The Battle of Alamo as a Part of the Texan Revolution - Essay Example

The Battle of Alamo The Alamo battle was fought in the year 1836 in the months of February and March between the Texan army and the Mexican. This battle was a part of the Texan revolution and a part of the Mexican government to take over Texas because an army of Texan dwellers and the United States had driven away the Mexican troops the year before. On February 23, the Mexican forces advanced to take over the Texan troops, which were stationed at the Alamo. The Texan army kept working on improving their defenses. The early hours of March 6th 1836, the Mexican troops prepared for a final attack on the Texan troops. The Texan troops fought off the initial attack as well as the second. However, during the third attempt the Mexican forces gathered around the Alamo’s north wall and the commander of the Mexican troops Santa Anna sent the reserved troops to the same wall. Soon the Mexican troops climbed the walls and then opened the gates for the rest of the army. The Texan army retreated but several members of the troops failed to reach the safety point and therefore killed by the hands of the Mexican. The final battle ended the next and lasted almost for twelve hours. The entire battle lasted thirteen days. A list of names of the Texans who died at the Alamo had begun to be compiled. i The reason behind the war was that Santa Anna, the commander chief of the Mexican troops was making plans to control the unrest in Texas. He gave up his post of presidency and led what was called the Army of Operation in Texas, which would end the revolt of the Texan army. The people that comprised the unit of the Army of operation were generally working at full strength and many of them were newly recruits. Many of soldiers carried muskets and rifles. However, Santa Anna managed to raise an army of six thousand and nineteen people. A majority of his troops aware convicts who agreed to serve in the army rather in jail. Most of his troops argued that he should lead the army along the coast as to get more and additional supplies by sea. However, Santa Anna started his march towards Bexar, which was political centre of the Texas. This step taken by Santa Anna was to save his family reputation because his brother-in-law had lost Bexar in the previous war against the Texan army. Also this march would train his new recruits to bear the pain and agony of the war. The army made a slow progress as there weren’t many mules to carry their supplies and the many members who were civilians quit as they went getting paid. To add to this problem, there was shortage of food and many died of illness while marching towards Bexar. ii On February 16, locals became aware of Santa Anna march and warned Travis who was commanding the Texan troops. He then called then council of war. However, the Texan did not know that Santa Anna had already begun his preparation for this war a year before. The date was 21st and the month February when Santa Anna reached the banks of Medine River, which was twenty-five miles from Bexar. Only ten member of the Alamo remained and the rest were celebrating the birthday of George Washington with the residents of Bexar. Santa Anna was informed about this, and seeing this as a nice opportunity he ordered his troops to take over the Alamo. However, he was unfortunate as heavy rain halted his attack. iii Finally, when many Bexar residents came to know about the Mexican troops outside, they started fleeing and abandoning their village. At this point there were only one hundred and fifty four soldiers in the Alamo and another fourteen were in the hospital with illness. The men were completely unprepared for the arrival of the Mexican troops and had no food supplies to last during the war. Many garrison of the Alamo brought in their families into the Alamo so as to keep them safe. The commanding officer of the Alamo, Travis, dispatched two letters requesting re-enforcements, but by then Bexar had been completely occupied by about fifteen hundred Mexican soldiers. It was midnight on the 6th of March when the Mexican army began its preparation for the final assault. The troops were divided into four columns. The first column consisted of three hundred and fifty men and six infantry and one light infantry. The second column consisted of four hundred men, six line infantry and one cazador company. The third column consisted of four hundred men and twelve line infantry and the final and the fourth column consisted of one hundred twenty five men. The rest of his troops remained at camp and positioned in such a way so that no Mexican or Texan soldiers could escape. Santa Anna gave his orders and the experienced soldiers formed the exterior of the column while the new recruits were kept in the middle. The four columns created by him covered the northwest, north and east wall of the Alamo. iv In the beginning the Mexican army were facing difficulties. The columns that were formed by Santa Anna, the first row could only fire safely. Santa Anna did not realize that the new recruits of his army fired blindly thus killing the soldiers in front of them. The mass concentration of his army gave an advantage to the Texan army and they were vulnerable to the Texan armies firing. The Texan army converted their cannon into a shot gun by loading any thing and everything they could find that was made up of metal which, consisted of nails hinges and even chopped up horseshoe. Soldiers of the first two columns of the Mexican troops gathered around the north and west walls of the Alamo which were protected by the Texan troops. However, when they leaned to fire at the enemies, that is, the Mexican soldiers they were wide open to the Mexican firing. Travis, the commanding officer died while defending the Alamo. However most of the Mexican troops who carried the ladders to climb the wall could not make it, either for the fact that they got killed or the bearer got scared and ran away but while the Texan army fired the first round they could not reload their rifle on time and also could not defend the wall of the Alamo from the Mexican troops and their ladders. The Mexican army regrouped and attacked again but again they were stopped and defeated by the Texan army. Santa Anna panicked when he saw his army massed up against the north wall and he thought that his men were retreating therefore he sent in his re-enforcements. However, the troops who were close to the north wall of the Alamo realized that they did not require a ladder as they were gaps in the wall already. The first person to climb the wall was General Juan Amador of the Mexican troop. He found an opening in the north wall and opened it for the Mexican army who later swarmed inside the compound of the Alamo. v As soon as the Mexican army swarmed in from the north side the Texan army started abandoning the same. The gunners who were fighting from the south wall turned their guns to the oncoming soldiers from the north thus leaving the south end unprotected. This gave a chance to the Mexican troops who were hiding in huts to climb the wall and take control of the cannons by killing the gunners. vi When the firing ended and Santa Anna joined his men inside the Alamo, he ordered for the survivors of the Texan army, be killed. However, the other generals of his army refused to carry out his orders and thus the officers who did not even take part in the fight drew their swords and killed the survivors. After the situation inside the Alamo had calmed, Santa Anna gave orders that the face of all the dead soldiers be wiped cleaned so as to separate the Mexican solders form the Texan. He had given orders to identify the bodies of Travis, Crockett and Bowie who were the fearless fighters of the Texan army and led their men bravely. When all that he ordered had gone according to his wish, he then asked that the bodies of the dead be piled up and burnt. Santa Anna claimed that about six hundred Texan soldiers were killed and that only 70 Mexican soldier were killed while 300 were injured. However, this was a false report, which he had asked his secretary to write down. The other witnesses inside the Alamo claimed that only one hundred eighty two to two hundred fifty seven Texan soldiers were killed. vii Many bodies were found near the north walls of the Alamo, most being of those who tried to escape the war. The number of Mexican soldier who died in the war was about sixty to two thousand with additional two hundred fifty to three hundred wounded. While most Alamo historians agree that four hundred to six hundred Mexican soldiers were killed and wounded. If this was correct than it would have represented that almost one-third of the Mexican troops participated in the final assault and would have meant an incredible casualty rate by any standards. The Mexican army were in huge numbers compared to the Texan soldiers. For every one Texan soldier there were six Mexican soldiers. Hence they were outnumbered and this made Santa Anna feel that all Texan resistance would fall and that they would leave the province. For this reason, he was not in a hurry to leave Bexar. However, the news of Alamo fall had left many Texan filled with rage and anger and they wanted to fight, so they joined the army which was led by Sam Houston. He led the war at San Jacinto and the Mexican army were taken by surprise. The battle of San Jacinto lasted for 18 months and finally the Mexican surrendered.viii In the end Santa Anna was finally taken prisoner and was forced to order his troops to fall back and leave Texas. This ended the rule and control of Mexican army in the province, which is now known as the Republic of Texas. Santa Anna signed the Treaty of Velasco in which he agreed to withdraw his troops in exchange for safe passage back home. However, this never happened and he was held as prisoner of war for nearly six months after which he was taken to Washington DC to meet the president. Finally he was sent back to Mexico with disgrace. ixThe siege of Alamo is one of the most celebrated events in the Texas war of independence. Many brave soldiers died defending the Alamo but however, their sacrifices did not go in vain as the Alamo was once again recaptured by the Texan army in the war of San Jacinto against the Mexican. x The history of the battle was first published in the year 1843, but proper investigation did not begin until after the 1931 publication of Amelia W. William’s dissertation attempting to identify all of the Texans who died at the Alamo. In 1948, a full length non-fictional book covering the battle of Alamo was published. The Alamo church building has been designated an official Texas state shrine, with the daughters of the republic of Texas as permanent caretakers. xiHowever, some movies and other work of fiction pretended that Houston took time to raise an army while the war was going on at Alamo. He was then said to be at a convention held at Washington xiiduring most of time of the siege. If Santa Anna had struck the Texan settlement immediately instead of remaining at Bexar, he might have disrupted the proceeding and would have driven the rebels across the Sabine River.xiii The men of the Alamo were valiant and fierce soldiers who gave up their lives willingly to save their country although that was not what they wanted. Travis had repeatedly asked for help from the government for those thirteen days that the war lasted but he got no relief and Travis and his men paid the price of this negligence. xiv In present time the Battle of Alamo has become a symbol of patriotic sacrifices for many American and Texans. To make the people aware of such act of bravery by the people of Alamo, they stage plays, publish books and even produce movies to emphasize the importance of this historical event. xvThe history of Alamo is told to every child in school. The story of the three legendary, Travis, Crockett and Bowie were etched in their minds and how they fought bravely with the Mexican troops and gave up their life to save their country instead of surrendering. The inspiration provided here did not only fuel the Texas revolution, but also the Mexican American War, all of Texas history and every American achievement since the war that took place in 1836. xvi However, the real events that took place at the Alamo is exciting, fascinating and to some inspiring which depends on how one feels about the Alamo. In short, the Alamo looked nothing like what it does today. The State of Texas owned the land and nothing would stop them from profiting from it. Hence the talks of building a hotel adjacent to the Alamo were underway. The daughters who were responsible to maintain the Alamo fought the battle but they could raise enough money to save the Alamo and the one who promised them to save the Alamo bought the land and that gave rise to new problems. This situation was however another siege of the Alamo but without any troops or guns. However, De Zavala did win the war, she locked herself in the long barrack of the Alamo without food and water and even warm clothing. This action of hers landed her in the front page of the newspapers continuously for three days and how she is reviving the history of the Alamo, now the state will neither allow the destruction or degradation of the Alamo. xvii Read More