did he take part in any battle?
The Battle of Gonzales.
James Bowie
The Texas Revolution began on October 2, 1835, with the Battle of Gonzales. Stephen F. Austin formed an army of 500 men to march on the Mexican forces in San Antonio with the cannon that had precipitated the fight. The name "Texian Army" sometimes is applied to this militia. On October 22, Austin asked Bowie, now a colonel in the volunteer militia, 
this resident of san antonio was a famous knife fighter James Bowie where was he from? Logan County, Kentucky.
wiki:19842339
James Bowie [SEP] Battle of Concepción
After discovering a good defensive position near Mission Concepción, the group requested that Austin's army join them. On the foggy morning of October 28, Mexican General Domingo Ugartechea led a force of 300 infantry and cavalry soldiers and two small cannons against the Texian forces. Although the Mexican army was able to get within 200 yards (183 m), the Texian defensive position protected them from fire. As the Mexicans stopped to reload their cannon, the Texians climbed a bluff and picked off some of the soldiers. The stalemate ended shortly after Bowie led a charge to seize one of the Mexican cannons, at that time only 80 yards (73 m) away.