The Story of the Alamo
The story of the Alamo
is a tale taught to every young Texan: the account of fewer than
200 brave volunteers who faced nearly 10 times as many Mexican troops
in a battle whose outcome was already determined. To further the
cause of Texas independence, they gave their lives but won a place
in the history of the Lone Star State.
The battle of the Alamo was preceded by battles in
Gonzales, Goliad, and in San Antonio itself. Mexican troops led
by General Cos had taken refuge in the Alamo and surrendered in
early December. The surrender had angered Santa Anna. He vowed to
get rid of the Anglos and also to punish the Tejanos, the Mexicans
living in Texas who had taken part in the battle.
After the surrender by General Cos, the Texas army
floundered without a leader for several months, and its numbers
dwindled. Simultaneously, Santa Anna was rallying his troops for
the long journey from Mexico City to San Antonio.
Texas troops still occupied the Alamo, joined by
volunteers such as Davy Crockett from Tennessee. The troops felt
they had time to be joined by reinforcements before Santa Anna would
arrive, but they were wrong. Santa Anna's advance troops first arrived
in San Antonio on February 23. The revolutionaries scrambled inside
the protective walls of the mission, bringing in a sufficient amount
of cattle and supplies that commander William Travis felt could
sustain them until help arrived.
Travis quickly made another appeal for more troops,
knowing that the brunt of Santa Anna's army was only days away.
The help so desperately needed did not arrive, and on March 3 Travis
allegedly drew a line in the earth with his sword. All men who wanted
to stay and defend the Alamo crossed the line—exhibiting their
dedication to independence even at the cost of battling an enemy
that vastly outnumbered them. Only one man did not cross the line.
The battle began with bombardments from Mexican cannons,
but the real surge took place at about 5:30 the morning of March
6. Perhaps as many as 1,800 Mexican soldiers stormed the mission,
fighting first with guns and finally hand to hand as they progressed
up the walls. By 7 a.m., the battle was over. All the Texas revolutionaries
died or were executed, but Santa Anna's troops permitted several
women and a slave of William Travis's to live. The most famous survivors
were Suzanna Dickinson and her daughter Angelina, the family of
an Alamo officer. They were left to spread the word of the Alamo
defeat. And spread the word they did. "Remember the Alamo"
was the battle cry in the months to come, when finally the Texans
defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Texas finally
became an independent republic.
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