Sam Houston, the dashing young Governor of Tennessee, looked like a solid bet for the presidential election of 1840 as the protégé of President Andrew Jackson, but some mysterious mishap on his wedding night with his teenaged bride blew up his promising marriage and career. He ran away from politics and rejoined the Cherokee band that had long ago adopted him as a former son. On the way, he burned his gubernatorial clothing in a ritual bonfire, but he began drinking heavily and self-destructively, and in fact took the Indian name meaning "Big Drunk." A brief trip to Washington to try to re-establish his political contact led to a brutal confrontation with a member of Congress who accused Sam of corruption, but wouldn't accept a duel to the death to settle the matter. Instead, Houston beat the corpulent Congressman with a Hickory walking stick he had carved at Andrew Jackson's home, the Hermitage. The resulting trial, in an open session of the House, became a national sensation but afterwards Sam decided to follow Davey Crocket's example and run away to Texas --- where he became a militia commander who won one of the most significant and unlikely military victories in all American history.

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