The Alamo 1836

In October 1835, four local Mexican troopers of the Parras de Alamo Company were sent to Gonzales to retrieve a loaned cannon, were seized and killed, and then about 90 of the Alamo Company sent to recover the cannon were fired on, beginning the Texas Revolution. Returning Alamo Company soldiers and other Mexican soldiers began fortifying the Alamo and the town of San Antonio, and, reinforced by more Mexican soldiers under Gen. Cos, dug trenches, put up stockades, reinforced the walls with dirt inside, and built dirt and log platforms with ramps to fire cannons over the walls. About 500 Mexican troops defended the Alamo, with more protecting the town across the river for 55 days, and after a rebel attack on the town those troops retreated to the Alamo with their families. When the Mexican troops surrendered on Dec. 11, 1835, they left and the rebels took over the fort and town. Just over 100 men under Col. James Neil were left to garrison the site, with men spread both in town and at the Alamo and with about 24 cannons. The fort's engineer, Capt. Jameson, sent three maps and complex plans for improving the defenses with large earthworks, but noted the men would not work. Gen. Sam Houston ordered the Alamo blown up and the cannon and supplies hauled away because the fort was not defendable, but lack of draft animals prevented this. On Feb. 23, 1836, troops of the returning Mexican army arrived in San Antonio and began bombarding the Alamo with cannon. At that time the fort was under joint command of Col. W B Travis and James Bowie, who was sick, with about 150 men, and later 32 more men entered the fort. Conflicting records give the number of defenders as perhaps 189 or as high as 254, including some women and children and a few slaves. After a 13-day siege, the Mexican army attacked at 5 AM on March 6. Travis died on the north wall and Bowie in a room by the gate in bed. At the end of the battle, about 65 defenders were pushed out of the fort and killed outside by Mexican cavalry. The male defenders were all killed, women and children were spared, and the slaves freed. Mexican casualties are reported as about 121 dead and about 247 wounded on the day of the battle, though all casualty figures are unclear. The bodies of the defenders were burned in two piles outside the fort to the south on present Commerce St. Gen. Andrade was left in San Antonio in command of 1001 Mexican troops while the rest of the Mexican army marched east, and the remaining troops refortified the Alamo over three months.

San Antonio, Texas · United States