Remembering The Alamo
The 1836 battle for the Alamo has grown to mythic proportions,bolstered in posterity by those keen to liken the last stand of DavyCrockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis to the Spartan defense ofThermopylae two and a half millennia hence. Not a particularly shrewd orstrategic military ploy, the defense of the Alamo was as much amiscalculation as it was a rebellious last stand. Nonetheless, the heroismand valor displayed by the small band of "Texians" during the siege on theAlamo remains today a source of pride for modern day Texans and Americansalike. Today, new accounts of the battle have surfaced, calling intoquestion what have heretofore been regarded as incontrovertible historicalfacts. Also, Mexican-Americans have clamored for their place in thehistory books alongside Crockett, Bowie, Travis and company as opponents ofthe Mexican tyrant General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. As in all thingsthroughout history, a true picture of the Alamo is hard to come by.Sifting through the legends, the lore, and the rumors, however, is an It was the Mexican independence from Spain in 1821 that truly set thestage for what was to become a mini-revolution i
It was nowFebruary 2, 1836; Davy Crockett arrived six days later, and by February 14,Travis and Bowie had agreed to share command (www. However, the fact remains that theAlamo, though a symbolic victory, was nothing if not an outrageous militaryblunder. First of all, its location at San Antonio de Bexar wasnot considered an important one to the Texian cause; it was "too far fromthe American settlements in Texas and too close to the population centersof Mexico," according to Sam Houston, commander-in-chief of therevolutionary army of Texas, who also surmised that "the War for TexasIndependence would never be won at Bexar, but it might be lost there(Brands 90). Bowie hadalready declared in a letter that "The salvation of Texas depends in greatmeasure in keeping Bexar out of the hands of the enemy (Brands 92). The Texans fought gallantly, however, takingmany Mexican attackers to the grave with them; Alamo lore has Davy Crockettdying "surrounded by at least 16-and as many as 24-dead Mexican soldiers,one of whom was reportedly found with Crockett's knife buried to the hiltin his chest (Grigg 40). What is clear at the end of the day is that the Alamo story, for allits richness (and variety), remains a story, replete with heroes andvillains, noble sacrifices and daring gambits. I shall never surrender or retreat (Brands 89). " Houston decided to coax the Texans at Bexar away from thelocation in favor of falling back to a more strategic "eligible position(Brands 90)"; in his letter to the captain in charge at Bexar, JamesFannin, Houston asked "would it not be best to raise a nominal siege fall-back to La Bahia and Gonzales, leaving a sufficient force for theprotection of the frontier. Other issues arise when one considers the role of the Hispanic in thefight for the Alamo; Latinos have repeatedly pointed out that among theAlamo's defenders were many Mexican ranchers and fellow "revolutionaries"(The Economist). Aseries of battles had commenced by 1836, eventually becoming the War forTexas Independence. The Alamo'sinhabitants knew that defeat at the hands of Santa Anna's superior forcewas certain; in the midst of the initial battle, Major Jameson emerged fromthe Alamo on behalf of Bowie, bearing a white flag and prepared to inquireinto the terms of a surrender (Grigg 40). " The Alamo was fallen, but the greater Texas bid for independence wasreinforced by the defeat. " As legend would have it, all but one rushed the line and stood withTravis, resolved to die fighting.
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Acceptance Essays
