What happened at the Battle of the Alamo?
What happened at the Battle of the Alamo?
Overview of the siege of the Alamo.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
NARRATOR: The battle of the Alamo was a famous fight in the Texas revolution—the struggle for Texas independence from Mexico. The story of the battle has become an enduring piece of American folklore. But how much of the legend is fact, and how much is myth?
A popular telling of the battle holds that in early 1836 a small group of brave Texans defended the mission-fort known as the Alamo against thousands of Mexican soldiers, knowing it meant certain death. These men included famed frontiersman Davy Crockett and inventor of the Bowie knife, James Bowie, who was confined to bed but still managed to kill a few enemy soldiers. Every Texan man fought to his last breath, until only the women and children remained.
Many points of this story hold true. The Texans were vastly outnumbered: estimates have their numbers at roughly 200 men, while the Mexican army had anywhere from 1,800 to 6,000 soldiers. The Texan fighters did recognize that they were likely to die defending the Alamo. On the second day of the siege, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis addressed a letter to “the People of Texas & All Americans in the World,” in which he wrote that he would never surrender or retreat. He and his men would face victory or death. But these men were not looking to be martyrs. The letter was also a request for help, as Travis implored other Texans to come to their aid.
Additionally, not every defender died fighting, though most of them did. Eyewitness accounts suggest that some Texans did try to surrender once defeat was imminent, but the Mexican commander, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, refused to take prisoners, and these men were executed immediately. One defender of Mexican descent was able to persuade the Mexican army that he was a prisoner of the Texans, not one of their fighters, so the soldiers spared his life. Several black slaves also survived the battle, at least one of whom, a man named Joe, had fought in the Alamo’s defense.
The image of Bowie fighting from his sickbed may also be pure legend. Some witnesses, including a woman who claimed to be his nurse, stated that he had been too ill to even raise his gun by that point.
No matter where the line between truth and legend lies, it is certain that the battle of the Alamo and the sacrifice of its defenders inspired Texans as a symbol of heroic resistance. Two months later, at San Jacinto, General Sam Houston led a Texan army against Mexican forces that outnumbered them nearly 2 to 1. The Texan fighters shouted, “Remember the Alamo!” as they fought their way to victory, earning independence for Texas.
A popular telling of the battle holds that in early 1836 a small group of brave Texans defended the mission-fort known as the Alamo against thousands of Mexican soldiers, knowing it meant certain death. These men included famed frontiersman Davy Crockett and inventor of the Bowie knife, James Bowie, who was confined to bed but still managed to kill a few enemy soldiers. Every Texan man fought to his last breath, until only the women and children remained.
Many points of this story hold true. The Texans were vastly outnumbered: estimates have their numbers at roughly 200 men, while the Mexican army had anywhere from 1,800 to 6,000 soldiers. The Texan fighters did recognize that they were likely to die defending the Alamo. On the second day of the siege, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis addressed a letter to “the People of Texas & All Americans in the World,” in which he wrote that he would never surrender or retreat. He and his men would face victory or death. But these men were not looking to be martyrs. The letter was also a request for help, as Travis implored other Texans to come to their aid.
Additionally, not every defender died fighting, though most of them did. Eyewitness accounts suggest that some Texans did try to surrender once defeat was imminent, but the Mexican commander, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, refused to take prisoners, and these men were executed immediately. One defender of Mexican descent was able to persuade the Mexican army that he was a prisoner of the Texans, not one of their fighters, so the soldiers spared his life. Several black slaves also survived the battle, at least one of whom, a man named Joe, had fought in the Alamo’s defense.
The image of Bowie fighting from his sickbed may also be pure legend. Some witnesses, including a woman who claimed to be his nurse, stated that he had been too ill to even raise his gun by that point.
No matter where the line between truth and legend lies, it is certain that the battle of the Alamo and the sacrifice of its defenders inspired Texans as a symbol of heroic resistance. Two months later, at San Jacinto, General Sam Houston led a Texan army against Mexican forces that outnumbered them nearly 2 to 1. The Texan fighters shouted, “Remember the Alamo!” as they fought their way to victory, earning independence for Texas.