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WAS THE ALAMO A DEFEAT OR A VICTORY. After the Battle of Bexar , many Texans went home to see their families and plant their fields for a spring and summer harvest. They believed that the war was over. What did they think they had won?. Independence from Mexico
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After the Battle of Bexar, many Texans went home to see their families and plant their fields for a spring and summer harvest. They believed that the war was over. What did they think they had won? • Independence from Mexico • Free round trip tickets to Cancun • Separate statehood in the Republic of Mexico.(Split from Coahuila)
Colonel James Neill was left with only 104 men in San Antonio
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna is marching toward Texas. He has 6,000 men at Saltillo, 200 miles south of the Rio Grande. He is very angry at General Cos and the Texans. Another 1,500 wait at the border with General Urrea. General Urrea General Cos
Name 3 Mexican Generals. Cos, Sesma & Santa Anna
Where is Sam Houston? • Houston is in East Texas negotiating a treaty with the Cherokees and other tribes to prevent them from attacking from the rear if the Texans go to war with Santa Anna.
Sam Houston’s Plan: • One big fight • Pull Santa Anna into East Texas • Stretch out supply lines- leave men to man them • NOT defend the Alamo
Sam Houston sends his old friend Jim Bowie to Bexar to remove the cannons then blow down the walls of the Alamo
January 19, 1836 • Bowie arrives with 30 men. Within a week he writes. “Colonel Neill and myself have come to the solemn resolution that we would rather die in these ditches than give it up to the enemy.”
February 1, 1836 Santa Anna leaves Saltillo. At the border General Urrea takes 1,500 men along the coast of Texas. Leaves 6,000 men with Santa Anna.
William Barrett Travis arrives at the old mission San Antonio de Valero.(The Alamo) “I am unwilling to risk my reputation with such little means, so few men, and them so badly equipped.”
February 12, 1836 Travis has changed his mind. “We consider death preferable to disgrace, which would be the result of giving up a post which has been so dearly won…I am determined to defend it to the last, and should Bexar fall, your friend will be buried beneath its ruins.”
Colonel Neill leaves dues to illness in his family. Bowie and Travis take joint command. Bowie is ill with typhoid pneumonia.
Davey Crockett, the Tennessee frontiersman arrives with the “Tennessee Volunteers.” He has his fiddle and the Kentucky rifle named old Betsy. “Make me a high private.”
February 16, 1836 Santa Anna is crossing the Rio Grande with 6,000 men. 150 miles to San Antonio. 1,800 Pack mules 21 Cannons 33 Four Wheeled Carts 200 Two Wheeled Carts
Travis believes Santa Anna will not arrive before March5th Travis sends first message to Fannin at Goliad to come to the Alamo with his 400 men. James Butler Bonham(messenger of the Alamo)
February 20, 1836 • Eyewitness account from Juan Seguin’s scouts that Santa Anna was seen crossing the Medina River. Travis still does not believe it. • Not totally unprepared because of Green Jamison (architect of the Alamo) and Almeron Dickenson
MAP OF THE ALAMO Strategic placement of the cannon. How did we get them? Battle of Bexar
Why fight? Daniel Cloud 22 year old lawyer. “If we succeed, the country is ours. If we fail, death in the cause of liberty and humanity is not a cause for shuddering.”
Travis believes that reinforcements will come from Gonzales, Goliad, and San Felipe. Any day now would be great!
February 23, 1836 Travis posts lookout on the San Fernando Church. Flash in the sun. Sent Smithwick and Sutherland to see. Flashing lights in the hills-Santa Anna’s Army Almeron, Susannah, Angelina Dickenson Go running into the Alamo. Gregorio, Ana Esparza and 4 children. Climbed in through the window
Messages sent out again by several scouts for help. Juan Seguin, James Butler Bonham go to Gonzales, San Felipe, Goliad and places in between.
Crockett said: “ Give me and my Tennessee Boys a place to defend.” Travis placed them On the palisade
Mexican Army puts red flag up on the San Fernando Church. No Quarter, No Surrender, No Survivors Unconditional surrender. Answer Single cannon shot (bring it on)
February 24, 1836 Bowie gives full command to Travis. Why? Typhoid Pneumonia Famous letter from the Alamo. Alamo is under siege. Constant bombardment. Everyday it will get closer. Send help.
March 1, 1836 3:00 AM 32 men from Gonzales led by Albert Martin Last messages to leave the Alamo. Sent to Washington on the Brazos, Goliad (La Bahia) Bonham, carries 3rd message to Fannin Travis: “the victory will cost the enemy so dear, that it will be worse for him than defeat.”
March 5, 1836 • Travis still is hoping that help will arrive from Goliad, but Bonham returns with word that Fannin was not coming. Fannin made one lousy attempt to come. A wagon wheel broke and an oxen escaped and he turned back the whole half mile he had gone. Bonham spit at his feet. Travis deserves to know your not coming.
Crockett “ I think we had better march out and die in the open air. I don’t like being hemmed up.” 3 option….
Legend or Fact??? Travis calls all the men into the courtyard. Draws a line in the sand “All who are willing to fight and die cross this line and stand with me.” All but one crossed
First man to cross Tapley Holland
Bowie “Carry me across boys”
Only man to leave Louis Rose (Moses) Soldier of the Alamo
March 6, 1836 Final Battle of the Alamo 1 AM-Santa Anna’s men get up 4 AM-Ready Dawn-Attack Viva Santa Anna
Travis to the North wall “no rendirsemuchachos, no rendirse!” Bowie in the low barracks with his sister-in-law. Very ill but armed. Crockett at the palisade. Women and children in the chapel
Bonham, Esparza, Dickenson, Jamison on the top of the chapel.
Attacking at each point • 5 columns of approximately 800 each • 2 North East & North West Walls • 1 East wall • 1 Palisade • 1 South wall • 300 Cavalry • Zapadores held in reserve-400 best men
1st Attack Guns stacked next to Texans on wall. Mexican soldiers retreat. Stopped by cavalry (mounted soldiers) with flat side of swords. Carried ladders. Travis shot in first attack when leaning over wall to shoot at Mexican soldiers at base of north wall.
2nd Attack Mexicans retreat but more Texans dead on wall. WE HAD TO RELOAD
3rd Attack The two columns on the north side merge into one and come over the wall
Last only 15 more minutes. The total battle lasted 90 minutes
Battle inside the walls Turned the cannon around to the North Wall. Put in grape shot (chucks of horseshoes and nails etc.) Texans retreat to Long Barracks. Mexicans turn around cannon and blow open parapets at doors. Hand to hand, very bloody, room to room. Blood ran on floors. Mexicans had bayonets on the ends of their guns-Texans did not. Now no time to reload and used as clubs.
Bowie killed in Low Barracks Legend- Crockett goes down fighting in front of the chapel. Last place to fall is the chapel. BEDJ at the back. Robert Evans tried to blow up the magazine. Shot before he got there with torch. Jacob Walker runs into room with a message for Susannah Dickenson to give but killed. Mexican army finds women and children and Travis’s slave, Joe. They are taken into the courtyard. Susannah is shot in the shin.
By 6:30 AM March 6, 1836 it’s over 189 Texans dead. This includes nine Tejanos (Mexican Texans) Why was Juan Seguin not killed? Not there. 1,200-1,500 Mexicans dead (or could it be only 600) Stories vary.
Enrique de la Pena wrote 6 men were captured one being Davey Crockett. Santa Anna ordered them executed- shot and bodies bayoneted. Many believe this to be true. As Santa Anna rode through his dead soldiers he said: “This is but a small affair.” Over ¼ of his army was dead
Santa Anna told Susannah Dickenson to tell the Texans that unless they left Texas they would all be executed including women and children. He then released Susannah, Angelina, the Esparza family, and Joe. Approximately 7 to 13 people lived. (Different accounts)
Susannah makes it to Gonzales and tells Sam Houston what Santa Anna said. He orders the burning of Gonzales and the Runaway Scrape began as Texans fled their homes all over Texas.
It will all end When Houston beat Santa Anna in the battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.
While the battle of the Alamo was going on… 59 delegates declared Texas Independence on March 2, 1836 in Washington on the Brazos.