Sunday, March 06, 2011

Remember the Alamo



On this day in 1836 the final assault on the Alamo resulted in the death of all the defending Texians. It was a costly victory for Santa Anna (estimated 800 casualties), and the 13 days he spent in the siege allowed Sam Houston to assemble an army and ultimately defeat the Mexican army at San Jacinto. The deaths at the Alamo were not in vain. Revisionists now say that Davy Crockett surrendered and was executed. I don't buy that. Right after the battle one of the non-combatant survivors, Susanna Dickinson, saw Crockett's body in the area of the chapel, surrounded by dead Mexican soldiers. He and his Tennesseans were assigned the defense of the low palisade, an open area between the chapel and high wall in which a makeshift defensive position was fashioned from wagons, boxes, sacks, etc. That's on the lower right on the accompanying map (#14), on the slant.

6 comments:

Ron Scheer said...

Thanks for the history lesson. I'm always glad to find someone who cares what happened before yesterday. The illustrative "action figures" are a nice touch, too. Would that all battles were fought with toy soldiers.

Cap'n Bob said...

History I can remember, yesterday is a blank. A curse of old age, Ron.

mybillcrider said...

I've never bought the revisionist version of the Alamo fight. I could see, maybe, Crockett being severely wounded and unable to fight, but I can't believe he'd surrender even then.

pattinase (abbott) said...

When I finally saw this I was astounded at its size.

Evan Lewis said...

Davy has just named you four honorary members of Crockett's Tennesseans. Wear your coonskin caps with pride.

Cap'n Bob said...

Patti, I remember someone writing that defending the walls of the Alamo with 187-200 men (the estimated number of defenders) would mean placing one man every 80 feet along the walls.