Posted on 09/26/2002 12:00:32 PM PDT by Sir Gawain
Dear Cecil:
For years I have seen films and TV shows and have read magazines and books on the subject of the Alamo. And I can only seem to find the Texans' version of the attack. Since there was only one survivor (Ms. Dickinson, wife of the slain captain), how is it that so much detail from her story could work its way into the many other stories surrounding the battle? What do the Mexicans say about it? Did they have heroes equal to the legends of Bowie or Crockett in their ranks? Find that out, bub! --V.A., Washington, D.C.
Cecil replies:
Show some respect, pipsqueak, or I'll squash you like an insect. Let's straighten out a few facts first. There was not just one Texan survivor at the Alamo, but six: three women, two children, and a black male servant. In addition, sympathizers from the town of San Antonio across the river from the Alamo were sneaking in and out of the fort more or less continuously during the siege preceding the massacre, so there was no lack of Texan witnesses to the whole affair.
Still, the most detailed reports of the battle itself come from Mexican soldiers. It turns out that the stirring stories of heroic deeds so cherished by Texans were arrived at mostly by that creative process we call "making it up," the basis of much American history.
One of the longest and possibly most objective accounts of the Alamo's last stand was written by one Jose Enrique de la Pena, a lieutenant colonel with the forces of the Mexican president-general Santa Anna. He was critical of the leadership on both sides, particularly his own.
For instance, when Mexican forces first arrived at San Antonio on February 23, 1836, the Texans were sleeping it off from a rousing party the night before, and the Alamo (a converted mission) was guarded by only ten men. Rather than move swiftly, though, the Mexican commander dawdled, permitting the Texans to raise the alarm and scramble their forces into position.
As it happened, the defenders were about as disorganized as the Mexicans. They had a clumsy system of dual leadership, with the regular forces commanded by William Travis while the volunteers answered only to Jim Bowie. The Texans had not bothered to store much food or ammunition, and they had nowhere near enough men to defend their fort, a large, irregularly shaped compound whose walls were crumbling in places.
The Mexican troops, for their part, were poorly paid, ill-fed, and haphazardly trained, and had been exhausted by a grueling march over the desert. Even so, morale was reasonably high. The Mexicans with some justice regarded the Texans as murderous barbarians. Indeed, one of the reasons the Texans were so determined to win independence from Mexico in the first place was that the Mexican constitution outlawed slavery, which the Texans favored.
Having lost the advantage of surprise, Santa Anna could have done two things: simply bypass the Alamo altogether, since it was of little strategic value, or wait until his artillery arrived, which would simplify breaching the fort's defenses. He did neither, opting instead for a rash attack instead on March 6--according to rumor, says de la Pena, because Santa Anna had heard that Travis and company were on the verge of surrendering, and he didn't want to win without some battlefield heroics first.
The assault was a nightmare. Advancing on the fort, the Mexicans were ordered to commence firing while still out of range, with the result that they had to reload under the Texans' guns. Scaling ladders were inadequate, and the Mexican soldiers were forced to scrabble over the walls on the backs of their fellows. Once the Mexicans were inside, the battle degenerated into a melee, with soldiers shooting at their comrades as often as at the enemy.
When it was all over, seven captured defenders, including Davy Crockett, were brought before Santa Anna. He ordered them killed, and they were hacked to death with sabres. American losses are variously given as 182, 188, and 253, while the Mexicans lost more than 300, de la Pena says. All in all, it was not a heroic episode for anyone concerned.
--CECIL ADAMS
More important is the fact that Sam Houston had, days earlier, ordered the mission evacuated, the men there to join his own army further north; by defying his order the men of the Alamo were staging a sort of mutiny.
Although it is very common, north of the Rio Grande, to regard Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana as a deep dyed villain, but to Mexicans he is their George Washington. It was Santa Ana who played a vital role in ousting the Spanish and later Maximillan from Mexico. He was president, or generalissimo, of Mexico a number of times. In fact, it was Santa Anna who triggered the Texas War for Independence by abolishing slavery ... the defenders of the Alamo were defending the institution of slavery.
Despite the ugliness of the Siege of the Alamo, the US govt allowed Santa Ana to stay in the US in his two or three exiles between presidencies. One of his last US sojourns was on Staten Island, NY. He brought with him from Mexico a bitter root that he enjoyed chewing. He called it chickle ... his secretary, a man named Adams, used it to invent chewing gum.
Sometime during the late 70's or eary 80's the state of Texas traded the leg for the Alamo battle flag that was kept Mexico.
I was taught in High School Texas History that Col. Travis made the stand at the Alamo to buy Sam Houston's Army more time to assemble volunteers to face Santa Ana.
I'm left wondering about your motives in cheapening a great act of heroism by referring to it as "a sort of mutiny."
Somehow that leg is now in Illinois.
Yes, the Texans at the Alamo had received a direct order from Houston clearly instructing them to abandon the mission and join the main Texas forces, and they deliberately disobeyed it.
So what? The defenders of the Alamo died for the cause of freeing Texas from Mexico. Besides, there's no way of knowing at what point the defenders actually got the message from Sam Houston. It's not like they had radios, or cell phones in those days.
There are a number of historic artifacts that remain in Mexico. A painting of a siege in this region was given (back???) to Mexico a couple of years ago (it used to reside in the Houston MFA).
THE SAGA OF THE CHEWING GUMThe origin of the chewing gum may be traced since prehistoric times when man first chewed on gristle to the days when people chewed home-made spruce resin and beeswax gum. With the discovery that gum could be made from chicle, the elastic sap of the sapodilla tree, which Mayan Indians had been chewing for centuries, chewing gum quickly became a modern fad. However, there was a downside to this.
The habit of gum chewers of sticking wads of chewed gum on everything leaving a gooey mess in public places became irritating. In Singapore, when gum was found stuck on seats, doors and floors of the Mass Rapid Transit trains on which the state had made heavy investments causing headaches to the managers of public places and cleaners who had to scrape gum off, it was felt that something had to be done. It was compounded by the fact that most ordinary cleansing fluids were just incapable of removing chewing gum and this led to the drastic step of legislation to eliminate the problem.
On 1st December 1995, the Regulation of Imports And Exports (Chewing Gum) Regulations was enacted under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act Cap. 272A prohibiting the import into Singapore of any chewing gum. Chewing gum is defined under the Regulations to cover any substance usually known as chewing gum, bubble gum, dental chewing gum or any like substance prepared from a gum base of vegetable or synthetic origin and intended for chewing. The penalty for infringement for a first offender is a fine up to $100,000 or to imprisonment up to 2 years or both.
Chewing gum can now only be imported for the purposes of transit to or from Malaysia or for transhipment and the importer for transit to Malaysia has to ensure that any consignment of chewing gum would be escorted to the Woodlands Customs checkpoint under lock and seal. With the recent opening of the second link to Malaysia, the rules for thus securing consignments for transit to Malaysia have since 2nd January 1998 been extended to those passing through the Tuas Customs checkpoint by an amendment to the Regulations.
An order from Sam Houston to evacuate was not mentioned anywhere in the movie nor on any historical markers at the Alamo historical site. The letter from the fort commander asking for help was mentioned as one of two denied requests that he made for troops from a fort about two days journey away.
It also mentioned that all defenders were killed during the battle.
300 or so men were captured at a later battle and 10% were subsequently executed at the request of Santa Ana (chosen by drawing black beans or white beans from a hat)- against the pleadings of his commanders to not execute men who had surrendered. No mention was made of 6 defenders being executed.
"Remember the Maine"
"9/11 - never forget"
If you're not willing to defend you're own country, then the least you can do is support those that are willing to defend it!
You know, something important!
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