The Alamo
“Remember the Alamo,” is a well-known saying in America, although few people really understand what happened at The Battle of the Alamo. The Battle of the Alamo was fought between the Texans and Mexicans. The Texans were fighting for their independence from Mexico. Although the Mexican forces were victorious, this battle was a key event in the westward expansion of America.
The Alamo has become an American landmark due to the famous Battle of the Alamo in 1836, but the Alamo itself started off vastly different. The building is located in a section of downtown San Antonio, Texas. The word Alamo actually stands for “cottonwood” and thus was named due to the cottonwood trees that surrounded the site. The Alamo was originally established as mission in 1718 and erected in 1724. (Selcraig)
Before understanding the importance of the Battle of the Alamo, a brief history of the region is needed and the understanding of the factors that lead to the battle itself. Shortly after Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, the young republic was desperate to populate its northern state of Texas. There was an attempt to gain control of the vast territory, but there was a problem. The problem was that the area was already inhabited by Apache and Comanche tribes who were not wanting any settlers
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In mid-February the forces of San Antonio had been fully taken by the Texan force. Sam Houston had urged the Texan force to abandon San Antonio due to the lack of troops needed to properly hold the area, but instead the “Alamo’s defenders dug in and prepared to defend the fort. The defenders never numbered more than 200, with reinforcements, and included Davy Crockett, the famous frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee.” (The
The Alamo first saw action when General Cos landed at Copano, and headed to San Antonio to meet up with Colonel Ugartechea. By now war was on everyone’s mind and many events prior to Cos marching toward San Antonio set the playing field for war, but not everyone really was for it,..... at least not yet. Meanwhile, in Gonzales the revolution had started over a cannon that the settlers would not give up. This is also were the phrase “come and take it!” was born. What had happen was Ugartechea sent a lieutenant with some men to unarm a group of colonist who had a cannon at their disposal in Gonzales. What the Mexican’s did not count on was that in the end they would be sent running off to San Antonio after being repulsed by the colonists. Now the colonists formed a small army to March on Cos and his men, which the settlers wanted out of Texas for good. As Lord points out Cos would be ready for the settlers in San Antonio. Lord also points out how the mission in San Antonio got its name, Lord states that the mission once held a colonial company from the Alamo de Parras in Mexico, and that the named carried over and was shortened to just being called the Alamo.
The film “The Alamo” revealed the history of Texas and battle of Alamo about Texas revolution, early back in the mid-1830s. The film was released in 2004, which reflected how the Texans fought bravely against Mexicans government to preserve their independence from the Mexico. Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, William Barrel Travis, Davy Crockett, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna were the main characters of the movie. Sam Houston was the governor of the Texas and used to live with Indians. Jim Bowie was the colonel with a huge knife and was opportunities. William B Travis was lieutenant colonel who divorced his wife and Jim used to call him “Buck” in the movie. Davy Crockett was renowned as a bear fighter and sharpshooter. He used to play violin and everybody
Crisp, James E. Sleuthing the Alamo: Davey Crockett's Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2005.
Then on the last day of battle General David Crockett was left to defend the fort while the other two generals stayed in their rooms hearing the gunshots of the Mexican Army and the Texas Republic shooting at each other. Then when General Santa Anna had enough of the Texans killing the Mexican army. General Santa ordered all the soldiers into the fortress from the four sides of the fort and lead the cavalry through the front gate. The Texas Republic was now led by David Crockett, he his men ordered to use all of the all eight of their cannons firepower they had.
In January of 1836 about 145 Texans were fortified in the soft walls of the Alamo also known as Cottonwood. Some of the important people here were lieutenant Colonel William Berret Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crocket. Meanwhile Santa Anna drove his troops into Texas in the dead of winter to level the Alamo. They arrived and began their siege on February 23. Fighting Ensued for about 13 days with minimum casualties. But on the 13th day of battle March 6, 1836 Santa Anna ordered a surprise attack from all sides in the dead of night. All defenders of the Alamo died that night.
The men fought very bravely and had some of the best fighters in America at their side, such as Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William B. Travis were all patriots who came together to fight for Texas’s freedom. All of the soldiers who fought for the Alamo were volunteers, all wanting their freedom from the Santa Anna. The Texan soldiers defeated over 700 of the Santa Anna’s soldiers but still lost the battle of the Alamo.
The Battle of San Jacinto was a decisive battle that helped to secure the independence of Texas. The Battle occurred on the 21st of April, 1836 in which the Texan Army led by General Sam Houston defeated the Mexican Army led by General Santa Anna. Despite the Mexican Army having a superior number of troops and equipment, they were not able to defeat the Texan Army, and thus led to the eventual capture of General Santa Anna and the withdraw of Mexican Forces from Texas (Hardin, 1994). The one key element that aided the victory of the Texan Army was the patience and terrain knowledge that General Houston had. What if General Santa Anna had sent a scout element to recon the terrain? What if General Santa Anna
As the Mexican Army drew close, Travis sent increasingly desperate pleas for reinforcements. He knew that the Alamo lacked fortifications and could not hope to hold. The perimeter wall was too long, and the number of men too few, to hold the Alamo (Sorrels 53). Travis sent letter after letter asking for reinforcements he knew were too scattered or to distant to arrive in time. He wrote:
The siege, fall and ensuing massacre of nearly two hundred Alamo defenders at the hands of Mexican General, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna y Perez de Lebron’s army of over five thousand was a defining moment in both Texan, and American history. For 13 days against insurmountable odds, a small, but very determined Texan garrison force fended off an equally determined Mexican Army ordered to capture it. I’ll discuss the events and political climate leading up to the siege, key historic figures involved on both sides, the siege itself, along with events immediately following the battle. The iconic phrase, “Remember the Alamo!” would later go on to become a rallying cry at the Battle of San Jacinto.
The Battle of the Alamo is probably the most famous battle to take place in the history of, and in the state of, Texas. The battle has given Texans the will to persevere against tough odds and the courage to endure through seemingly impossible situations for many generations. Many a Texan would draw inspiration during the fights following the defeat at the Alamo. This inspiration eventually led them to victory during the Texas Revolution following the Battle of San Jacinto. Had the Texas military correctly utilized their intelligence and combat assets available to them at the time, they would have been able to properly reinforce the Alamo. This would have allowed Texan leadership to develop an effective strategy to defeat the Mexican army
A little history before we start diving into the significance of the battles, there some precursors to the beginning of the conflict. There were a lot of political and cultural clashes between the Mexican government and American settlers in Texas. In the 1820 's, this was in the early stages. Mexico wanted to attract settlers to the state known as Coahuila which is known as Texas today. The American settlers where wanting to go because the land was good for farming and ranching. Though the American settlers soon started pushing the Mexicans away, and Mexico was slowly becoming reluctant to allow the Americans to settle here. When Americans settlers started to migrate in Texas, Mexico tried to stop them by implementing a law that they convert to Catholicism and become Mexican citizens. Though, most of the Texas settlers approved of the Mexican constitution of 1824,
The battle at the Alamo is one of the most significant events in the Texas Revolution, as well as in both Mexican and American history. For Mexican President and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, it was a tale of determination and holding to the principles of a strong, central government. For Americans living in Texas, the Alamo was a venture of small scale Revolutionary ideals; a people should be able to democratically express how they feel their homeland to be governed. As we know, both countries experienced the extreme opposites of their desired outcomes, if only initially. The tales of this specific point in time are many, though some certainly contain many varying details from the next. However, most can hardly be proven, as
General Sam Houston did not see San Antonio as an area worth holding because most of the Anglo settlements were in the eastern section of the region. Because of the General Houston sent Jim Bowie to San Antonio with orders to destroy the Alamo and return with the rebels and their weapons. Bowie along with William B. Travis disregarded the general’s orders and took refuge
The dictator of Mexico, General Santa Anna, set the control of military to prevent the Texans' revolution. About 100 Texans defended their settlements at the Alamo. The unforgettable moment of Texans' inspired quote, 'Remember the Alamo!' made a large impact on Mexican soldiers in the Alamo. The vision of battle of San Jacinto was full of painful bloody violence. It overwhelmed the Mexicans.
In the December of 1835, during the Texas Revolution, the Alamo was occupied by two hundred Texan soldiers located near the present day in San Antonio. The Alamo was a church in the middle of San Antonio. William Travis and James Bowie were the commanders who were prepared to defend the Alamo from the Mexicans who wanted it back. Unfortunately, the Texan soldiers were outnumbered to secure the Alamo from General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna by thousands of his soldiers. The battle was only for thirteen days and Santa Anna slaughtered everyone except for a few such as a widowed wife named Susanna Wilkerson Dickinson, her infant daughter Angelina, and the one person who witnessed the final assault and survived named Joe. For the Texans, the battle of the Alamo is an "image of brave resistance and a rallying cry in their battle for freedom." This urged more Texans to join the military and lead the following fight to triumph against Mexico. The battle cry “Remember the Alamo!” within Texas culture was a symbol of “Patriotic sacrifice.”