On March 6, 1836, President General Antonio López de Santa Anna of Mexico laid his final siege to the mission known as the Alamo. The Alamo was being defended by a small group led by Colonel William Travis and legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett.
The battle for the Alamo began on February 23 as Santa Anna led roughly 1,500 Mexican troops to reclaim Texas after American immigrants, used to the United States government and their individual rights grew discontent with the more centralized power of Mexico.The Texas Revolution had officially begun in October of the previous year. The Texian army as they were known proved to be more effective than Santa Anna's massive force. However, the settlers were unprepared for the long haul and many returned home while the Texian army recruited new soldiers from the new arrivals from the U.S. This angered Santa Anna who angrily passed a resolution banning taking prisoners of war. Anybody who surrendered would be executed on the spot. As we will see, this will affect mostly the Alamo the most.
The Alamo was not considered very important and General Sam Houston could not spare enough men to mount a proper defense of a mission built only to withstand a Native American attack, not a full military assault. As a result, Colonel James Bowie (of the Bowie Knife) was sent with only 30 men to retrieve artillery and finally destroy the mission. Bowie became convinced that the Alamo was important and the men would rather die than surrender it. Reinforcements arrived by way of William B. Travis on February 3rd. However, he only brought 30 men with him. On February 8, frontiersmen and Congressman Davy Crockett arrived with a small group of volunteers. Bowie and Travis agreed to share command with the previous commander left to recruit more soldiers and supplies.
Weather prevented Santa Anna from reaching the Alamo faster and also prevented a night time raid to capture the unprotected Alamo when the Texians attended a fiesta. As the battle became imminent, soldiers began pulling their families into the safety of the Alamo. Nearby Bexar was quickly occupied by the Mexican army who signaled there would be no quarter. Travis's response was to fire the mission's largest cannon. The next day, Bowie fell ill and Travis assumed full command. Travis repeatedly sent out for reinforcements. At some point, Colonel James Fannin began to march with over 300 reinforcements to the Alamo but for unknown reasons turned back. Meanwhile on March 3rd, Santa Anna welcomed 1,000 of his own reinforcements.
On March 5th, Travis met with the garrison and the few reinforcements that had managed to arrive. He informed them of the fire situation and gave those unwilling to die for the Texian cause a chance to escape. Did he draw a line in the ground and asked those willing to die to cross it? We don't know. There are no primary sources that state it. Survivor Susannah Dickinson only told of Travis telling the men who wished to escape to let it be known and step out of line. Travis also wrote a final letter begging for reinforcements and supplies. The last Texian to leave the Alamo was a courier named James Allen who carries messages from Travis and other men.
Exhausted from skirmishes the previous day, the Texians fell asleep allowing the Mexican army to advance in the early hours of the 6th. Three of the Texian lookouts were killed which allowed the Mexican army to continue their stealth attack. Texian cannons were loaded with anything metal and as the Mexican army came against the walls, the Texians became forced to lean over to shoot and exposing themselves to be shot in return. Travis was killed in this early fighting after being shot over the wall. As the Mexican army scaled the walls, Texians found it hard to reload their guns fast enough. The Mexican army began pouring in.
The Texian army fell back into the barracks and the chapel. Texians along the west wall were forced to fire from a ditch when they were cut off and were eventually killed. More Texians were killed retreating from the cattle pen. Crockett and his men became the last defenders in the open, defending the low wall in front of the church. The Mexican army responded with a volly of fire and bayonets, eventually forcing the remaining members into the church. It is unknown when exactly Crockett died in this part of the battle. By this time, the Mexican flag had replaced the Texian flag at the loss of four Mexican soldiers.
Last to fall were the barracks. Lying in bed still ill was Bowie. He died in bed, though there are conflicting reports on how he actually died. Some say he was bayoneted by the Mexican soldiers while others say he killed himself. More than likely, Bowie died fighting before being stabbed by the bayonets. The last of the Texian men to die were the men controlling the cannon in the chapel. Only a deserter from the Mexican army survived by claiming he was a prisoner of war. The women and children of the fallen soldiers were also spared. The battle for the Alamo was over by 6:30 a.m., possibly only an hour after the first assault.
The Mexican army went through each dead body and continued to fire into them to ensure they were all dead. A few of the Texians surrendered but as per Santa Anna's previous decree, they were promptly executed. Rumors state that Crockett may have been among them but a first hand account puts his body surrounded by Mexican soldiers. The death total was 182 Texian soldiers, 400-600 Mexican soldiers. The Texians' bodies were stacked and burned, the ashes left until a year later when Juan Seguin returned. Seguin inscribed a coffin with the names of Travis, Crockett, and Bowie and filled it with ashes. The coffin was then buried under a peach tree and lost to time. Likely, it is under the roads or buildings of San Antonio like Richard III's body found under a car lot in England.
So why is the defeat of the Alamo so important? Santa Anna believed the complete annihilation of the Alamo would quell the rebellion. As these things so often do, it instead had the opposite effect. Men began to flock to Houston's army. In hopes of preventing Houston from amassing too large of an army, Santa Anna divided his army. In the Battle of San Jacinto, Houston surprised the smaller Mexican army and defeated them in about 20 minutes. The Texians reportedly called out the infamous "Remember the Alamo" as a battle cry. The Texas Revolution ended in Santa Anna's defeat that day and Texas became the only state to be it's own official country. The defeat became a victory.
In the 20th century, the Texas Legislature bought the mission and appointed the Daughters of the Republic of Texas as the caretakers. The mission is now a state landmark open to the public. If you are ever in San Antonio, I highly encourage you to visit this beautiful site and honor these men who died without fear.
Currently being displayed at the Alamo, is the original Travis Letter. It is the first time Travis's plea for help has returned to the Alamo and it is on display only for a short time, February 23rd to March 7th.
And if you want to learn more, definitely visit The official Alamo website. This highly informative site offers a full history of the Alamo, far more than just the battle. You'll also find facts behind popular myths (a truly fascinating read), and letters and first hand accounts of the battle. Definitely read Susannah Dickinson's account!
Extra Reading:
Donovan, James. The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo and the Sacrifice That Forged a Nation.
Sources:
Picture found at History.com
The Alamo
Thompson, Frank. The Alamo. University of North Texas Press.February 22, 2005
Todish, Timothy J.; Todish, Terry; Spring, Ted (1998), Alamo Sourcebook, 1836: A Comprehensive Guide to the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, Austin, TX: Eakin Press
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo
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