tale by Andrew Glass
Description: When pride gets the better of Strap Buckner, a man known throughout Texas for his prodigious strength, he rashly challenges the devil to a contest.
Ages: 0-8
Review: "StrapBuckner was a man of genius... and his genius was to knock folks down," begins Wooldridge's (When Esther Morris Headed West , reviewed Sept. 10) hyperbolic tale of an actual larger-than-life Texan. From new settlers to the local members ofthe Karankawan tribe (whose impressed chief names him "Red Son of Blue Thunder"), Strap daily "went forth and knocked men down with great grace" until no one wants to come near him. Even though the fellow resolves to live in peace, he's unable to restrain his exuberance. Pride in his great strength leads to folly when he challenges "the old Devil himself." The ensuing mighty scuffle leaves Strap forever humbled (but possibly triumphant). The build-up may be leisurely, but Wooldridge relates her colorful tall tale with gusto and swagger, peppering it with piquant descriptions ("swifter than a Texas wind") and folksy expressions ("Day had a time of it trying to dawn"). In the vein of his other Wild West titles, Glass (Bad Guys ; Mountain Men ) serves up comical watercolor, crayon and pencil illustrations that add to the homespun flavor. An afterword explains the story's roots in Texas history. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) --Staff (Reviewed October 1, 2001) (Publishers Weekly, vol 248, issue 40, p61)
*information from NoveList Plus
Description: When pride gets the better of Strap Buckner, a man known throughout Texas for his prodigious strength, he rashly challenges the devil to a contest.
Ages: 0-8
Review: "StrapBuckner was a man of genius... and his genius was to knock folks down," begins Wooldridge's (When Esther Morris Headed West , reviewed Sept. 10) hyperbolic tale of an actual larger-than-life Texan. From new settlers to the local members ofthe Karankawan tribe (whose impressed chief names him "Red Son of Blue Thunder"), Strap daily "went forth and knocked men down with great grace" until no one wants to come near him. Even though the fellow resolves to live in peace, he's unable to restrain his exuberance. Pride in his great strength leads to folly when he challenges "the old Devil himself." The ensuing mighty scuffle leaves Strap forever humbled (but possibly triumphant). The build-up may be leisurely, but Wooldridge relates her colorful tall tale with gusto and swagger, peppering it with piquant descriptions ("swifter than a Texas wind") and folksy expressions ("Day had a time of it trying to dawn"). In the vein of his other Wild West titles, Glass (Bad Guys ; Mountain Men ) serves up comical watercolor, crayon and pencil illustrations that add to the homespun flavor. An afterword explains the story's roots in Texas history. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) --Staff (Reviewed October 1, 2001) (Publishers Weekly, vol 248, issue 40, p61)
*information from NoveList Plus