I
I
I
I
I
I
(
L
The Evidence
.IT@ The University of Texas
Institute of Texan Cultures
at San Antonio
o
THE AIJ
The Evidence
IT~ The University of Texas
Institute of Texan Cultures
at San Antonio
o
Graphics created by Meghan Merker, Grambler Graphics,
Salt Lake City, Utah
All images, unless otherwise noted, can be found in the
Photographic Collection of the University of Texas
Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio,
801 South Bowie Street San Antonio, Texas 78205-3296.
This project has been funded by the Ellwood Foundation of Houston, Texas.
Contents
Thneline 2
Investigations
1. What happened at the Alamo? 6
2. Ho", tnany Mexican troops ",ere at the Alamo,
and hOlM tnany ",ere killed and ",ounded? 10
3. When did the battle of the Alatno begin,
and hOlM long did it last? 15
4. Where did David Crockett die? 19
5. Did Travis dra", a line? 23
6. What ",as Jitn Bo",ie's illness? 27
7. Who survived the battle of the Alamo? 32
8. Was Madatn Candelaria an itnposter? 38
9. What ",ere the causes of the Texas Revolution? 43
Glossary 50
Editor's Note to Students
The excerpts from the sources cited have been abridged and modified to further
readability by students.
In historical documents, names are frequently spelled more than one way. and
often words are used in ways unusual to us today.
It was a small war as such things go.
The Alamo and the Texas War for Independence
Albert A. Nofi, 1992
',.
CONVENTION HALL, WASHINGTON,
March 2, 1836
War is ranging on the frontiers.
Bexar is besieged by two thousand of the
enemy, under the command of General Sesma.
Reinforcements are on their march to unite
with the besieging army. By the last report, our
force in Bexar was only one hundred and fifty
men. The citizens of Texas must rally to the
aid of our army, or it will perish. Let the
citizens of the east march to the combat.
The enemy must be driven from our soil, or
desolation will accompany their march upon
us. Independence is declared; it must be
maintained. Immediate action united with
valor, can alone achieve the great work. The
services of all are forthwith required in the field.
SAM HOUSTON,
Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
P.S. It is rumored that the enemy is on their
march to Gonzales, and that they have entered
the colonies. The fate of Bexar is unknown. The
country must and shall be defended. The patriots
of Texas are appealed to in behalf of their bleeding
country.
H. Yoakum, History of Texas (New York: Redfield, 1855; reprint,Austin: Steck-Vaughn Company), pp.470-7J.
1
2
TIMELINE
Events of the Texas Revolution
May
May
October 1
1824
Mexican Federal Constitution of 1824
Changed the former Spanish provinces into a sovereign state,
combining Texas and Coahuila into the new Mexican state of
Coahuila y Tejas with the capital at Saltillo.
1829-1837
Mexico had 17 presidents.
30,000 immigrants settled in the East Texas area.
1830
Mexicans banned further American immigration and importation
of slaves and imposed fees and duties [taxes].
1832
Anahuac Affair
William Travis and Patrick Jack were arrested at Anahuac for their
interference in the enforcement of laws at the Mexican garrison.
160 settlers marched on Anahuac, but the garrison commander
Bradburn refused to release Travis and Jack.
Turtle Bayou Resolutions
Settlers adopted resolutions supporting Mexico and Santa Anna
against President Bustamante. Their complaints against
Commander Bradburn at Anahuac led to the release of Travis
and Jack.
Battle of Velasco
A group of settlers got cannons at Brazoria and loaded them onto
a ship to sail to Anahuac. Fighting occurred when the Mexican
commanders at Velasco refused to let them sail into port. The
Mexican soldiers surrendered when their ammunition ran out.
~
t::;
~
t=
r::
r;:.
r;::
r::
I=:
r;::
t:=
J;::::
t:
1=
.:::
.::::
.:::
m::
~
.:::
Il=
t:
-=
C
Itt
I::c:
First Texian Meeting at San Felipe
Fifty-eight delegates elected Stephen Austin president of the
convention and discussed asking the government [ of Mexico] to
establish a state [of Mexico] government for Texas, independent
and separate from Coahuila. They also discussed asking that
immigration from the u.s. be permitted again.
1833
April Second Texian Meeting at San Felipe
The delegates felt that the government of Mexico had given little
thought to their petition, so they met again. Some wanted
independence, others wanted a separate state within Mexico, and
others wanted tax relief. They also prepared a constitution for the
proposed state of Texas.
Decentber Austin Arrested in Saltillo
June 27
August 1
Austin went to Mexico to lobby for reforms from the government.
As he traveled back north, he was captured and imprisoned in
Mexico City until his release was obtained by lawyers Grayson and
Jack in December 1834, but upon his release, he was still forced to
remain in Mexico.
1835 ' ..
Anahuac Troubles Again (
Payments of taxes were demanded, and smugglers of imported
goods from the U.S. were arrested. Travis and a group of 20 rebels
seized the Mexican garrison at Anahuac to free the local men
[smugglersl and Captain Tenorio agreed to leave Texas
Arrest of Travis Ordered
Mexican Army General Cos ordered the arrest of Travis, who was
head of the revolutionary party. De Zavala and others involved in
the disturbances were also arrested.
Septentber 19 Texians Met at ColUntbia
Austin returned from Mexico and prison. having been gone for two
years and four months. He stated that war was the only possible
course of action.
l11lIatr _, : 7
4
October 2
October 11
aJlanlli-.D'~9 :
Battle of Gonzales
Mexican soldiers were sent to get back a cannon Mexico had given
the settlers to fight Indians, trying to enforce a new law to disarm
[take guns away from] the settlers. 160 Texians refused to retum the
Cannon and fired through the fog against the 100 Mexicans, who
returned to San Antonio without the cannon
Austin AssUlned Conunand
Austin was elected commander-in-chief of the Texian army and led
the army to San Antonio to confront General Cos.
October 28 Battle of Concepcion
Bowie and Fannin, on a scouting expedition for General Austin, were
surrounded by Mexican troops. With 92 men the Texians defeated
400 Mexican soldiers at Mission Concepcion and captured the
Mexican cannon left behind.
Decetnber 5-11 Assault on the Alatno
February 3
February 8
February 23
Texians and Tejanos led by Ben Milam fought from house to house,
forcing the Mexican Army under General Cos into the abandoned
Alamo mission After four days the terms of surrender were obtained,
and General Cos with his army retumed to Mexico. "
(
1836
, ,
Travis Arrived in San Antonio
Travis, a successful young frontier lawyer, was ordered to collect
volunteers and go to Bexar. He reported to Colonel Neill at the Alamo
garrison and took a room in town
Crockett Arrived in San Antonio
When Crockett was defeated for reelection to Congress from
Tennessee, he left for Texas, unaware of the turmoil brewing there.
At Nacogdoches hejoined the Texian cause as a volunteer and was
sent on to San Antonio de Bexar.
Santa Anna in San Antonio
Santa Anna arrived with over 2,500 troops at San Antonio de Bexar
and began cannonading the Alamo. More troops were expected.
: 7
March 2
March 6
March 12
March 27
Texas Declarat:ion of Independence
A convention of 59 men met at Washington-on-the-Brazos,
150 miles northeast of San Antonio, and declared Texas an
independent republic.
Battle of the AlantO
Santa Anna's troops killed all the Texian and Tejano soldiers at the
Alamo and burned the bodies.
Texas Constitution
The 59 men elected to the assembly (only two were native Texans:
Navarro and Ruiz) at Washington-on-the-Brazos adopted a
constitution for the new republic and made slavery a legal
institution in Texas.
Goliad Massacre
Fannin and volunteers surrendered to General Urrea. The Texian
prisoners were told they were paroled to the Goliad fortress; then
they were shot and the prisoners in the hospital were butchered.
400 Texians and Tejanos were executed.
March/April Runa""ay Scrape "
April 21
As Santa Anna's troops moved eastward and Houston's Texian troops
retreated, a stampede of Texas settlers fearing for their lives headed
east toward the Sabine River.
Battle of San Jacinto
The Texian army of 900 men defeated 1,400 Mexican troops,
with 630 killed and left to rot in the field, 208 wounded, and 730
captured, including Santa Anna, winning the Texas Revolution and
claiming Texas as a free, independent republic.
4· Invest:igat:ion One What: happened at: t:he Almno?
Doctunent: One (1-1)
Anna J. Hardwicke Pennybacker wrote several
Texas history textbooks, which were published
from 1888 to 1912. These books were used in
Texas classrooms for over forty years. She
taught school for fourteen years and then
became an organizer of women's clubs and
was active in the Democratic Party. She was
a reformer favoring women's rights and also
a correspondent with the League of Nations.
Anna J Hardwicke Pennybacker
by AJphaeus Cole, 1936
1836 The year did not open with bright prospects for the Texans. The GoVernor and
the Council were quarreling; General Houston was hampered, and could not carry
out his plans for the army; the people had their hands full caring for their families
during the bleak winter months; rumors of an invasion by the Mexicans came
thick and fast.
6
When Santa Anna received news of the surrender of General Cos [of the Mexican
Army] at San Antonio, he was wild with rage. He vowed he would never rest until
Texas should be humbled to the dust. Toward the last of February, he led his army
to that city.
After Milam captured San Antonio [from General Cos], the Texan army had
rapidly scattered until only a handful of men was left to garrison the place. Colonel
W.E. Travis, with 144 men, was in charge of the town. They were well armed and
had several cannon, but their supply of ammunition was small. In addition to
Travis, Bowie, Crockett, and Bonham were there.
The Mexicans, having captured the Texan scouts, came suddenly upon the town
February 22. The [Texan] garrison at once withdrew to the Alamo.
Day by day Santa Anna drew his lines closer about the Alamo; day by day the Mexican
forces increased, until they numbered 4,000 men; day by day the cannon poured their
murderous fire upon the fort and its noble defenders; day by day the red flag waved before
the little band of heroes. On March 1, 32 brave spirits from Goliad made their way through
the lines. This increased the garrison to 177 men, several of whom, however, were sick or
wounded. After this, no help came.
On March 4, the Mexicans kept up a terrible cannonade. Just before sunset, this suddenly
ceased, and Santa Anna ordered his men to withdraw some distance from the Alamo. The
weary Texans, who, for ten days and nights, had toiled like giants, sank down to snatch a few
moments' rest. That night Santa Anna called a council of war. It was decided to storm the
Alamo between midnight and sunrise, March 6.
Shortly after midnight (March 6), the Mexican troops surrounded the Alamo. The infantry
were supplied with crowbars and ladders for scaling the walls. Santa Anna's troops advanced
to the attack. The Texans received them with a terrible volley of musketry and artillery. Back
rushed the Mexicans before that fire of death. Again they advanced, while the Texans stood
like gods waiting to let others feel their mighty strength. But what could 170 men, worn
out by eleven days of constant effort, do against 4,000 fresh troops?
Now they were on the walls, now the noble Travis fell, now Bonham. The enemies were in
the court. The Texans were literally cut to pieces, yet not one fell unavenged. Brave Crockett
James Butler Bonham
byCB. Normann
• j
j
left a score of bodies about him to show his
work. The gallant Bowie, though too weak to
rise from his bed, shot two fi~nds who were
preparing to butcher him. The court ran with
blood, but the conflict did not cease until every
one of the noble band lay a bleeding sacrifice
upon his country's altar.
By the order of Santa Anna, the bodies of the
Texans were collected in a huge pile and
burned, while the 1,600 dead Mexicans were
taken to the cemetery for burial. From that
sacred fire sprang the flames that lighted all
Texas, that consumed many Mexican lives, and
caused even the Napoleon of the West to bow
low his haughty head.
Anna J. Hardwicke Pennybacker, A New History of Texas for Schools (Tyler: Anna J. Hardwicke Pennybacker, 1888),
pp.69-79.
7
DocUlHent: TltVO (1-2)
Ralph W Steen was
associate professor of
history at the Agricultural
and Mechanical College of
Texas in 1939, when his
History of Texas textbook
was published for schools.
In 1960 Mr. Steen, president
of Stephen F Austin State
College and past presIdent
of the Texas State Historical
Association, produced a
new textbook, The Texas
Story, Revised Edition.
The Siege of the Alamo
The Alamo
hy Hermann Lungkwitz, ]850
Lack of effective leadership led to great confusion in Texas during January and
February, 1836. Below the Rio Grande, Santa Anna was preparing an army of more than
6,000 men for the purpose of forcing the Texans
to obey him. The self-styled "Napoleon of the
West" led his army across the Rio Grande on
February 12, 1836, and proceeded directly to
San Antonio.
A part of the Mexican force reached
San Antonio on February 23, to the great
surprise of the Texans, so few preparations had
been made for the defense of the city. Travis
quickly gathered his men inside the walls of the
abandoned Mission San Antonio de Valero,
known as the Alamo. He gathered all available
provisions and made preparations to withstand a
siege. The area enclosed by the buildings and
walls of the Alamo was slightly more than two
acres and fully 1,000 men would have been
needed to defend it. The Texan force at this
WjlJiam Barret Travis time numbered about 160 men.
hyCBNormann
Travis sent out several appeals for aid. With the exception of a little band of heroes
from Gonzales, Travis received but little response to his pleas. The final units of the Mexican
army reached San Antonio on March 2, the day that the convention was declaring the
independence of Texas.
8
Santa Anna chose Sunday, March 6, as the day for the mass attack on the Texans. At
the break of day three columns of infantry moved forward to attack the Alamo at three
different points, while Santa Anna observed from a point of safety. The first wave of attackers
was riddled by artillery and rifle fire. The odds, however, were too great, and after some
faltering the Mexican forces began scaling the walls. The Texans retired to a large building
used as a barracks, which is no longer standing, and to the chapel known today as the Alamo.
In little more than an hour, the last of the defenders had fallen, but they had sold
their lives in as great an exhibition of courage as this world has seen. They had not only
inflicted a great loss upon the invaders, but had delayed the Mexican advance for at least two
weeks. This delay was of great value to the Texan cause.
The exact number of Texans killed at the Alamo is not known. Contemporary
accounts usually place the number at 183. It is generally agreed, however, that 187 men were
there, and recent studies indicate that the Texan force may have numbered 198 men. In any
case, no Texan soldier remained alive, and all but five or six died fighting. Several persons
who were in the Alamo (women, children, and slave boys), were spared. We do not know
how many Mexicans were killed. They certainly lost more than 600 men, and several careful
students place the Mexican loss for the entire siege at about 1,500 men.
Some of the Mexican dead were buried; others were thrown into the river. The bodies
of the Texans were collected into several piles and at five o'clock in the afternoon were
burned.
Ralph W. Steen, History of Texas (Austin: Steck Company, 1939), pp.140-46.
9
Investigation Turo
4 HoUT nlany Mexican t:roops UTere
at: t:he Alanlo, and hoUT nlany
UTere killed and UTounded?
There is much evidence about the number of troops in the Mexican Army at the Alamo
and several accounts of the number that were killed or wounded, but there is little agreement
Who is correct? Why don't they agree?
DOCUnlent: Three (2-1)
Launcelot Smither left Bexar on February 23, 1836, at 4 p.m. and traveled to
Gonzales to spread the word of the Mexican Army's arrival. He was given Travis's
now-famous letter pleading for reinforcements from "the People of Texas and all
Americans in the World" to deliver to the delegates of the newly self-proclaimed
Republic of Texas at San Felipe de Austin. He added this note to that letter. From
1839 to 1840, Smither served as the city treasurer of San Antonio.
1n a leett ettfJltdd- t~elte id- 2000 ?ltexie-an d-fJtdieltd- in " ~exalt,
and 150 rlmeltie-and- in t~e rltamfJ. Sed-ma id- at t~e ~ead
fJI t~em, and IltfJm t~e ded-t ae-e-fJuntd- t~at e-an de fJdtained,
t~efl intend tfJ d-~fJett nfJ tfrualttelt. 11 e(t.eltfl man e-annfJt tultn
fJut tfJ a man e(t.eltfl man in t~e rltamfJ ettitt de multdelted.
7 ~efl ~a(t.e nfJt mfJlte t~an F fJlt 10 dafld- pltfJ(t.id-ifJn. 7 ~efl
d-afl t~efl ettitt delend it fJlt die fJn t~e 9ltfJund. PltfJ(t.id-ifJnd-,
ammunitifJn and ?lten, fJlt flfJU d-ullelt flfJUIt men tfJ de
multdelted in t~e '1fJltt. 11 flfJU dfJ nfJt tultn fJut 7exad- id-
9fJne. 1 telt ~exalt fJn t~e 23ut at 4 P.?It.
Letter of Launcelot Smither
Gonzales, Texas
February 24, 1836
Bill Groneman, Alamo Defenders-A Genealogy: The People and Their Words (Austin: Eakin Press, 1990), pp. 104-105,
157-58.
10
DOCtuuellt Four (2-2)
Santa Annas order book of communications to his maiOr general Was Published in
1963 by Richard Santos, a respected scholar and researcher: He included endnotes
for all Citations documenting his sources, whIch inclUded various MeXican aCCOunts of
the Texas Revolution.
Richard G. Santos, Santa Annas Campaign against
Texas 1835-/836 (Waco: TeXian Press,
19
68), pp. 78-79.
DOCtuuellt F~iVe (2-3)
The fOlloWing is an excerpt of General Santa Anna s
repOrt of March 6. 1836, 10 General Jose Maria TomeI.
Mexican Secretary of War and Navy' as written by his
secretary' Ramon Martinez Caro. d
. Most Excellent SI, r . - hV' ictdo rtyhe m marocsht ec so wmipth le tteh ea nadrm gyl,o an.no us t ons- . t ac Ieve
fumy of op""' 8,00 AM. it h" J~ 1;" memory. onth I w"
in thi, momen~ :ill ~e<petuate [conu,;:CY on the 27th of I[~:~:mined] manne~
outcome WIDC ced to Yowe Exce ed in a «,olute that compo,e ,t
As I anno~nf try brigade to proce . ce all of the troops
h
battalions.
. the rmt m an Howeve<, 'ill ch with t cee
expectmg tr", of the Ala~o. b doubling the ?,ac 400 infantry.
again" thefoc hey caHied "out y. outce=",-l, dong the ditch"
dl
'd not get there, t bl to choose-leaVIng and bune am r side there
Of that focee I w as a te la" fell m. to owe aplol wfe trh.e .m . fom. gn",. On o'u" 2 leOO",
The fortress a h n 600 bodies, o. from both categon that they
and trenches an~ mdo ren td 3a00 wodun e d, co.u nfutml sgi nce it was a J.U s t cause
70 kille a d Je" pa," h
we<"ome ho" 1o," i, ma e . ctant a triump ,
and 2o3r toedll.i c,"" w . I ,hall "nd t ° you ddet aHilis, oEfx scoe l llemnpcoy the interim
supp At the proper tIme I t' ng the nation an d make this known.
b ngmtu a , '11 b I"" to An
concluding now y ~owe Excellency vn e p . Lopez de San" na
pc"ident, to whom Geneeal Antom0
8
A M.
Genera l Headquarters at B_ e'x ar
March 6, 1836 .
General Antonjo Lopez
de Santa Anna, 1843
-----
Don Vicente F;JI,ola. Memoi" for the History of the War in Texas 2 (orlglna/. Printed
Mexico. 1849, ed;';on t'On, Wallace WOOl"Mustln, fakln Pre". 1987), pp 18().81
11
Doc~.I~.~.I~.e nt: Six (2-4)
Ruben Potter w~s a
customs officer I~ at
Matamoros, MexIco, ~ /I
. e the Alamo e .
Pthoet tetIrm p ersonaI ly. talked
with many MeXIcana t the
. ho were
soldIers w. ected the
Alamo. He msp . 1841.
ound m Alamob~~;;~ an account
He pu /. . 1878
the Alamo m :
owfh ich was Iat er repn.n ted
. 1914 by Johnson md
m. of Texas an
A History f Potter's
Texans. One 0
objectives was t? of
determm. e the sIze
the Mexican Army.
L
Q
I.
.H
t~
.,.s'
PICKET FE~C!. ____ ,
- .. - I
P
CATTlE PEN.
o
SMALL AREA. o
,
' ...
'0
'Z
,,I: ::
PLAN
Of TftE
)\I!. ~ MI OJ.
BY
CAPTD.,Mt· nn OTT. EI?,II.SA.
... fi-_ the best infonnation and infitTrulce f have been abl~ to gath,,~,
I believe that their aggregate [toW! did not "]feeed and may have fallen
"lmrt of 2,501il. Santa Anna's practice was to "'<aggeJate [make bigger)
his fame before any aCtion, by Way 0f threat, and to ""delTate it after,
Whether to e]fCUse defeat or magniJ!y [make bigger) victory; and in
accordance With this trickery, in his report "[the taking Gfthe Alan""
he sets down his stornung force at 1,400, his loss 0£60 killed and 300
wa"nded, and the number "fthe gamson an told and an killed at 600.
of the Alamo
Ground Plabn Potter 1878
by Ru en .
Th" MeJrican Officers capture<! at San Jacinto, incl",oling Santa Anna's
seeFetary, as l was t<lid by Colonel SegtIin, Wen. generally of the oPini""
that the loss !of M""ioan soldiers} at the Alamo in killed and wounded
ownalsy aQln5e0,u wt SeOn!t) .a sS 0h1i'lgleh r aaste 7d0 i0t. lower, ">ld others higher; and vne, blIt
Now if 500 men were bUllet-strick"" by 180 in half an h"ur 01' little
more, it Was a !:apidity of bl(}otished Which needs no eMaggeratWn.
--b --M- -Poqtteuraos ted in Frank W.Johnson. A History ofT exas a
Ru en. . 1914) pp.417-18.
ndTexansl,e d. Eu g ene C. Bar ke r (Chicago:Amen.c an
Historical SOCiety. .
12
Docuntent: Seven (2-5)
In 1875 J.M. Morphis published History of Texas from Its Discovery and Settlement.
the purpose of which was to vindicate [free from blame} the citizens of Texas, as well
as those of the United States, from the unjust charge of the Mexicans, that by might,
not right, Texas was wrested from Mexico and made one of the United States.
I will now describe the memorable FALL OF T
by Mrs. Susan Hannig, formerly M D' ki H~ ALAMO as related to me
23rd , 1836, Santa Anna having rs. d ICh ns.on' who WI t nesse dI't." O n February
h ,capture t e pIckets b C
t e post from surprise, charged into SAn' . sent. out y 01. Travis to guard
at from six to ten thousand." an tonIO WIth hIS troops, variously estimated
"As we passed through the e 1 d .
of dead and dying. The Texans on a:
c
:::ra ~r~17; III front of.the church, I saw heaps
each-182 Texans and 1 600 M' g ki d between eIght and nine Mexicans
, eXlcans were lled."
JM. Morphis, History of Texas from Its Discovery and Settlement
(New York: United States Publishing Company, 1875), pp.174-76.
Doculnent: Eight: (2-6)
Ruben M. Potter published in 1878 an account of the Fall of the Alamo" that was
reprinted many times and used by scholars for almost fifty years as th(Jir source of
information. Mr. Potter spent many years interviewing people and collecting
information to write his account of the battle. His home was in Matamoros at the
time of the battle, and he knew many of the Mexican officers.
Anselmo Borgara, a Mexican, who first reported the fall of the Alamo
to General Houston, at Gonzales, having left San Antonio the evening after
it occurred, stated that the assaulting force amounted to 2,300 men, of
whom 521 were killed and as manywounded. He had probably found means
of ascertaining with approximate correctness the number of infantry at
San Antonio, but his report of the loss has eVidently acquired its bulk by
the process of doubling. Neither Mexican troops nor any others are apt to
take forts with a loss of more than two-fifths of their number. He had prob­ably
heard of 521 as the total of killed and wounded, and then converted
the whole into the former and supposed an equal amount of the latter.
Ruben M. Potter as quoted in Frank W. Johnson, A History of Texas and Texans 1, ed. Eugene C. Barker (Chicago:
American Historical Society, 1914), p. 417.
13
Doctunent: Nine (2-7)
General Vicente Filisola was one of Santa Anna's
field officers present at the battle of the Alamo. His
memoirs [written memories] were published in
Mexico by Imprenta de Ignacio Cumplido in 1849,
and another edition, also published in Mexico in
1848, was called the Rafael edition. The 1848
edition was translated by Wallace Woolsey
and published in 1987
General Vjcente Filisola,
second jn command of the Mexican Army 1843
Here is a list of our dead and wounded which was made up by General Juan de Andrade
according to the accounts from the various corps,
OFFICERS
Corps
Sappers
Jimenez
Matamoros
Aldama
San Luis
Toluca
Dolores
Dead Wounded
1 3
1 3
2
2
2
2
5
5
. Dead
2
8
7
9
7
18
1
TROOPS
Wounded
21
22
35
46
37
69
3
Total
27
34
44
62
46
94
4
Don Vicente Filisola, Memoirs for the History of the War in Texas 2 (original. printed Mexico, 1849; edition trans.
Wallace Woolsey, Austin: Eakin Press, 1987), pp.180-81. ..
Doctunent: Ten (2-8)
Albert A. Nofi's specialty is military history. As a contemporary historian, he has
written several books on the Civil War and worked as a military commentator on
radio and television. His 1992 book on the Alamo has become very popular and has
been reprinted.
Summary: c. 4,500 Infantry, c. 185 Zapadores, c. 1,120 Cavalry, c. 190 Artillery, c. 50 Command and Staff ==
Total c. 6,050. [c. is an abbreviation for circa, meaning "about this many"]
The strength of an army can never be ascertained [stated] with precision [accuracy] .... There was no standard
method of calculating the number of troops in an army. As a result, every army used a different system. Some, for
example, did not count the officers, while others failed to count not only the officers, but also the field musicians,
who were a part of the combat effectives, since they relayed the commands to the troops ... . However, Filisola's
figures are certainly in error, since he did not record the presence of several small detachments of troops from an
odd assortment of commands.
So the army probably ran to something in excess of 6,100 officers and men when it set out from Saltillo for San
Antonio .... On the march, some troops fell out, being unable to endure the hardships of the unusually cold
weather, so that the army probably lost 1-2% of its manpower, if not more. Losses among the camp followers were
certainly greater.
AlbertA. NofC The Alamo and the Texas War ofIndependence (Conshohocken, Pa.: Combined Books, 1992; reprint.
New York: Da Capo Press, 1994), pp. 204-205.
14
. Investigation Three
~I' When did -the battle of -the AlaInO begin, A'IfJJ and hoW" long did it: last:?
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, commander-in-chief of the Mexican Army of
Operations, arrived with staff officers and troops in San Antonio de Bexar on February 23, 1836.
He took up residence in the house of Ramon Musquiz and prepared to take the Alamo. General
Cos of the Mexican Army (and brother-jn-Iaw of Santa Anna), who had surrendered the Alamo
just eight weeks before, returned with Santa Anna to do battle again
Docuntent: Eleven (3-1)
De la Pefia was a lieutenant colonel in
the Mexican Army in the battle of the
Alamo. He left a diary of his account
of the battle which survived and was
translated by Carmen Perry in 1975.
Her translation follows the original
manuscript as it was written, allowing
verifications.
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
During a council of war held on the 4th of March at the commander in chief's quarters, he
expounded on the necessity of making the assault. ... On the 5th the order was given for the
assault.... All afternoon of the 5th was spent on preparations ... Beginning at 1 :00 in the
morning of the 6th, the columns were set in motion, and at three they silently advanced
toward the river, which they crossed marching two abreast over some narrow wooden bridges ..
The moon was up, but the density [thickness] of the clouds that covered it allowed only an
opaque [filtered] light in our direction .... Light began to appear on the horizon, the beautiful
dawn would soon let herself be seen behind her golden curtain; a bugle call to attention was
the agreed signal and we soon heard that terrible bugle call of death .... A trumpeter of the
sappers (Jose Maria Gonzalez) was the one who inspired us to scorn life and to welcome death.
The scene of extermination [killing] went on for an hour before the curtain of death covered
and ended it shortly after six in the morning it was all finished; the corps were beginning to
reassemble [come together] and to identify themselves ....
Jose Enrique de la Pena, With Santa Anna in Texas: A Personal Narrative of the Revolution, ed. and trans. Carmen
Perry (College Station Texas A&M University Press. 1975), pp. 43. 45, 46,47, 52.
15
Docuntent TlNelve (3-2)
Albert A. Nofi has a doctoral degree and has
been a military commentator on radio and
television. He has written several history books,
most notably on the Civil War. In 1992 he wrote
a very readable book on the Alamo, but he does
not give the sources of the information.
The night .o f 5-6 M arc h was quI.t e warm a
wel.come relief from the freezing temperatur~s
whICh had prevailed for a week. Althou h th~
~oon was almost full, the sky was dou! and
Iht lent but a feeble light . 'H"ra VI•S spent muyc h of
t e night up and about. Accompanied by his
..
Alamo historian Albert A. Nofi
atAlamo Village. Brackettville. Texas. 1999
The [Mexican] cavalry h
midni ht Th men were t e first up, around
g. ey had much to do feedin d .
their mount ddl' 'g an waterIng
t s, sa lDg up, and dispersing into the fields
t~enz.P up any of the defenders who might escape fro~
amo, and along the roads ....
man Joe, a 23-year-old black slave who carried As
;e;~~t1~~k:] ins?~ct~d the guard posts, con- aft::~~~~t ~~e~o:a da~n ~~ke the eastern skies, shortly
lk Wit t e officer of the watch th b 1 Y t e t, Santa Anna signaled to
ta ed to the sentries, and even played with fc e ug er ... ~nd almost as one, the four columns s ran
some of the children huddled in the ch h orward, raclDg to cross the 200 to 300 y d Ph' hg
urc .... separated them fir om t h e Al amo walls. ar s w IC
Then, about 4:00 a.m. he went to his
~ar:ers ... but even before Travis turned in the
eXIcan Army had begun to stir.. . . '
Shortly after 6'00 b h '
the sudn be?inning' t~ l~;t~ t:eu;c~:~.~~~:~s~~~:ieWith
now rawlDg to a c1 o se. The last Texians were b w. as
rousted from their hiding places and killed. ,. elDg
Albert A. Noft The Alamo and the Texas War for Independence (Conshohocken. Pa.: Combined Books, Inc.. 1992;
reprint, New York: Da Capo Press, 1994). pp.l13-1S.
Docuntent Thirteen (3-3)
Francisco Becerra was born in 1810 and entered the Mexican military in 1828. He
became a sergeant in 1835 and was with General Sesma's division at the Alamo.
After his capture at San Jacinto, the Texas authorities decided to avoid the costs of
feeding the prisoners by aI/owing them to take jobs. In 1839 Becerra enlisted in the
Texas military fighting against the Indian tribes. He told his account of the battle of
the Alamo in 1875 to John S. Ford.
On the morning of March 6, 1836, at four o'clock, the bugle sounded the advance from the
small work near the Alamo. The troops under Gen. Castrill6n moved in silence .... After half an hour of
fierce conflict, after the sacrifice of many lives, the column under Gen. Castritl6n succeeded in making a
lodgement [secure place] in the upper part of the Alamo ....
The Alamo ... was entered at daylight-the fighting did not cease till nine o'clock.
Francisco Becerra as told to John S. Ford in 187S. A Mexican Sergeants Recollections of the Alamo and San Jacinto
(Austin: Jenkins Publishing Company. 1980). pp. 20. 24.
16
Docunten-t Four-teen (3-4)
Chester Newell in 1838, spoke out in support of the people of Texas after a
twelve-month stay in Texas. For a few months, he worked in the capital of the
republic and had access to papers in the War Department. He knew important
people and supported the Texan cause.
th the enemy surrounded the fort with
At daybreak on the morning of the 6, ' circle outside, to prevent the escape
L ' 'nfantry, with the cavalry formLng a t l ast 4 000, opposed to 140!
tnelr l b f the enemy was a e ,
h The num er 0
of t e Texans. rnanded in person ....
G-en. Santa Anna com
f tLe fort had lasted less than an hour,
The storm 0 n
Chester Newell, History of the Revolution in Texas, particularly of the War of1835 & '36 (New York: Wiley & Putnam.
1838; reprint. NewYorkArno Press, 1973), pp. 89, 90.
Docunten-t Fifteen (3-5)
',.
Wallace Chariton's "love affair" with the Alamo began when he was a .boy growing
up in San Antonio and his Sunday school teacher had a small part in 'the movie
The Alamo. As a boy his most prized possession was Walter Lord's A Time to Stand.
In the spirit of investigation, he tried to maintain unbiased objectivity, but, as a
fifth-generation Anglo-Texan, he admitted that there were some "issues where his
natural bias rose to the surface despite his efforts to prevent it. When his bias came
out, he took special care to present as much evidence as he could. " His book has
endnotes citing sources.
So, Santa Anna vetoed the opinions of his men and
ordered the attack to commence before dawn on
Sunday, March 6, 1836. Before the last shot was fired
that chilly morning, the consequences of Santa Anna's
foolhardy action became evident ... . In less than an
hour, Santa Anna lost almost a third of his attacking
force to either the grim reaper [death] or the hospital
bed. The lack of medical attention [for the wounded]
became an acute [severe] problem.
Wallace O. Chariton, Exploring the Alamo Legends (Plano: Word ware Publishing, Inc., 1990), pp. xiv, 153.
17
Docuntent Sixteen (3-6)
James M. Morphis was born in 1826 and moved from North Carolina to Texas in
1846. He opened a law office in Paris, Texas, and later worked as a traveling editor
and writer for the Telegraph and Texas Register and other newspapers. In 1878 he
published his History of Texas. The following excerpt is from his interview of Mrs.
Susan Hannig, formerly Mrs. Dickinson, who witnessed the battle of the Alamo.
Under the cover of darkness they approached [went toward] the
fortifications [armed fort], and planting their scaling ladders against
our walls just as light was approaching, they climbed up to the tops
of our walls and jumped down within, many of them to immediate
death. As fast as the front ranks were slain, they were filled up
again by fresh troops.
The Mexicans numbered several thousands while there were only
one hundred and eighty-two Texans. The struggle lasted more than
two hours when my husband rushed into. the church where I was
with my child.
J.M. Mor phis, History of Texas from Its Discovery and Settlement (New York: United States Publishing Company; 1875),
pp.175-76.
',.
Docun1.ent Seventeen (3-7)
Juan Nepomuceno Almonte, born 1804, was educated in the United States.
He was an aide-de-camp to Santa Anna at the Alamo. His Secret Journal in Spanish
was picked up on the battleground at San Jacinto by Dr. Anson Jones and sent to
the New York Herald. The document was examined by Mr. Childress, the diplomatic
representative from Texas, and then published in installments beginning June 22,
1836, in the New York Herald newspaper.
Sunday, 6th
• At 5 A.M. the columns were .
~ttack or assault was made, and continued ~~~t:~ ~heI~ reshective stations, and at half past 5 the
ey were overtaken and put to the sword and i' w en t e enemy attempted in vain to fly but
and a bl~ck slave escaped/rom instant de~th O~~{ five women, one Mexican soldier (priso~erJ
and 17 pI~ces of artillery-a flag, muskets ~nd fi e part of the enemy the result was, 250 killed
~~c~:s kIlled, and 198 soldiers and 25 officers :~:7~ ta~en. Our loss was 60 soldiers and 5
a a IOn of Toluca lost 98 men between the wounded an~ kill ;f the latter General officers. The
e .J was robbed by our soldiers.
Samuel E. Asbury; 'The Private Journal of Juan Nepomuceno Almonte: Febr uary I-Apr il 16, 1836," Southwestern
Histor ical QuarterlyXLVIII. no. 1 (J uly 1944): 23.
18
4. Invest:igat:ion Four Where did David Crockett die?
David Crockett left Tennessee after serving in the United States Congress, arriving in the
Mexican territory of Tejas to start a new life. He and a group of Tennessee riflemen went on to
the Alamo at Bexar, where he joined up with Travis and Bowie to defend the fort.
Docunlent: Eight:een (4 -1)
Francisco Antonio Ruiz was the alcalde [mayor]
of the vii/age of San Antonio at the time of the
battle and carried out the burning of the Texans'
bodies. He was the son of a signer of the Texas
Declaration of Independence. Although he
leaned toward the Texan cause, he remained
"neutral" in the struggle. The following excerpt
was translated from Spanish by Jose Agustin
Quintero, a native of Cuba, who assisted
Mirabeau Lamar in the study of the Spanish
manuscript which was later printed and
reprinted. In 1857 Quintero was assistant clerk
of the Texas House of Representatives.
Francisco Antonio Ruiz,
mayor during the battle of the Alamo
Half an hour had elapsed when Santa Anna sent one of his
aide-de-camps with an order for us to come before him. He
directed me to call on some of the neighbors to come up with
carts to carry the dead to the Cemetery, and also to accompany
him, as he was desirous to have Col. Travis, Bowie, and Crockett
shown to him.
On the north battery of the fortress lay the lifeless body of
Col. Travis on the gun-carriage, shot only in the forehead. Toward
the west, and in the small fort opposite the city, we found the
body of Col. Crockett. Col. Bowie was found dead in his bed, in
one of the rooms of the south side.
Francisco Antonio Ruiz, Tall of the Alamo, and Massacre of Travis and His Brave Associates," trans.J.A. Quintero;
camp. James M. Day, The Texas Almanac: 1857-1873 (1860; reprint, Waco: Texian Press, 1967), p. 357.
19
DocUIllent: Ninet:een (4-2)
J.M. Morphis in his 1875 book described the fall of the Alamo as told to him
by Susanna Dickinson, who witnessed it. The following are her words as written
by Morphis.
A Mexican officer came into the room and,
addressing me in English, asked: "Are you Mrs.
Dickinson?" I answered "Yes." Then said he, "If you
wish to save your life, follow me." I followed him,
and although shot at and wounded, was spared.
As we passed through the enclosed ground
in front of the church, I saw heaps of dead and
dying .... I recognized Col. Crockett lying dead and
mutilated between the church and the two story
barrack building, and even remember seeing his
peculiar cap lying by his side.
J.M. Morphis, History of Texas, from Its Discovery and Settlement (New York: United States Publishing Company, 1875),
pp.176-77.
DocUIllent: TlNent:y (4-3)
Jose Enrique de la Pefia, born in 1807, was educated
as a mining engineer and joined the navy in 1825, after
which time he wrote several articles critical of officers
and various military battles of the Mexican government.
He was an officer in Santa Anna's army and an eyewitness
at the battle of the Alamo. He was also present at many
meetings with Santa Anna, but he was not responsible for
submitting any official reports. He recorded the events
when he had time from his duties. He died in 1842 poor,
ill, and forgotten, but he left a collection of valuable
manuscripts, which were translated. Supposedly the diary
was published in September 1836, but no copies of that
edition have been found. Jose Sanchez Garza published
the diary as a book appendix in 1955, and John Peace
of San Antonio later purchased the diary manuscript.
David Crockett
byCB. Normann
Some seven men had survived the general carnage [killing] and, under protection of General Castrillon,
they were brought before Santa Anna. Among them was one of great stature, well proportioned, with
regular features, in whose face there was the imprint of adversity [hardship], but in whom one also noticed
a degree of resignation and nobility that did him honor. He was the naturalist David Crockett, well known
in North America for his unusual adventures, who had undertaken to explore the country and who, finding
himself in Bejar at the very moment of surprise, had taken refuge in the Alamo, fearing that his status as a
foreigner might not be respected. Santa Anna answered Castrillon's intervention in Crockett's
behalf ... addressing himself to the sappers, the troops closest to him, ordered his execution [killing]. The
commanders and officers were outraged at this action ... but several officers who were around the
president ... thrust themselves forward, in order to flatter their commander, and with swords in hand, fell
upon these unfortunate, defenseless men just as a tiger leaps upon his prey. Though tortured before they
were killed, these unfortunates died without complaining and without humiliating [shaming] themselves
before their torturers.
Jose Enrique de la Pena, With Santa Anna in Texas.A Personal Narrative of the Revolution, trans. and ed. Carmen
Perry (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1975), pp. xi-xiv, 53.
20
DOCUInent: TW"ent:y-one (4-4)
Francisco Becerra was a twenty-five-year-old sergeant in the Mexican Army who was
in the assault, so was an eyewitness at the Alamo and at the battle of San Jacinto,
where he was captured. After his capture he worked for Ruben Potter, who was
writing his Fall of the Alamo, published in 1878 and circulated widely until 193D.
John S. Ford also recorded Becerra's recollections thirty-nine years later in 1875.
. th floor as 1'f rest i'ng . When he arose I askk ed,
He had been lymg on . e
d
"0' 1 two" The gentleman, who spo e
"How many 1. S there of you?. " He rephe, n Y .
Spanish, asked for Gen. Cos. C w the gentleman who spoke Spani~h, he
As soon as Gen. as sa . H t ld the other generals 1t was
rushed to him, and embraced (?ugged1 h1~;eat:d °him like a brother .... He also
Travis, that on a former occaS10n ~~th~~ entreated (asked] the other general~ to
said the other man was Col. Crock d' 'oin with him in a request to save the lives
go with him to Gen. Santa Anna, an J
f th two Texians. . ners-in the name of the
o e "Mr. President, you have here two P=t~e the lives of both." Santa Anna
R bl1'C of Mexico I supplicate (beg1 you to guar als my order was to kill every
epu . d "Gentlemen gener , k T .
was v.ery much enraged. He Sal , . "Soldiers, kill them." A shot struc. r?-Vls
. the Alamo" He turned, and sald, d looked calmly unflmchmgly,
man m . £ ldi g his arms, an :
in the back. He then stood e~c~ 0 ki~ed by a ball passing through h1S ~ec~
upon his assailants. ~e.was 11\. Y They died undaunted (still preudl hke eroes.
Crockett stood in a slm1lar POS1 10n.
Francisco Becerra as told to John S. Ford in 1875, A Mexican Sergeant's Recollections of the Alamo and San Jacinto
(Austin: Jenkins Publishing Co., 1980), pp. 22·23. :
DOCUInent: TW"ent:y-t:W"o (4-5)
Walter Lord's bestseller A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo is a combination of
popular writing and scholarship. As a historian he studied the sources available up to
1960, but he presents no footnotes of his sources, making it difficult to verify any of
his data. He presents this account of Sergeant Felix Nunez, who saw Crockett's body.
He was a tall American of rather dark complexion and had on a long buckskin coat and
a round cap without any bill, made out of fox skin with the long tail hanging down his back. This
man apparently had a charmed life. Of the many soldiers who took deliberate aim at him and
fired, not one ever hit him. On the contrary, he never missed a shot. He killed at least eight of
our men, besides wounding several others. This being observed by a lieutenant who had come
in over the wall, he sprang at him and dealt him a deadly blow with his sword, just above the
right eye, which felled him to the ground, and in an instant he was pierced by not less than 20
bayonets.
Walter Lord, A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo (New York: Harper & Row, 1961; reprint, Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press, 1978), pp. 161·62.
21
Document TWenty-three (4-6)
William Parker. in a letter to the editor of the Mississippi Free Trader and Natchez
Gazette printed April 29, 1836, set out to learn the fate of his twenty-two-year-ol
d
son Christopher. who went to TeXas November 20, 1835. On his way to
Nacogdoches, Mr. Parker talked with Mrs. Dickinson.
WI"'a," Parke,s letter to the edItor of the Free Trader. AprU 29. 1836. In John H . JenkIns. ed .. The Papers ofthe Texas
Revolution 1835-1836. 6 (AustIn Brll' Gen Jay A. Matthews publlsher. 10/73). p. 122
',"
22
4 Invest:igat:ion Five D id Travis dra1N a line?
Prior to the battle, Colonel Travis gathered the men together to explain the situation. He
drew a line in the dirt to cross over if they would stay and fight to the death with him or they
could take the opportunity to leave, even though getting through the enemy troops in town
might be impossible. Did he really call all the men together and draw a line in the dirt?
D OCUll1ent: T 'Went:y-four (5-1)
The following is an excerpt
of WP. Zuber's story 'An
Escape from the Alamo, "
which was published in
the Texas Almanac in 1873
along with a statement
from his mother, Mary Ann
Zuber, saying the account
was true. "Moses" Rose
arrived at the Zuber home
in Grimes County a few
days after the fall of the
Alamo and told them
about the events there.
The Speech of Travis to His Men at the Alamo by Louis Eyth
Cour tesy of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo
1871 Rose was a warm friend of Col. James Bowie, and accompanied or followed him to
the Alamo in the fall of 1835, and continued with him till within three days of the fall of
the fort. The following is Rose's account of his escape ... as he related them to my parents,
and they related them to me.
About two hours before sunset, on the third day of March, 1836, the
bombardment suddenly ceased, and the enemy withdrew. Col. Travis paraded all of his
effective men in a single file; and, taking his position in front of the center, he stood for
some moments, apparently speechless from emotion. Then, nerving himself for the
occasion, he addressed them.
"Here we are, surrounded by an army that could almost eat us for a breakfast.
Santa Anna is determined to storm the fort and take it, even at the greatest cost of the lives
of his own men. Then we must die! Our speedy dissolution [ending] is a fixed and
inevitable fact.-Our business is, not to make a fruitless effort to save our lives, but to
choose the manner of our death. But I leave every men to his own choice.
23
Docuntent Twenty-four (5-1) continued
Should any man prefer to surrender, and be tied and shot; or to attempt an escape through
the Mexican ranks, and be killed before he can run a hundred yards, he is at liberty to do
so. My own choice is to stay in this fort, and die for my country, fighting as long as breath
shall remain in my body."
Col. Travis then drew his sword, and with its point traced a line upon the ground,
extending from the right to the left of the file. "I now want every man who is determined to
stay here and die with me to come across this line. Who will be first? March!"
Rose made no reply, but looked up at the top of the wall. "I have often done worse
than to climb that wall," thought he. Suiting the action to the thought he sprang up, seized
his wallet of unwashed clothes, and ascended the wall. He took the road which led down
the river around a bend to the ford, and through the town to the church. After passing
through the town he turned down the river.
W. P. Zuber to the editors of the Texas Almanac, May 7, 1871. in "An Escape from the Alamo: Texas Almanac: 1857-1873,
compo James M. Day (1860; reprint, Waco: Texian Press. 1967). pp. 691. 693-95.
DocUD1.ent TW"enty-five (5-2)
In 1912 Barker. Potts, and Ramsdell published a new textbook, A School History of
Texas. The authors, noted professors of history, included a section in the book titled
"Some old errors. " The following is an excerpt from the textbook. '·
Some old errors H· .
assault be an d·- ~stones used to tell us ho 1] .
told all wfo ~er:e:illi1th his s~or? a li?e on th: f1~~;ls'f bhfore the final
one who wished it ng. t~ dIe WIth hIm to cross it o. t e Al~mo and
Bowie wh per , 0 Was unabl mlSSlOn. to escape . Th e story 'w w hIle offenng any-the
line. This cert . I e to anse, asked that his c he~t on to say that
extremely unlikel a~~ y has a thrilling sound, butO~C e m?ved across
so that We have n: rel::w~Y!~~~swhf0knwas .there esca;e~r~~ht~;l :hhat
1
al
· t is
o OWIng h h e t e
Footnote by textbook h w at appened. '
Vet' aut. ors: Captai WP. erans Association , says that h· n h. . Zuber' oapmr in.e nt b
~me to her house and tell· h IS mot er used to tell him h mem er of the Texas
t e pe.rmission to esca~e. ~:~ er of Travis's speech, said th:t ~ a man named Rose
acceptIng them, and in this We mUst be very sure of 0 £: e t?ok ~dvantage of
case We cannot be certain th t;r acts In hIstory before
a ose Was telling the truth.
Eugene C. Barker. Charles Shirley Potts. and Charles W. Ramsdell, A School History of Texas (Chicago: Row. Peterson &
Company. 1912). p. 120.
24
DocUlnent TlNenty-six (5-3)
The line drawn by Travis has caused many
historians to take up the pen. Noted Texas
folklorist J. Frank Dobie, in 1939, traced the
history of the story, "Rose and His Story of the
Alamo: The Line That Travis Drew."
+ter hOW
engI ·IS h ," no ma I. speec h as
. is "brol<.en L.. the 1raYIS .
Id Rose wIth h transmltte? n thirty-flye .
Cou his memory, hayewho wrote It d~W arents, who In
good ... trom lubec. . .. to Luber s l::' h t he was
have II d gIVen \I I saId tat
we atter Rose ha. '2 Luber tranl<:X the I<.ind 0
years ated it to hIm.. ation. But It W?S have made,
turn r:t~ng only ?ppro~~~urning "trayis ml~:~ nor retreat ,"
trans h that the Inwa:, hall never surren as possible
speec . 0 wrote IS. selt as long wn the
the "tra~I\:~ined to susta~ /~~\raYiS to have ~;~ natural
HI am
d
elil<.e a soldier." AntirelY natura\' the ~ tiction lines
and Ie Id have been en. both history an ings. \-listory
line wou t the tact that In n tor tatetul cross bY
because 0 t dly been draw tences spol<.en
have repea ~th momentoUS sen
is sprinl<.led WI t crucial hours.
military men a
DocUlnent TlNenty-seven (5-4)
J Frank Dobie,
noted historian and author; 1931
1. Frank Dobie, Mody C. Boatright
and Harry H. Ransom, eds., In the
Shadow of History(Publication of
the Texas Folklore Society XV, 1939;
Dallas: Southern Methodist
University Press, 1939), p. 14 .
. "
In 1939 R.B. Blake, an office clerk with a long interest in the Zuber story, found
evidence in the Nacogdoches County Courthouse about Louis "Moses" Rose.
It has been the privilege of the writer to engage in one of those interesting searches among the early records
of Nacogdoches County for evidence concerning the story of Moses Rose and his escape from the Alamo. I believe I
am able at this time to prove that Moses Rose was a man of flesh and blood, that he escaped from the Alamo on
March 3, 1836, and that Zuber's account of Rose's story was about as correct as traditional [usual) history can ever be.
During the tedious [long and tiring) siege of Bexar, many of the volunteers from Nacogdoches returned to
their homes ... but Rose and many others remained until the capture of the city, when he and more than a score of
other Nacogdoches volunteers were left with the garrison there.
The first we see of him back at home is an account on the general ledger of Logan & Raguet's mercantile
[business) establishment [building) dated May 10, 1836, amounting to $20.75. The next record showing Louis Rose's
presence in Nacogdoches is that of the power of attorney and deed executed by Rose to Frost Thorn for his one-third
league [land measurement) certificate executed June 20, 1837.
The most enduring monument to the memory of Louis Rose is his account of the last great speech of
Colonel William Barret Travis to his comrades in the Alamo, and may we hope that in the future that monument, at
least, will be accorded to him. Probably Rose was peculiarly fitted to carry this speech to the people of Texas, because
of the fact that he could not read and write, and had, for that reason, trained his memory to retain what he heard.
R.B. Blake, 'A Vindication of Rose and His Story." in 1. Frank Dobie, Mody C. Boatright and Harry H. Ransom, eds., In the
Shadow of History (Texas Folklore Society XV, 1939; Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1939), pp. 27-41.
25
DoCU)"t1ent Twenty-eight (5-5)
From a statement on September 23, 1876, by Mrs.
Susanna Dickinson a survivor of the Alamo, to the
State Adjutant General, who was trying to develop a
more definitive list of Alamo defenders.
Susanna A. Dickinson.
a survivor at the Alamo, 1898
"On the evening previous to the massacre, Colonel
Travis asked the command that if any desired to escape,
now was the time, to let it be known, and to step out of
the ranks. But one stepped out. His name to the best of my
recollection was Ross. The next morning he was missing."
Of course, she did say "Ross," not "Rose." But letters
and spelling meant nothing to Mrs. Dickinson, who couldn't read or
write. At this distance her statement looks good enough-especially since there was
no "Ross" in the Alamo. Nor does it seem damaging that her statement postdated the
Zuber story by three years. It doesn't have the ring of a coached remark.
Mrs. Dickinson's statement to the State Adjutant General. September 23, 1876, in Walter Lord, A Time to Stand: The
Epic of the Alamo (New York: Harper & Row, 1961; reprint Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1978), p. 202.
DOCU)"t1ent Twenty-nine (5-6)
The Alamo is. beyond question. one of the most-studied and -written-abo~t events in
American history. The myths and facts are so mixed up that determining 'the truth is
very difficult. Me Chariton. an Alamo buff since the sixties. decided to revisit the
myths in his 1990 book. Exploring the Alamo Legends. He cites his sources and
solicits any evidence that disputes his conclusions from others.
Historians, acting ever bit th
kill and unloaded a barrage of doubtse :art of a sc~o?l of sharks, moved in for the
Susanna, who was illiterate, never VOIu~~~t the vah~Ity of poor old Zuber's story ...
~espon~ed to questions either from the ~re~ any mformation but rather merely
~ournal1sts. The fact that she did not talk ban Boa~d, the Adjutant General, or
. roke appears to be of no conse a. out ~he Ime until after the Zuber stor :terV:ie~ing her until after the sto~:::.::.m:e Journalists did not get around t~
ad dIsmIssed the failure of Mrs. Dickinson t~ ~n t~e Texas Almanac. Zuber himself
story ... she was not present when the entlOn the event prior to the almanac
was off in some building at the time a:::t~ wtedr.e called together. He concluded she
JUs Id not see what ha
1 The largest single proble m wI. th the e t' R ppened. .. p~op e to prove the story is either all t n Ire ose affair is the desire of most
hIstoric a 1 J..I gsaw puzzle. To get the true riuce or all fals e.... The Rose story is like a
the Rose story can be accepted as fact !dt ~~:~ ~~ :uesmt I~nettoe rtmhie.Inre p wrohpicehr oprideecre. s of
Wallace O. Chariton. Exploring the Alamo Legends (Plano: Wordware publishing Inc., 1990), pp. 181, 184, 188, 189.
26
4 Invest:igat:ion Six What: ""as Jint Bowie's illness?
Jim Bowie shared command at the Alamo with William Barret Travis until he became too
ill. His illness seemed to progress during the thirteen-day siege of the Alamo because, prior to the
arrival of the Mexican Army; he was often in the town cantinas or visiting his in-laws, the
Veramendis. During the battle Bowie was confined to a room, ill on his cot. His illness, though,
seems to vary with the writer.
DocUfl1.ent: Thirt:y (6-1)
Wallace Chariton spent years researching the
Alamo, and he collected copies of original
papers and records related to the Alamo. The
papers included diaries, inventories, muster rolls,
government papers, receipts, newspaper articles,
and much more. He selected some of the
papers and put them in chronological [by date]
order to tell the story of the Texas Revolution.
A letter from Isaac Millsaps, a resident from
Gonzales who died at the Alamo, was written
on Thursday, March 3, 1836, and sent to his
blind wife, Mary. James Bowie
hy CB. Normann
~&Xrlif?: ??tff V~, V~ t)mu, We Me Ut Me ~ D/- Me rI~ 4- 'UtiHed
~ thu ~ mut 5dt~. 7k ??te~ Me ~ Ut ~ ~ ~
~ ~ e¢ 4-~ /Vz.e <Wece Ute '}4-t ~ •••• eDt. ~fUtAie u ~ ud ad,
~ to. de to. ded 1 d4«,I. ~ ~ & k u ddt ~ to.~. ~e dieUt't
~ me ~ ttut ~ dea dU:t ~ Wad. ~e tdU me thu ~ etdtt
de ~ ~ & it ~ «4 led ~. We ~ deeI- ad, C4IUt to. ea.t dea mJ. ~,
~ 1 ~ 5dt fI# (Ut Me etUUf ~ d4 it etJa<t dftdt····
Endnote by author: This letter is thought by many to be a forgery. Some of the phrasing used was
not common in 1836, and the signature does not appear to match another known Millsaps signature.
However, until scientific tests are conducted, this cannot be proven.
Wallace O. Chariton. 100 Days in Texas: The Alamo Letters (Plano: Wordware Publishing, Inc., 1990), pp. 303,337.
27
Doctnnent Thirty-one (6-2)
Albert A. Nofi is a current military historian who has written about the Alamo. He
talked with many Alamo descendants who provided information about their ancestors.
His writing indicates he 's read massive amounts of information on the Alamo, but his
sources for his conclusions cannot be determined.
According to both Mrs. Dickinson-who admittedly gave more heroic
versions of the events as time went on-and Joe, Bowie was apparently
comatose at the time he died. When the Mexican troops entered his
room, they found him in his bed, and blew out his brains. Dr. Sutherland,
who subsequently [later] visited the Alamo, later recorded that
bloodstains could still be seen on the wall where Bowie's bed had been.
Albert A. Nof i, The Alamo and the Texas War of Independence (Conshohocken, Pa.: Combined Books, 1992; reprint. New
York: Da Capo Press, 1994), p. 125.
Doctnnent Thirty-nvo (6 -3)
Timothy M. Matovina, a current Tejano scholar, has collected and studied all the
available Tejano accounts of the Alamo battle. His book brings together old
newspaper articles and interviews that had been published in various sources.
Fifty years after the battle, one of the survivors, Juana Alsbury, gave an interview
to history buff John S. Ford. Mrs. Alsbury's husband was a medical doctor, but he
was not present at the Alamo. Her dead step-sister, Ursula de Veramendi, had
married Jim Bowie.
Colonel B .
OWle Was very sick of h'
prudent [best] to be r typ Old fever. For that -
A1 b emoved from h reason he th h'
s ury. A couple of sId' . t e part of the buildi . oug t 1t
not be afraid I 1 0 lers earned him away. 0 1 . ngs occupIed by Mrs
friends. They ~re geave
1
you with Colonel Travi~ Cno1eavl1ngche said: "Sister, d~
b ent emen d '11 ,one rock d
ack two or thr' an WI treat you kind1 "H h ett, an other
ee tImes to see and talk WI. t h h er. Y. e ad himselfbro ugh t
Juana Nava r ro Alsbury from John S. Ford, Memoirs, c. 1880, in Timot hy M. Matovina, The Alamo Rememhered: Tejano
Accounts and Perspectives (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995), p. 45.
28
Docuntent: Thirt:y-t:h ree (6-4)
In 1904 another Alamo fan, C.C. Jeffries of Winkler, Texas, wrote a letter to William
Zuber to ask him some questions. Zuber was known for his writings about Louis
"Moses" Rose and the line that Travis drew. J. Frank Dobie, president of the Texas
Folklore Society in 1939, printed this correspondence [letters] in a chapter titled
"Inventing Alamo Stories."
My Dear Sir:
My conviction is that everyone of our 181 men in the Alamo fought till slain, unless we
except Colonel James Bowie, who being prostrate with pneumonia, and not able to rise, was
murdered in his cot after the rest were all killed, and who it was said that, from his cot, he
fired two effective shots from his pistols at his murderers. I do not believe that anyone of
them surrendered or asked for quarters [not to be killed], for they all knew that the Mexicans
would not spare the life of a man. It is not probable that anyone of the Mexicans who
stormed the fort now lives.
The storming of the Alamo was brisk work. The assault was made at dawn, and by a little
after sunrise every defender was slain ... .
Yours truly,
WP. Zuber
Char lie Jeffries's letter to w.P. Zuber, Aug ust 17, 1904, in 1. Frank Dobie, Mody C. Boatright, and Harry H. Ransom, 111 the
Shadow of History (Publication of the Texas Folklore Society Xv, 1939; Dallas: Sout hern Methodist University Press,
1939), pp. 42·43.
Docuntent: Thirt:y-four (6 -5)
James Lee Burke is a writer of fiction about the South. In his book Two for Texas,
characters Hugh and Son, who escaped from a prison in Louisiana, are in coastal
Texas before the batt/e. Hugh is a friend of Jim Bowie.
"Jim's awful sick. I think it's the pneumonie. He carries on like his
old self, still full of laughs and fun, and these men would kiss the
ground he walks on. But he don't fool me. He's got a worm buried
down there in his chest."
"Let it go, Hugh."
"You know his wife and both his children died of cholera?"
"Let's find that ammunition wagon and make sure everything's ready
for tonight. They didn't have much powder to spare, but they give us
a lot of flints and a mess of nails."
James Lee Burke, Two for Texas (1989; reprint New York: Hyperion, 1995), p. 112.
29
Docuntent: Thirt:y-five (6-6)
Stephen Hardin set out to write a
military history in his 1994 book.
Although much has been written
about the Alamo battle, he felt an
analysis of the military aspects of
the battles of the Texas Revolution
was lacking. As he stated, many
earlier studies published north of
the Rio Grande failed to consult
Mexican sources and did not fairly
address the viewpoints from south
of the Rio Grande. The Texian Iliad
is a very scholarly book with
det8Jied source notes and
bibliography.
The Death of Bowie by LOLlis Eyth
Courtesy of the Daughters of t he Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo
Inside the Alamo, Bowie's health continued to decline On the second '
c~IIapsed co~pletely, The malady [illness] must have 'been a form of r~:~r~~ the s,lege, he
[disease], for It was variously described as "hasty consumption" and "t ~ 'd ory allme~t "
:~~~ev::s ~~ ~:~t~r:v~~wie could no longer function as commande/~o ~e fn~~r~~t~~I~iS
',-
Stephen L. Hardin, Texian Iliad: A Military History of t he Texas Revolution, 1835-1836 (Austin: University of Texas Press,
1994), p.129.
Docuntent: Thirt:y-six (6-7)
Walter Lord's 1961 account of the Alamo is well researched, but some of his
conclusions are questionable because he studied few Mexican or Tejano documents.
The book index is a valuable resource for any Alamo scholar studying the Texas point
of view of the battle. Still, one wishes for citations for specific information that is
provided. As a best-selling author, he tells the tale well.
But now he [Bowie] felt dreadfully sick and it was only his determination that
kept him going. The fort's surgeon, Amos Pollard, was baffled [confused] and called
in Dr. John Sutherland, a new arrival from Alabama. Sutherland, who had learned
his medicine under what was vaguely described as "the old Thompsonian System,"
was puzzled too. He could only say that the sickness was "of a peculiar nature, not to
be cured by an ordinary course of treatment." Bowie grimly carried on.
Walter Lord, A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo (New York, Harper & Row, 1961; reprint, Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press, 1978), p. 78.
30
Do'c. UlUen-t Th·I rty-seven (6-8)
SC , RIchardson f(m' g ,s bl,o gr. h usanna could neith ap y of Susanna Dick' ';,::::::~~ S:::e w::£;:v~:~o; s:~:;~/t~'::: i~~:Z: I:;~:r: ::~~::; ~~1:::;king tIme at the Alamo did ;; t e local newspapers of ;hye;rs, though and the ange over the years, elmes, Her story of her
Fever burned his (Bowie's] body, he was lmable to lift his head from
the pillOW, and he fell into spasms of coughing "every few minutes:
Crockett, tossing his head so that the tail of his fur cap fell down his back
sat on the floor by Bowie's cot in the room 'he had occupied from the
beginning of the siege."
"They'll soon destroy every barricade at that front door: Bowie said,
then began another coughing fit.
C. Richard Km' g, 5 usanna Dickinson: Messenger of the Aia mo (Austin: Shoal Creek Publish ers, Inc., 1976), p. 40.
31
Investigation Seven
4 Who survived
-the ba-ttle of -the Alanto?
All the defenders of the Alamo were killed, so how could anyone have survived? Prior to
the battle, numerous women and children related to the soldiers were brought to the Alamo
from houses in town. During the battle, they were in a small room off the mission chapel. All the
early accounts of the battle claim there were two survivors: Susanna Dickinson and Joe. Joe was
twenty-one to twenty-two years old at the time, the age of many of the soldiers; why wasn't he
kil1ed? Were there really only two survivors?
Docuntent: Thirt:y-eight: (7-1)
The Reverend Chester Newell came to Texas in the spring of 1837 for his health and
stayed twelve months. He spent three months at the capital of the republic acquiring
the information and material for his book. During his time in Texas, he talked with
such men as General Houston, General Lamar, Colonel Neill, and Captain Shackleford.
In his writing he tried to tell the truth that he learned from the men ancj the various
documents in the War Department. His book was printed in 1838 .
... since not an Am' b I
d encan e ongin t h [
an a negro ma CIt .' got e lOrt-except a M
relied upon, andn'whi:h iSra::d:~~:eadnlty-was left to tell the tale. Th:::::nt t~~ ~~csktetrosobn,
tim f h . Correct is' b e
e 0 t e sIege, acted as cook for Santa ' gIven y a negro man, Ben, who at the
board several American vessels [boatsl-bad Anna and Almonte. Ben had been a ste:ard on
as body servant-had accompanied h' t ~eenctaken up at New York, in 1835, by AIm t
1m 0 era ruz and thence to Bexar on e
After the fall of the Alam h .
the Texan camp at Gonzales, an/be:a:: :entk withGMrs. Dickerson and TraVis' servant to
00 to eneral Houston '
[Ben said,] "The report of the .
;~iseld~hort1; died away, day broke uP::~~::c:~~es, a~~ mus~try, was tremendous. It [the
e~ Irecte me to go with them to tbe ,an. anta nna and Almonte returned
TraVIs-whom I bad be£, k fort, and pomt out the bod' f B .
ore nown-which I did Th . h les 0 oWie and
. e slg t was most horrid."
Chester Newell, Hjstory of the Revolutjon in Texa!>: partjcularly of the War of1835 & 36 (New York: Wiley & Putnam,
1838; reprint, New York: Arno Press, 1973), pp. 87-89.
32
Docuntent: Thirt:y-nine (7-2)
Amelia Williams was a student at the University of Texas and in 1931 wrote her
doctoral dissertation, ':4 Critical Study of the Siege of the Alamo and of the
Personnel of Its Defenders. " Many historians cite her work as a reference.
. " rth [survivor]-Anselmo Borgarra, a
Amelia Williams ad~s a fou osedl another servant of
noncombatant [nonflgh,ter] and a~~~~ Andr~s Barcena, a Mexican
Travis, Borgarra and his comp d'the news of the assault to
citizen, were the two who conveye
Gonzales on Tuesday, March 8.
Martha Anne Tumey. William Barret Travis: His Sword and His Pen (WacO: Texian Press. 1972). p. 274.
DocuInent: Fort:y (7-3)
Martha Anne Turner wrote a biography of William Travis that was published in 1972.
She used old newspaper interviews of several eyewitnesses and has extensive
footnotes citing her sources. ..
A better consensus of agree­ment
marks the estimates of the
survivors of the Alamo. Most his­torians
agree that from fourteen to
sixteen persons actually lived through
the catastrophe. If we accept Lord's
statement, there was a minimum of
three in addition to several women
and children.
Lord states that Henry War­nell
lived through the assault and
escaped through the Mexican lines to
Port Lavaca, where he died of his
wounds in less than three months.
The women and children
included Mrs. Almeron Dickinson
and the infant girl Angelina; Mrs.
Horace Alsbury, her baby son, Alijo,
and her teen-aged sister, Gertrudis
Navarro; Mrs. Gregorio Esparza, her
son, Enrique, and three other chil­dren;
Trinidad Saucedo, and an
elderly woman by the name of Petra
Gonzales. Miss [Amelia] Williams also
names Mrs. Toribio Losoya and three
children, but it is unlikely that they
were present. It is equally doubtful
that Madam Candalaria ... was present
at the siege.
Martha Anne Turner. William Barret Travis: His Sword and His Pen (Waco: Texian Press. 1972). p. 274.
33
DocUlUen t Forty-on e (7-4)
Bill Groneman is a twelve-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department with an
avid interest in Texas and the Alamo. He has been a historical consultant for several
projects and written books providing much genealogical information on the defenders
and survivors of the Alamo.
An entry in the diary of William Travis for February 13, 1834, states he [Travis]
wrote bond ... to buy one boy Joe belonging to Mansfield. Joe accompanied [came
with] Travis to Bexar and the Alamo in February 1836.
At the beginning of the Alamo battle on the morning of March 6, 1836, Joe, armed
with a rifle, went with Travis to their position on the north wall of the fortress. He
witnessed Travis's death at this position and then took cover in one of the rooms of
the Alamo.
He remained there until a Mexican officer entered the room and asked if there were
any Negroes there. When Joe stood up, he was slightly wounded by a bayonet and
a rifle shot by some of the over-anxious Mexican soldiers.
Joe was brought before Santa Anna and questioned. He was released and
accompanied Susannah and Angelina Dickerson to the camp of Sam Houston.
Bill Groneman, Alamo Defenders- A Genealogy The People and Their Words (Austin: Eakin Press, 1990), p. 65.
DocUlUent Forty-tW'o (7-5)
C. Richard King wrote a biography of
Susanna Dickinson in 1976. He used many
family legends including those furnished
by Willard Griffith Nitschke, a great­granddaughter
of Susanna. As Susanna
could neither read nor write, she left no
letters about the Alamo event.
Maj or General Samuel Houston
byeS. Normann
On March 11 , Houston and his Texians joined the camp
of volunteers at Gonzales, 76 miles from San Antonio.
Darkness had not settled on the camp when two
Mexicans, claiming to be friendly, rode into camp with
news that the mission fortress had fallen. They reported that Santa Anna had begun attacking at
3 p.m. Sunday, and five hours later, the fight was over; remains of the defenders were being burned in the
public square. One ofthe Mexicans was Anselmo Borgara.
C. Richard King, Susanna Dickinson: Messenger of the Alamo (Austin: Shoal Creek Publishers, Inc., 1976), p. 45.
34
Document: Forty-t:hree (7-6)
The New Handbook of Texas, published by the Texas State Historical Association in
1996, is an encyclopedia on Texas which lists persons, places, and events. "Experts"
or association staff members wrote each citation and included selected references.
. . vis and one of the few Texan survivors of the
Joe, slave ofW11ham B. Tra , After the battle, Mexican troops
Al born about 1813.... a1 [h 1 battle of the amo, was d 11 d Lor any blacks to reve s ow
'ld' . h' the Alamo an ca e 11 b L searched the bUl mgs W1t m k b . 1 hot and bayonet thrust eIOre a
themselves. Joe did so and was struc Y a
B
P1st?, sslave was also reported to have
. . d Sam James oW1es , ak
Mexican captam mtervene . , d fh' is known to exist. Joe was t en
. d the battle but no further recor 0 1m
surv1ve ' . d [h ld]
into Bexar where he was detame he b'£ the Texas Cabinet at Groce's Retreat
On March 20 Joe was broug t e ore W'll' F Gray reported that Joe
the Alamo. 1 lam .
and questioned about events at d d and clarity of his account.
impressed those present with the mo esty, can or,
Nolan Thompson, "Joe," in The New Handbook of Texas 3 (Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1996), p. 946.
D ocumen t: Fo r ty-four (7-7) 'j'
Historian Walter Lord's widely popular A Time to Stand, first published in 1961,
has gone through many printings. It included one of the most comprehensive
bibliographies available at the time.
That very evening Anselmo Borgara and Andres Barcena, two Mexicans from the
ranchos near San Antonio, turned up with hair-raising details on the final assault. No,
they hadn't been there themselves, but their friend Antonio Perez had, and he was a
truthful man.
A minimum of ten Mexican women and children also survived: Mrs. Alsbury and
her baby, Alejo Jr., her sister Gertrudis Navarro, Mrs. Gregorio Esparza and her four
children, Trinidad Saucedo, and Petra Gonzales. There were probably others, but the
evidence is conflicting. On the other hand, Madam Candelaria-one of the better­known
claimants-definitely was not in the Alamo.
One member of the garrison almost certainly survived-Brigido Guerrero, who
talked himself free by claiming to have been a prisoner of the Texans. Both Almonte and
Gregorio Esparza mention him, and he later made a good enough case to get a pension
from Bexar County in 1878.
Walter Lord, A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo (New York: Harper & Row, 1961; reprint Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press, 1978), pp. 181, 208.
35
Docuntent: Forty-five (7-8)
Many current historians and scholars
have written citations for The New
Handbook of Texas published by the
Texas State Historical Association.
Following the information on persons,
places, or events, each author lists
other publications where information
on the topic can be obtained. Many
of the authors have also written
books on the topics, which raises the
question of their own biases. Statue of Losoya
near the Alamo, 1999
As Santa Anna's troops converged on San Antonio in February 1836, Seguin rode
from the Alamo leaving seven of his men, including Losoya, behind as
reinforcements. Losoya's wife and three children sought refuge in the mission chapel
with several other women, children, and slaves. Losoya died in the battle .... His wife
[Concepcion Curbier], son, and two daughters survived the siege.
Randell G. Tarin, "Jose Toribio Losoya," in The New Handbook of Texas 4 (Austin: Texas Historical Association, 1996),
pp.296-97.
Docu:tnent: Forty-six (7-9)
Don Enrique Esparza was born in 1828 and was a
witness at the battle of the Alamo. He was with
his mother, Ana Salazar Esparza, his younger
brothers, Francisco and Manuel and eleven-year-old
Marfa in a room off the chapel in the mission at
the time of the battle. He was interviewed by the
San Antonio Express News in 1899 and again on
May 12- 1907.
Don Enrique Esparza,
a survivor of the battle of the Alamo
Brigido Guerrera Was the onl
and he was pennitted to SUIT y ~an who escaped after the battle
oner in the Alamo The en er. He told them he was a pn's
d . re was an old' -
an a young girl , Trinidad Sa uce d o. woman In there, Dona Petra'
Charles Merritt Barnes, 'Alamo's Only Survivor," San Antonio Express News, May 12, 1907. p. 24.
36
Docunte nt: Fort:y-seven (7-10)
Historians have often omitted Tejano accounts of the battle from the study of the
Alamo. In 1996 Timothy Matovina became the first author to reprint Tejano Alamo
accounts of the Texas Revolution into a single book. When possible, he transcribed
accounts from original documents and cited his sources. He did not add any analysis
of the documents, and, when corrections were made or words inserted, he used
brackets to note the changes. The November 10, 1901, account below is from Miss
De Zavala's interview with Don Enrique Esparza. This account varies from his
information in his other interviews.
o other refugees who were saved ,
Within the Alamo courtyard wer~ als
e
child and sister Gertrudes ~avarro,
Mrs. Juana Navarro AlsbU~ an
h
O~aughter and two sons; Victonana de Id
Mrs. concepcion Losoxa ":Ith e~ sanna Dickinson and baby, and an 0
Salina and three little girls, Mrs. u
woman called Petra.
d ·th terror and faint from hunger
The women and children were pa~~IYZ~e~~e fall of the Alamo. A poor
h n the Mexican soldiers rushe In a teak to them and tell that he ~as
w a~alytic [man unable ,to movel ~n~~: T~X:sl was murdered be~ore their
~ot a belligerent [waging Wg~~:~ who had been captured SOmt~tl:~s saved
eyes, as was also, a you~ Alamo, Brigidio Guerrero, a ~ou ,
previous and continued In the t a Texan, but a Texan pnsoner.
as he managed to say he was no
Adina De Zavala, 'Another Child of the Alamo: San Antonio Light, November 10, 1901, in Timothy M. Matovina, The
Alamo Remembered: Tejano Accounts and Per sp ectives (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995), pp. 65~66.
Docuntent: Fort:y-eight: (7-11)
In 1968 Richard Santos, a specialist on the Spanish-Mexican colonial frontier and
history of the Mexican-American people, wrote a book that included Santa Anna 's
order book of letters and commands to Major General Filisola. Utilizing numerous
Spanish manuscripts, Santos includes orders for the battle of the Alamo. He cites
multiple sources for much of the information. Mr. Santos has authored over 200
articles and numerous books.
Some 15 to 25 people, mainly women and children related to the Alamo defenders,
survived the siege and assault of the fortress. Among them were the wives and children
of Captain Almeron Dickinson, Horace Alsbury, Gregorio Esparza, and Toribio Losoya.
Also surviving were Travis' Negro slave named Ben, and Brigido Guerrero, who claimed
to be a Texan prisoner. The latter two were miraculously believed by the Mexicans and
spared. All the survivors were later questioned by Santa Anna and released.
Richard G. Santos, Santa Annas Campaign against Texas 1835-1836 (Waco: Texian Press, 1968), p. 76.
37
Invest igation Eigh
4 Was Ma d aln Cand e laria
an ilnpos t e r?
Andrea Castanon Villanueva (Madam Candelaria) was bom in 1785 in either Laredo or
Presidio del Rio Grande in present-day Mexico. She went to San Antonio de Bexar when she was
about twenty-five and married Candelario Villanueva. She died in 1899 at the age of 113 in San
Antonio. Madam Candelaria gave numerous interviews in which she described her experiences
at the Alamo as Jim Bowie's nurse. Was Madam Candelaria really at the Alamo during the battle?
Docuntent: Fort:y-nine (B-1)
On February 19, 1899, the San Antonio Light
published an interview with Madam Candelaria.
Over the years she gave several interviews and
supported other revolutionary efforts as well.
Andrea Castanon VjJ]anueva,
known as Madam Candelaria, 1896
I sat by Bowie's side and tried to keep him as composed
as possible. He had a high fever and was seized with a
fit of coughing every few moments. Colonel Crockett
loaded Bowie's rifle and a pair of pistols and laid them
by his side.
The Texans made every shot tell and the plaza was covered with dead bodies .... Every man at the
door fell but Crockett. I could see him struggling with the head of the column and Bowie raised
up and fired his rifle. I saw Crockett fall backwards. The enraged Mexicans then streamed into
the building firing and yelling like madmen .... A dozen or more Mexicans sprang into the room
occupied by Colonel Bowie. He emptied his pistols in their faces and killed two of them. As they
lunged towards him with their muskets I threw myself in front of them and received two of their
bayonets in my body. One passed through my arm and the other through the flesh of my chin.
Here, Senor, are the scars; you can see them yet. I implored them not to murder a sick man, but
they thrust me out of the way and butchered my friend before my eyes. All was silent now. The
massacre [killing] had ended .... I walked out of the cell and when I stepped upon the floor of the
Alamo the blood ran into my shoes.
'AYldrea Castanon Villanueva," San Antonio Light February 19, 1899, in Timothy M. Matovina, The Alamo Remembered:
Tejano Accounts and Perspectives (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995), pp. 61-62.
38
Document FiftY (8-2)
Enrique Esparza was a young boY when he was with his family in the Alamo chapel.
He was interviewed numerous times from 1899 to 1912 by the San Antonia
II
II
II
II
~
:II
=­:
II
:II
~
:II
~
:a
~\
~\
:11\
=-1
~I
:a\
:II
~\ .\ .1
:II
:1\
:1\
:II
:II
newspapers. . seen Madam candelaria \AIldr
ea
1 do not remember ha"",g h 'Ie been among the women
castanon v;Uanueval there. She ~cu':'arlY. She claitn
ed
to have
and 1 maY not have nOl1ceddher ~ her word. 1 did not notice the
been there and 1 shall not ISPU e
women as closely as 1 did the men.
Charles Merntt Barnes. 'A1amds Only survivor: San AntoniO Express. May 12.1907, p. 26,
DoCUD1ent Fifty-one (8-3)
David Crockett has been a legend in this country for decades. In 1958 James
Shackfo
rd
concluded his research and manuscript of David Crockett: The Man and
the Legend. While revising the manuscript he became very ill, so the final book was
edited by his brothe" John 8. Shackford. The scholarship and endnotes have made
this a definitive book biography of Mr. Crockett. <\"
I
Yet what appears t b < ~l~:~~ ~~~~~ cho::es ~r~~ ~~~~:I::b6:~~~olrn:ati~n [about
ave been the ana, who
century she had continued to re.".: FO.r more than half a
:::taeccof Texas undertook to he:atienstt~m her story before the
uracy Mt d Imony a d t .
introduced int ;~ ue deliberations, howev n °b~nvestigate
relief 0 e Texas House of er, a III was
h ' based solely upon th Representatives for h 7~ve been at the Alamo] T~accePtance of her claim [to er
189tlo 5
Th
and the Senate 2 i to ~ Pbaessed .the Texas House
v'n . e pe nSl.O n awarded "'M comIng la won April 13 "e~/nueva, alias 'Madam C~nd rt ~drea Castanon de '
lClent service to said c e ana for renderin
the SIege of the Alamo , ina tuhese yaesa ra n18u3r6se to" the sic; du n.n g ....
1
-
James Atkins Shackl
oN
. David Crockett The Man and the Legend. ed John B Shackford (Chapel Hilt UniversitY of
North carolina Press. 1956. 19Bvustin pemberton press. 1968). pp 229·30
39
Docuntent: Fift:y-t:"'o (8-4)
In her 1994 book, Ms. Ragsdale focused her work on the women and children who
survived at the Alamo. She has pulled together the major sources for each of the
survivors, to the degree they are known, in order to write their life stories. The book
is good popular reading.
Despite the plea from Houston, Andrea had to think of her reputation. Going into the
enlisted men's barracks, a gamblers' den, would be ruinous [bad] to the reputation of a
married woman, so she changed her name to Madame Candelaria. Her married name,
Villanueva, would therefore not be disgraced and she could still follow Houston's request.
"Of my time in the Alamo," she said simply, "I was there five days and one night."
Through the years Madame Candelaria recounted her versions of several of the last
dramas which took place inside the Alamo ....
Crystal Sasse Ragsdale, Women and Children of the Alamo (Austin: State House Press, 1994), p. 46.
Docuntent: Fift:y-t:hree (8-5)
Walter Lord, in his popular bestseller
A Time to Stand, includes a chapter
entitled "Riddles of the Alamo" with
the subtitle "How Many Survivors?" as
one of the riddles. The book is very
well researched but was first
published in 1961.
There were probably others
[survivors], but the evidence is
conflicting. On the other hand,
Madam Candelaria-one of
the better-known claimants­definitely
was not in the Alamo.
Madam Candelaria with her daughter;
Francisca Flores Pacheco (left), c. 1890
Walter Lord, A Time to Stand: The Epic of the Alamo (New York, Harper & Row, 1961; reprint, Lincoln: University of
Nebraska Press, 1978), p. 208.
40
Docunten-t Fifty-four (8-6)
The New Handbook of Texas attempts to summarize available information about a
topic in Texas history and present the currently accepted opinion written by local
historians, experts, or staff of the Texas State Historical Association.
Historians are in disagreement over her claim, but most believe
she was there. Since the evidence pertaining to the survivors is
sparse and fragmentary, it is unlikely that the dispute will ever be
settled. Many of her contemporaries believed her, and she had
regular visitors who wanted to hear her account.
George O. Coalson 'Andrea Castanon Villanueva," in The New Handbook of Texas 6 (Austin: Texas State Historical
Association, 1996), p. 752.
Docunten-t Fifty-five (8-7)
Maurice Elfer wrote a short pamphlet about Madam Candelaria in 1933 that
was based on his reading of the interviews she gave to the San Antonio Light
newspaper in the 1890s. Numerous historians have used the pamphlet as the
source of information on Madam Candelaria.
In February, 1836, Madam Candelaria, a Mexican woman who h~d a little
hotel in San Antonio l10t far from the Alamo, received a letter from Sam
HoustOl1 sayil1g that, if she wished to prove her friel1dship for him
[Houstol1], she should persol1allYl1urse his friel1d Bowie .... [See note.] Her
house had beel1 at the disposal of Houston, Austil1, Travis, al1d other
courageous men who had committed themselves to the cause of Texas
freedom. She was by l1ature a revolutionist [il1 support of war]" .. So, il1
sympathy with the soldiers at the Alamo, al1d wishing to keep faith with
her friend, General Houstol1, al1d also desiring to do all in her power to
help Bowie, whom she kl1ew, al1d who required attel1tion both day al1d
l1ight, Madam Cal1delaria herOically abal1dol1ed her hotel to stay il1 the
bUilding agail1st whose walls the black al1gel of death was mercilessly
flappil1g its wil1gs.
Author's footnote: This information about a letter from Sam Houston to Madam Candelaria asking
her to personally nurse Bowie is based upon a statement to me [E]fer] by Jam.es Villanueva, a
grandson of the heroic woman. in the autumn of 1924.
Maurice Elfer, Madam Candelaria: Unsung Heroine of the Alamo (Houston: Rein Company, 1933), pp. 8-9.
41
DocUlHent: Fifty-six (8-8)
Francisco Becerra was a twenty-five-year-old sergeant in the Mexican Army who
fought at the Alamo and was later captured at the battle of San Jacinto. After his
capture he stayed in Texas and worked as a servant for Ruben M. Potter, whose
The Fall of the Alamo was repeatedly used by later historians. In 1875, thirty-nine
years after the battle, John S. Ford interviewed Becerra, adding more details.
Ford relied heavily on Becerra's account in his 1875 publication, Origin and Fall
of the Alamo.
In tbe main b 'ld'
b dillIng, on the d
e -he Was evidentl' groun floor, I saw amI '
wit~standing the orae; oS~~' I rsetired, without mo1esti:
n
g b~ng on a
TeXlatlS A . . en, anta Anna' 1m, not­room~
h 1 ser7eaat, of artiUery entered b f( to 1Iv:. no quarter to the
hand and e eve ed hIS piece at the prostrat: ore, ad finally left the
of the ""01 shot the sergeant through the he dmeu:'hthe latter raised his
kill d 'l ( uc'a .r.e gim ent came I.n , aimed h' a . WIt a pI' stO1. A soldier
his e 1U a sImIlar manner. I then tired IS gu~ at the invalid, and Was
seem:': h
empry pistols, and found his ~~d kille~,the Texian. I took
e was too weak to Use it. e stan Ing by his bed. It
Francisco Becerra as told to John S. Ford in 1875, A Mexican Sergeant's Recollections of the Alamo and San Jacinto
(Austin: Jenkins Publishing Company. 1980), p. 22.
42
Invest:igat:ion Nine
4 What: ""ere t:he causes
of t:he Texas Revolut:ion?
In 1835-1836 settlers were mOving into Mexico [Texas] from the United States and Europe.
Most came wanting a chance to start a new life and looking for cheap land. Mexico had obtained
its independence from Spain in 1824 and had seventeen presidents in less than ten years. As
leadership changed in Mexico, changes also were made affecting the new settlers on the
northern edge of the Mexican frontier.
DocUlll.ent: Fifty-seven (9-1)
J.M. Morphis
wrote History of
Texas from Its
Discovery and
Settlement in
1875. His
purpose was to
prove to his
readers that
Texas was right
to fight Mexico
and gain its
independence.
Engraving in the official report made by Capt. George W Hughes
of the us. Topographical Engineers
The author's intention has been to show plainly and clearly to the world, that Texans were not only
right in throwing off the government of Mexicans (who had invited them to colonize their wild
lands with the promise of equal rights with themselves, and after inducing [getting] them through
empresarios, or colonial agents, to leave their homes in the United States and endure the hardships
and privations incident to the settlement of a country bordering on warlike savages, and, afterwards
faithless to their promises, attempted to enslave them), but that they deserve the praise of all good
people for changing a wilderness into green fields and happy homes, founding prosperous cities in
the haunts of the cruel Comanches, and, after ten years' warfare against vastly superior numbers,
adding a great State to the American Union ....
J.M. Morphis, History of Texas from Its Discovery and Settlement(NewYork: United States Publishing Company,
1875), p. iv.
43
Docutnent: Fift:y-eight: (9-2)
David B. Edward's The History of Texas, published in 1836, included a document
[paper] developed by the Texas settlers serving as delegates to the Texian Consultation.
The settlers met at San Felipe in April 1833 to voice their dissatisfaction with the
Mexican government.
To the Sovereign General Congress of the Republic of Mexico:
The inhabitants of all Texas, met in General Convention, at the Town of San Felipe
de Austin, by means of delegates, for the purpose of making known their wants to
the government ... that they desire the separation of Texas from Coahuila ....
Differences in Coahuila and Texas. Coahuila being so far distant from the
population of Texas, and so widely variant from it in interests, the rights and wants
of the people of Texas cannot be properly protected and provided for, under the
present organization ....
Security and Settlement of Aborigines ... adjoining the territory of a powerful
nation, whose policy toward the aborigines [Indians 1 has a tendency to flood Texas
with Indian emigrants of a character dangerous in the extreme. The wide extent of
wilderness, forming a natural boundary between Texas and Coahuila, places an
indispensable barrier in the way of Coahuila's extending the efficient means of
defense she might wish .... The Indians' repeated request to obtain their rights, are
unattended to; because an accredited agent of the government has been illegally
suspended, by a military officer of the last dynasty ....
Rights for Independent State under Constitution of 1824 ... the decree of the 7th of
May, 1824, allowing the people of Texas, as soon as their situation would permit, to
appear as a distinct state, to report to Congress for their resolution .... The people
of Texas present the strongest assurances of their patriotic attachment to the
Constitution, and to the Republic. ...
Tariff Relief .. . that the duties [taxes 1 on articles of necessity to the inhabitants,
which are not and cannot be manufactured in Texas for several years to come, are so
high as to be equivalent to a total prohibition: that many other articles which are
prohibited by the Tariff, are of the first necessity to the settlers of Texas .. . they
respectfully petition the General Government, to grant for three years the privilege
of introducing, free of duty, such articles as are indispensable to the prosperity of
Texas. Among which ... to wit: Provisions, Iron and Steel, Machinery, Farming
Utensils, Tools of the various Mechanic Arts, Hardware and Hollowware, Nails,
Waggons and Carts, Cotton Bagging and Bale rope ....
David B. Edward, "Treatises presented to t he Congress of the Republic of Mexico," The History of Texas, 1836,
www.tamu.edulccbnldewittlconsultations2.htm. online November 1998.
44
DOClUllent: Fift:y-nine (9-3)
Mr. Newell was an Episcopal clergyman from Massachusetts who came to Texas for
his health in 1831 During his twelve-month stay, he ran a school in Velasco for a
while and also went to Houston to get material for a history which he published
in 1838.
alluded [referred) to, was an
t and last of the leading causes f the month of September
The nex Cos in the course 0 d other
order received from G~~ . of Brazoria, Columbia, Vel~~co, an
(1835) requiring the cltl~ens the Mexican authOrities: thus d
places, to deliver up the~r arm:s t~he plan adopted by Santa Anna, an
attempting to ca~ry out m Tex of Mexico, of disarming those whom
put in execution ~ ~anXi:a~;:~ted [not fav0rable) to his gov~r~;:~n~ere
he suspected of emg f 1< as what sort of governmen ..
This ... showed the people 0 ex d the entire sway of the military.
t that of the bayonet, an .
to expec
Chester Newell, History of the Revolution in Texas particularly of the War of 1835 & '36 (New York: Wiley & Putnam,
1838; reprint, New York: Arno Press, 1973), p. 49.
DOClUllent: Sixt:y (9-4)
Mr. Nofi in his book on the Texas Revolution included brief sketches outlining the
lives of the various people involved. The book, originally printed in 1992, presents
the Alamo story.
the Constitution of 1824,
5 Santa Anna ab~lished (ended1 tralist (strong dictator type 1
~n 183. , r utting1 in Its place a cen uses of the Texas
ImpoSIng LP h' h was one of the ca . d ncy in order
document, a mov~ Wrtt afterwards resigned the pr~l e
Revolution. He soy te (carry out1 the Texas ar.
to more effectively prosecu
j
r
Albert A. Nofi, The Alamo and the Texas War for Independence (Conshohocken, Pa.: Combined Books, 1992; New York:
Da Capo Press, 1994), p. 24.
45
Doctunent: Sixt:y-one (9-5)
Joseph E. Field lived for several years in the southern states, but not being
successful in business, he was persuaded by newspaper people to go to Texas.
He lived near Brazoria and Matagorda for two years and at the outbreak of the war
joined the Texian volunteers in October 1835. He left after three years to go north
where his friends asked that he write about what he had seen.
Being accidentally in the vicinity of G al
soldiers came to the above place and d onz JSci at/he time when a force of 150 Mexican
~ ca~non belonging to him, I p;omptl;:; ~. ~ t?~ ~calde [mayor] .. . the surrender of
or aId, and though our number at the timt~; th
WIt
t e call of the citizens of the place
answer to them to come and take it 0 h e. demand was but 18, we returned an
under the command of Col ] M . r n t e mOrnIllg of the 6th of October [1835]
. '. ore, a LOrce nearly al h' , we,
flver, and attempted to surprise th . h' equ to t ens, crossed the Guadaloupe
h' k f( h' em III t elr camp b t bl
t IC og, w lch prevented our discoverin t' ,u w.e~e una e by reason of a very
alarm, fled and assumed . . g ~elr exact posmon until they had tak h
Wh a pOSItIOn on an emIllence [h' h 1 en t e
en the fog was so far dissipated [g ] 19 P ace] about one mile distant
challenge to come and try the ri ht of one, as to enable us to see them, we sent them ~
being mounted, while we were gon fo;;operty by powder and ball. But they declining and
[farewell] from the mouth of the canno~ w~.chouthld only send them a parting benediction
w IC ey came to take.
Joseph E. Field, Three Years in Texas including a View ofthe Texan Revolution and an
Account of the Principal Battles (Greenfield, Mass.:Justin Jones, 1836; Austin: Steck Company. 1935), p. 49.
Doctunent: Sixt:y-t:'Wo (9-6)
Don Vicente Filisola was a general in the Mexican Army
during the years of the Texas Revolution. He left
manuscripts of his memoirs from those years. The
manuscripts were published in 1848 and 1849. In
1987 Wallace Woolsey translated the manuscripts into
English and published them. The translator, in those
parts of the manuscript text noted by quotation marks,
has added additional text and explanations.
General Martin Perfecto de Cos, 1848
'"
Commander General Cos [of the Mexican Army] was zealous in carrying out his duties, and he
was not careless in learning of the disorders that were being committed in the colonies under
the silent guise of the peace, of which Austin boasted so much in his declaration. The colonies
continued to expel the customs [tax] employees, to show disrespect for the civil authorities and
to look with the greatest scorn upon our laws.
Don Vicente Filisola, MemOirs for the History of the War in Texas 2 (original. printed Mexico, 1849; edition trans.
Wallace Woolsey (Austin: Eakin Press, 1987), p. 34.
46
••
..•;'
.•' Docmnent Sixty-three (9-7)
De la Pefia's version of the events at the Alamo didn't become widely known in the
United States until 1975, when the English-language translation by Carmen Perry of
San Antonio was published. The manuscript which de la Pefia had planned to
publish, entitled Resena y Diario de la Campana de Texas, gives detailed accounts of
the twelve-day siege of the Alamo. No one knew about the diary for 120 years until
it came into the hands of Jesus Sanchez Garza, a coin dealer and antiquarian in
Mexico City. The document had been poorly stored and subjected to dampness, dust
and mice. It was sent to Garza wrapped in a thin, semidestroyed paper with a note
about the contents.
d' the last months .In 1835 ... to prove the
in~~~i~c~o~fUt~:~~I;~~t:.n:~d~:~ms\::~~~~~:I~~~s£~~~~~~ ~~;i~~s~~::;~tryOio!!~:~Yr~~~; th stoms offiCials an co h had given them a coun
~~itu~e~u with which the colo~ist~ looked upon :a~~~e: were the aggressors [attack~rs] an~ we ~~~
sufficient [enough] causes to Justify war on our e~efactors [givers]. When they were In wan we
attacked, they the ingrates [ungrateful], we the ~ey gained strength they used it to destroy us.
given them sustenance [help], yet as soon as
Jose Enrique de Ia Pena, With Santa Anna in Texas: A Personal Narrative of the Revolution. ed. and trans. Carmen
Perry (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1975), p. 4.
Docmnent Sixty-four (9-8)
Jose Marfa TomeI y Mendivil was Mexico's Secretary of War during the Texas
Revolution. He held several important offices before becoming Secretary of War. He
was responsible for analyzing Mexican policy toward the United States.
The prevailing [current] thought in the United Sf' ""
[~etting] of ~he greater part of the territory that ;~::e~IY~;:~~:~~~ ~ee~ the ac~ui:it~on
t at part whICh today belongs to the Mexican t' D pam, ?artICu ar y
political parties, whatever their old d ~a 1O~. emocrats and FederalIsts, all their
accord [a re] . or n~w eSIgnatlOns [names], have been in perfect
north, to ~hee::~~ ::::~~o °t~: ~I~t, t~eIr ~esi~ to extend the limits of the republic to the
guided by cunning: deceit, and b:~'f~:t~g or t e purpose all the means at their command,
~~:;;~:~:;:~alZ:~~:I:!I:::aZme~ tht~ POlicfYhOf the United States, supported by the facts I
consent to the l,o ss f .d ma IObn 0 t e rea'der . . . The MeX'I can natI.O n can never
being humiliated. 0 a conSI era Ie part of her territory, without soiling her honor and
Jose Maria Tornel y Mendivil, "Relations between Texas, the United States of America and the Mexican Republic," in
Carlos E. Castaneda, trans., The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution (Dallas: P.L. Turner Company, 1928, 1956), pp. 287.
377-78.
47
Doctunent: Sixt:y-five (9-9)
The italicized excerpt below was written by General Santa Anna at his headquarters
in Bexar on March 6, 1836, at 8 a.m. as part of his report to His Excellency the
Secretary of War and Navy General Jose Marfa TomeI.
The azure [blue] flag of the New Orleans Greys, who also died as defenders of the Alamo, was
taken March 6, 1836, by Santa Anna. Almost a hundred years later, in 1934, the director of the
Mexican National Museum of Archaeology discovered the crumbling flag wrapped in heavy
brown paper at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City with a victory message from Santa Anna:
Victory belongs to the Army. The bearer takes with him one of the flags
of the enemy's battalion captured today. The inscription of it will show plainly
the true intention of the treacherous colonists and their abettors who came from
parts of the United States of the North.
The inscription on the light blue silk flag was:
First Company of Texas Volunteers
God and Liberty
From New Orleans
This proved to Santa Anna that the United States was behind this revolution of recent settlers
to the Mexican territory.
Martha Anne Turner. William Barret Travis: His Sword and His Pen (Waco: Texian Press. 1976), 253 from file card
number 929,9-76, and 4 collection at Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City: John H. Jenkins, gen. ed., The Papers of the Texas
Revolution ]835-1836, 5 (Austin: Brig. Gen. Jay A. Matthews Publisher, 1973), p. 6.
Doctunent: Sixt:y-six (9-10)
Santa Anna issued March 7, 1836, from his headquarters in Bexar the following
proclamation to the inhabitants of Tejas y Coahuila .
... a parcel of audacious adventurers, maliciously protected by some
inhabitants of a neighboring republic [United States], dared to invade
our territory, with an intention of dividing amongst themselves the fertile
[rich] lands that are contained in the spacious department of Texas; and
even had the boldness to entertain the idea of reaching the capital of the
Republic [of Mexico]. It became necessary to check and chastise such
enormous [huge] daring.
John H. Jenkins, gen. ed., The Papers of the Texas Revolution 1835-1836,5 (Austin: Brig. Gen. Jay A. Matthews Publisher,
1973), pp. '20-21.
48
"The men in the Alamo died without knowing that
declaration [of independence] had been made, but
their supreme sacrifice at once rallied the Texans to the
newly announced cause of independence and freedom.
The rallying cry now became, "Remember the Alamo!"
A History of Texas: From Wilderness to Commonwealth
Louis J. Wortham, 1924
Bias
Contemporary
Eliminate
Evidence
Fact
Fiction
Forgery
Imposter
Opinion
Reliable
Siege
Source
Tejano
Texian
Verify
50
a:!a•tt ••M•~9
Glossary
a distorted or slanted judgment or view
in the present time; at the same time
to get rid of; throw out
something that provides proof; is true
a piece of information that is provable, accurate
something that is not true; made up
the crime of making or altering a document
takes on an identity not his/her own; to deceive
view or beliefs of an individual
dependable; trustworthy
a military blockade against a town or fort to stop entering
or leaving
where something comes from; origin
applies to a Texas citizen of Mexican descent. (Leaders in
Goliad first used this term in 1833.)
applies to a citizen of the Anglo-American section of the
province of Coahuila y Tejas or of the Republic of Texas.
(Texian was used in 1835 as part of a pamphlet title.)
to prove or confirm
I.
L_~-