The Alamo

[renrich]

On this date March 6, 1836, the Alamo fell after 13 days of siege. William Barrett Travis wrote this letter on February 24, 1836. "To the people of Texas and all Americans in the world, Fellow Citizens and Compatriots, I am besieged with a thousand or more Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual bombardment and cannonade for twenty four hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded surrender at discretion, or the garrison will be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the wall. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of liberty, of patriotism , and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due his honor and that of his country. Victory or Death! William Barrett Travis, Lt. Colonel, Commanding"

 

[Freebird]

And the Alamo is a great place to go see


San Antonio is a great city.

 

[renrich]

Very true. Something mystical about the Alamo and SA is a fun place to visit. I grew up there.

 

[Amsel]

Remember the Alamo! Some great men fought to the death at the Alamo including former congressman Davy Crockett.

Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to hell and I will go to Texas.
Davy Crockett

Be always sure you are right then Go, ahead.
Personal Motto of Davy Crockett

"I'm that same David Crockett, fresh from the backwoods, half-horse, half-alligator, a little touched with the snapping turtle; can wade the Mississippi, leap the Ohio, ride upon a streak of lightning, and slip without a scratch down a honey locust [tree]."

Jim Bowie also paid the ultimate price.

From Wiki.

Born in Kentucky, Bowie spent most of his life in Louisiana, where he was raised and later worked as a land speculator. His rise to fame began in 1827 on reports of the Sandbar Fight. What began as a duel between two other men deteriorated into a melee in which Bowie, having been shot and stabbed, killed the sheriff of Rapides Parish with a large knife. This and other stories of Bowie's prowess with the knife led to the widespread popularity of the Bowie knife.

Bowie's reputation was cemented by his role in the Texas Revolution. After moving to Texas in 1830, Bowie became a Mexican citizen and married the daughter of the vice governor of the province. His fame in Texas grew following his failed expedition to find the lost San Saba mine, where his small party repelled an attack by a large Indian raiding party. At the outbreak of the Texas Revolution, Bowie joined the Texas militia, leading forces at the Battle of Concepcion and the Grass Fight. In January 1836, he arrived at the Alamo, where he commanded the volunteer forces until an illness left him bedridden. Bowie died with the other Alamo defenders on March 6. Despite conflicting accounts of the manner of his death, the "most popular, and probably the most accurate"[1] accounts maintain that he died in his bed after emptying his pistols into several Mexican soldiers.

One of my favorite Crockett scenes, countering the Deguello(slit throat).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S5mzSSWADY

 

[ToughOmbre]

He heard of Houston an' Austin so,
to the Texas plains he jest had to go
Where freedom was fightin' another foe,
an' they needed him at the Alamo!

Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear!

TO

 

[renrich]

It is kind of amazing to see the number of rather famous historical characters who assembled at the Alamo.

 

[Amsel]

He heard of Houston an' Austin so,
to the Texas plains he jest had to go
Where freedom was fightin' another foe,
an' they needed him at the Alamo!

Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who don't know fear!

TO

I remember this one. King of the Alamo?

 

[renrich]

Kind of hard to understand why a man like Crockett who had some experience in war and who was some 50 years old would come and stay in the Alamo when he could have left almost anytime up until the last few days of the siege.

 

[Amsel]

Kind of hard to understand why a man like Crockett who had some experience in war and who was some 50 years old would come and stay in the Alamo when he could have left almost anytime up until the last few days of the siege.

Yes it is. It takes those kind of men to build civilization.

 

[renrich]

I have always thought that there was something like divine influence working in those days in Texas. Probably just my early upbringing with a lot of Texas history being taught.