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Acting irrationally from the time of the informal election until the siege began, Bowie remained in a drunken or confused state. Rowdiness ensued when he began releasing Mexican prisoners and stopping “carts laden with the good of private families”.<ref>J.J. Baugh to Henry Smith, Bejar, February 13, 1836, in ''Official Correspondence of the Texan Revolution 1835-1836'', ed. William C. Binkley (New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1936), 1:421-422. J.J. Baugh was Adjunct to the Post of Bejar.</ref> To harass ordinary citizens was uncharacteristic of Bowie. These actions strongly suggest that Bowie was not only drunk but was acting irrationally and out of character. Although he remained literate, his decision making abilities were compromised and Bowie had been described as confused or disoriented, which are symptoms that present in end-stage yellow fever.<ref>CDC, ''Yellow Fever.''</ref> Conversely, Bowie remained physically active and there are no records of him showing overt signs of physical illness at this time. By most accounts, Bowie arrived inside the Alamo compound without illness. Signs and symptoms; however, may not present until the disease is well advanced.
== Conditions In and Around the Alamo ==Doctor Amos Pollard, who was present at the hospital in Bejar, wrote to Governor Smith that he was “nearly destitute of medicine” and continued to say he could be “of very little use to the sick” were an attack to occur.<ref>Amos Pollard to Henry Smith, Bejar, February 13, 1836, in ''Official Correspondence of the Texan Revolution, 1835-1836,'' ed. William C. Binkley (New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1936), 1:423.</ref>Lack of medicine combined with the lack of nutritious food and Around poor sanitary conditions created an ideal environment for disease to thrive. A water-well in the center of the Alamo courtyard did provide fresh water, but was also a breeding ground for mosquitoes. It is possible that Bowie contracted yellow fever for a second time if he did not fully recovered from his first bout with the disease. [[File:battlealamo.jpg|thumbnail|300px|Battle of the Alamo as depicted in the Saturday Evening Post, 1836.]]Upon contracting yellow fever in 1833, Bowie had access to medicinal plants and herbs which may have aided in his recuperation and provided a false sense of recovery. While confined at the Alamo compound, he and his peers had access to sparce amounts of food and what was available held little nutritional value or healing qualities. The combination of his noted binge drinking, the breeding well for mosquitoes and the sources from which they derived the disease ——— slaves ——— the setting was ideal for Bowie to contract yellow fever a second time. The reports are conflicting as to the events surrounding Bowie’s death, but all concur with regards to the symptoms he was presenting. ==Accounts of Death ==[[File:bowieinbed.jpg|thumbnail|200px|Depiction of Jim Bowie fighting at the Alamo from his death bed. Painting by Charles A. Stephens, 1898.]]
