Handicap did not hold back “Three-Legged Willie”

By Bartee Haile

On Dec. 27, 1859, Texans laid to rest “Three-Legged Willie,” one of the most colorful and unforgettable figures of the revolutionary period.

Robert McAlpin Williamson enjoyed perfect health until the age of 15, when he contracted something people in those days called the “white swelling.” He spent the next two years in bed battling the potentially fatal ailment, which spared his life but robbed him of the use of his right leg.