Today is Alamo Day

[Yanus]

One hundred and eighty five holdin' back five thousand
Five days, six days, eight days - ten; Travis held and held again
Then he sent for replacements for his wounded and lame
But the troops that were comin' never came, never came, never came ...
Twice he charged them to recall - on the fatal third time
Santa Anna breached the wall and he killed them one and all
Now the bugles are silent and there's rust on each sword
And the small band of soldiers ... lie asleep in the arms of the Lord ...

In the southern part of Texas, near the town of San Antone
Like a statue on his Pinto rides a cowboy all alone
And he sees the cattle grazin' where a century before
Santa Anna's guns were blazin' and the cannons used to roar
And his eyes turn sorta misty and his heart begins to glow
And he takes his hat off slowly - to the Men of Alamo
To the thirteen days of glory at the seige of Alamo.

Author unknown.

6 March, 1836 the Alamo was breeched...........


Yanus

 

[Baron Holbach]

Thanks, Yanus, for sharing.

 

[MacPelto]

Remember The Alamo!

 

[Azrael256]

There's a star on my belt bucke and a tear in my eye... Man I miss home...

 

[Ebbtide]

Don't bash me, but please explain to us Yankees what is this thing with the Alamo.

I heard about it once in jounior high, heard "remember the alamo" and saw part of a John Wayne Movie. Recently I watched a documentary debunking the Davey Crockett story.

Other than that, I don't understand the lore of the Alamo. Can anyone sum it up in a few sentences?

Thanks,

Ehenz

 

[Azrael256]

185 men held off Santa Anna's far superior force (depending on source, you'll hear anything from about 5,000 to 15,000) long enough for the Texicans to assemble sufficient forces to eventually defeat the Mexican army at San Jacinto. There's more to it than that, but it's the gist of it.

 

[ahenry]

Other than that, I don't understand the lore of the Alamo. Can anyone sum it up in a few sentences?

Not really, but I’ll try.

Just prior to the battle of the Alamo certain segments in Mexico suddenly came to the conclusion that the land they used to hate (Texas) was now valuable so they wanted it back. Fast forward several small battles and scuffles and a long imprisonment for the Texan sent to Mexico to try and peacefully resolve the issue and we arrive at February 1836. Despite some confusion among historians of this day, some Texans of that day thought San Antonio was a worthwhile place to try and stop the Mexican army advancing through Texas to subjugate the people of Texas in violation of the Mexican constitution of 1824. Roughly 200 men decided to do their best to stop Santa Anna at the Alamo. The size of the Mexican army is not known, but conservative estimates put it at a couple thousand, while less conservative estimates put it at about five thousand. For almost two weeks the Texans held the Mexicans, while suffering a constant bombardment and continual fighting. Food began to give out, as well as powder and shot. The final outcome was inevitable, but the need to hold Santa Anna as long as possible was clear (in their minds at least). They gave far more than they got and while nobody can say for sure exactly how many Mexicans were killed it would not be out of place to say that for every one Texan death ten to twenty Mexicans died. Just before the end Travis (commander of the Alamo) wrote a letter to “the people of Texas and all Americans in the world†stating the resolve of the defenders as well as their desperate need for help.

The Alamo is precious to Texans because a group of people (included many Mexicans BTW) stood up to tyranny, and despite overwhelming odds and certain death sold their lives in defense of freedom as dearly as possible. In the end Santa Anna’s aide said of the Alamo that, “One more such glorious victory and we are finishedâ€.

You can read the Texas Declaration of Independence here

 

[Ebbtide]

Thanks, you two.

You have given me a good starting point to read up on this.

Thanks again,

ehenz

 

[Yanus]

Texas - Paradise on earth...............

You have to be a Texan to fully understand.

Yanus

 

[ahenry]

You have given me a good starting point to read up on this.

If you are interested, I can point towards lots of online sources. Just let me know if you’re interested.

 

[Silver Bullet]

Here's a link to an electrifying thread on the Alamo over at The Firing Line. In the middle of a very scholarly and informed discussion about the events of the Alamo, a revisionist with very impressive (but suspect, in my mind) credentials posted a cleverly crafted message challenging the traditional historical view of the events just prior to the battle. One of the posters on this thread then ripped to shreds the revisionist's claims with an astonishing rebuttal. A flaming meteor was crashing into the party, and ahenry just swatted it away like a fly; didn't even spill his drink. The revisionist never came back (message count still equals one).

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=139745

(If the link doesn't work, search for members = "huntingnut").

Still my favorite thread.

 

[Greybeard]

Been there several times and still get emotional. Many brave hombres died there to help gain what we've got.

 

[seeker_two]

!!!Defenders of the Alamo---WE SALUTE YOU!!!

 

[DonP]

A Texas/US version of Leonidas and Xerxes

Travis probably didn't say Molon Labe, but the sentiments were certainly the same.

A handful of brave men standing in a hopeless but brilliant cause, vastly outnumbered and in the end perishing but gaining immortality in their own right.

As a Yankee, I've made the pilgrimage several times to pay my respects. I got the same feelings at Omaha beach, Gettysburg and Lexington Battle Green. No one who reads history, the real kind not the recent PC crapola, can keep a dry eye at those sites IMHO.

Don P.

 

[JJohnston015]

For almost two weeks the Texans held the Mexicans, while suffering a constant bombardment and continual fighting. Food began to give out, as well as powder and shot. The final outcome was inevitable, but the need to hold Santa Anna as long as possible was clear (in their minds at least).

I did not know that. I always thought it was just one big assault by the Mexicans, a relatively short battle, and then it was over.

Is there any truth in the scene in "Rio Bravo" where Ricky Nelson said Santa Ana played the Deguello song over and over?

Finally, What do you call 4 Mexicans trapped in quicksand?

A: Cuatro sinko.

 

[Ebbtide]

Silver Bullet,

Thanks for the link to a great thread on the ole' FiringLine.

From a historical standpoint, The Alamo certainly sounds a lot more interesting than my regional incursion, ...The Battle of Lake Erie

 

[MacPelto]

Travis probably didn't say Molon Labe, but the sentiments were certainly the same.

This was said at the battle of Gonzales, regarded as the first battle of the Texas Revolution...

Battle Flag of Gonzales

 

[Dave R]

I grew up in Texas, and my favorite subject in Grade School was Texas History. Had it in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade....

OK, I exaggerate.

But by any accounts the battle of the Alamo was a heroic battle, with larger-than-life characters. Jim Bowie, Davey Crockett, Travis Barrett, Deaf Smith...

Yes, Santa Ana played De Guello.

The only story better is the story of how Sam Houston beat Santa Ana at San Jacinto.

 

[nemesis]

Remember Goliad!

Remember the brave Volunteers of Gonzalez who rode into a surrounded and embattled fortress, knowing that they would never leave.

We remember The Alamo. We will never forget. The sound of John McGregor's pipes is still heard there on moonlit nights.

We defy your deguello!

 

[Viking6]

A day late but "God Bless Texas". Been to the Alamo once, very moving. When I was a small boy, I got an Alamo play set for Christmas, one of my favorite memories of Christmas as a child!!

 

[SemperFi83]

Yanus...

That is a Marty Robbins song. Not sure if he wrote the lyrics (he usually wrote or co-wrote most of his own stuff) but he did sing it.

 

[Silver Bullet]

ehenz

That was a great thread, huh ? Twenty years from now there will probably be a television series "Tales of The Firing Line", and I'm sure that thread will be one of the episodes: "Holding the Line" (a triple entendre: the Alamo fighters digging in, the defense by TFLers of the historical record, and the defense of the Firing Line from outsiders).

 

[BigG]

I remember the Alamo. As others have noted, you will not have a dry eye if you ever visit the site. It is hallowed ground, and not because it was once a church.

President Abraham Lincoln said some very profound words at Gettysburg that could be applied to the Alamo:

"... we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract."

 

[JJohnston015]

Little bit of Spanish language trivia from a Mexican colleague:

(el) deguello (noun) - slaughter, massacre

From the verb degollar, to slit the throat or slaughter by slitting the throat

Nasty.