The Alamo Siege
• After the Mexicans arrived on Feb 23rd, they
settled into a siege of the Alamo.
• They flew a red flag which meant no quarter. (no
mercy, no prisoners)
• During the 13 day siege the Mexican army inched
closer and closer to the Alamo walls.
• They fired cannons at the fort day and night and
harassed the defenders by having the Mexican
Military band play a song titled “El Degüello” which
meant “Slit Throat”.
• Travis sent his most famous letter on the second day of the siege:
To The People of Texas and
All Americans In The World -February 24, 1836
Fellow citizens & compatriots -- I am besieged, by a thousand or more of
the Mexicans under Santa Anna -- I have sustained a continual
Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man -- The
enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison
are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken -- I have answered the
demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the
walls -- I shall never surrender or retreat.
I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, & every thing dear to
the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch -- The
enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & 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 & die like a soldier who
never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country -VICTORY OR DEATH
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt.
• By the 24th James Bowie had become
extremely sick and was bedridden for the rest
of the siege.
• Another blow for Travis came on March 1st ,
reinforcements came from Gonzales but it was
only 32 men. Known as the “Immortal 32”
• He needed much more…
• How many Texian defenders
were at the Alamo?
– The tradition number of defenders
is 189. But some estimates range up
to as many as 257.
– Almost all were Anglo-American but
it is known that at least 9 Tejanos
died with them and maybe more.
– Some of the Texian had slaves and
some of them may have fought and
died with their masters.
– Travis’ slave Joe even claimed to see
a dead female slave.
• Did Travis draw a “line in the sand?”
– One of the biggest myths of the Alamo has Travis
draw a “line in the sand” with his sword, and
invited all those who were willing to stay (and,
presumably, almost certain to die) to cross over
the line.
The story is all but certain to be untrue. The story
itself did not appear until 1873, or 37 years after
the battle.
He grew increasingly bitter that his fellow
Texans seemed deaf to his appeals. In a
letter to a friend, Travis revealed his
frustration:
"If my countrymen do not rally to my relief,
I am determined to perish in the defense of
this place, and my bones shall reproach my
country for her neglect."
The Assault on the Alamo
• On March 5th, Santa Anna decided to finally
assault the Alamo.
• His generals were surprised.
• No Texian reinforcements had shown and the
bombardment of the Mexican cannons was
crumbling the Alamo walls. Why attack now?
• At 4 a.m. on March the 6th the Mexican soldiers lined up
outside Alamo.
• At 5 a.m. 2,000 Mexicans attacked on all 4 sides.
• The Texians put up a noble fight but stood no chance.
• They were out numbered more than 10 to 1
• The battle lasted no more than 90 minutes, every Texian
defender was killed.
• Travis is one of the first Texans
to be killed.
– According to his slave Joe
(who survived the battle)
Travis was shot in the head
in the first few minutes on
the North Wall.
• Bowie, too sick to fight, is
killed in his bed.
– Movie accounts show him
firing pistols at the on
coming Mexicans but there
is zero evidence to support
this
How did Crockett die?
• How did David Crockett die?
– There are many different opinions
on this. Some think that he survived
the battle along with a few others
and was executed afterwards.
Others think he died defending the
palisade. Still others think that as
many as 60 of the defenders
including Crockett jumped the walls
to escape during the assault and
were killed outside the Alamo.
– There are so many different eye
witness accounts from Mexican
soldiers and survivors of the battle
like Susanna Dickinson and Travis’
slave Joe that history will never
know.
• Susanna Dickinson claimed to see Crockett’s body
surrounded by a pile of dead Mexicans.
• While several Mexican soldiers said in later years that Santa
Anna had him executed.
Aftermath
• Not everyone in the
Alamo died. About 20 or
so non-combatants:
women, children, and
slaves were spared by
Santa Anna including
Susanna Dickinson and
Travis’ slave Joe.
• Santa Anna told them to
tell Texas about what had
happened and that it
would happen to them as
well if they did not leave
Texas.
• How many Mexican soldiers were killed in the
battle?
– For a hundred years and more after the battle Texans
claimed that over a 1,000 Mexicans has been killed .
– While the Mexicans claimed they lost about 100.
What was the correct number?
– The number of Mexicans killed in the siege and the battle
is probably between 200 and 600.
– Santa Anna did not bring medical supplies with him and
because of this men who suffered bad wounds would die
instead of being saved by medical treatment.
• The defenders
bodies were
burned in a
huge fire.
• After the war,
Juan Seguin
would return to
the Alamo and
give them a
proper burial.
Travis
Crockett
The Alamo Movie (2004)
Bowie