Posted on 03/06/2008 6:17:14 AM PST by yankeedame
by Marty Robbins
In the southern part of Texas, in the town of San Antone,
There's a fortress all in ruin that the weeds have overgrown.
You may look in vain for crosses and you'll never see a one,
But sometime between the setting and the rising of the sun,
You can hear a ghostly bugle as the men go marching by;
You can hear them as they answer to that roll call in the sky:
Colonel Travis, Davy Crockett and a hundred eighty more;
Captain Dickenson, Jim Bowie, present and accounted for.
Back in 1836, Houston said to Travis:
"Get some volunteers and go fortify the Alamo."
Well, the men came from Texas and from old Tennessee,
And they joined up with Travis just to fight for the right to be free.
Indian scouts with squirrel guns, men with muzzle loaders,
Stood together heel and toe to defend the Alamo.
"You may never see your loved ones," Travis told them that day.
"Those that want to can leave now, those who'll fight to the death, let 'em stay."
In the sand he drew a line with his army sabre,
Out of a hundred eighty five, not a soldier crossed the line.
With his banners a-dancin' in the dawn's golden light,
Santa Anna came prancin' on a horse that was black as the night.
He sent an officer to tell Travis to surrender.
Travis answered with a shell and a rousin' rebel yell.
Santa Anna turned scarlet: "Play Degüello," he roared.
"I will show them no quarter, everyone will be put to the sword."
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, then blew 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 sort of 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.
*180 Texians,including DavidCrockett, Jim Bowie and William B. Travis,died at the Battle of
the Alamo,San Antonio,Texas. March 6,1836.
Now more than ever.
Now more than ever.
Let’s don’t forget Gonzales—and San Jacinto—and all the other places in this great Lone Star State where good men spilled their blood for freedom.
Trouble is, today, so many have forgotten what it takes to maintain our principle based, constitutional liberty.
Man, what a few well-placed .30-cal. machine guns and a million rounds of ammo could’ve done.
I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be behind the walls and hear the bugler signal El Deguello (all are to be put to death) and the Mexican army unfurl the red flags. Terrifying indeed.
Did Marty Robbins put that to music? Where can you get it? We could play it on high volume in our vehicles in certain neighborhoods to express a political point.
Talk about winning a war and losing the peace.
But then there were Tejanos in the Alamo who WERE Mexicans and technically so were most of the Anglos there.
13 days of glory. 13 days that bought some time for Houston to make the preparations that led to San Jacinto a few weeks later. God bless 'em and continue to rest their souls to this day.
It is because I do “remember” all these hard fought battles that it so saddens me to see what is happening today. Once again, we are being invaded—and this time with the help and appeasement of our own government.
Agreed!
God grant that we can maintain our liberty. I believe we shall...but it will come with a cost. Always has. I believe either we, or the immediate rising generation will be called upon to once again pay that horrible, but necessary price. Thomas Jefferson knew and articulated how it was meted out. I have tried to raise my kids to undertsnad it and to be ready to step up.
II Chron 7:14
The Defenders of the Alamo
(Name and Place of Origin)
Juan Abamillo, of San Antonio, Texas
R. Allen, of unknown origin
Mills DeForrest Andross, of Vermont
Micajah Autry, of North Carolina
Juan A. Badillo, of San Antonio, Texas
Peter James Bailey, of Kentucky
Isaac G. Baker, of Arkansas.
William Charles M. Baker, of Missouri.
John J. Ballentine, of unknown origin
Richard W. Ballantine, of Scotland
John J. Baugh, of Virginia.
Joseph Bayliss, of Tennessee
John Blair, of Tennessee
Samuel C. Blair, of Tennessee
William Blazeby, of England
James Butler Bonham, of South Carolina.
Daniel Bourne, of England
James Bowie, of Tennessee
Jesse B. Bowman, of unknown origin.
George Brown, of England
James Brown, of Pennsylvania.
Robert Brown, of unknown origin.
James Buchanan, of Alabama
Samuel E. Burns, of Ireland
George D. Butler, of Missouri
Robert Campbell, of Tennessee
John Cane, of Pennsylvania
William R. Carey, of Virginia.
Charles Henry Clark, of Missouri.
M.B. Clark, of unknown origin
Daniel William Cloud, of Kentucky.
Robert E. Cochran, of New Jersey.
George Washington Cottle, of Tennessee
Henry Courtman, of Germany
Lemuel Crawford, of South Carolina
David Crockett, of Tennessee.
Robert Crossman, of Massachusetts.
David P. Cummings, of Pennsylvania
Robert Cunningham, of New York.
Jacob C. Darst, of Kentucky.
John Davis, of Kentucky.
Freeman H. K. Day, of unknown origin.
Jerry C. Day, of Missouri.
Squire Daymon, of Tennessee
William Dearduff, of Tennessee
Stephen Dennison, of England.
Charles Despallier, or Louisianna.
Almeron Dickinson, of Tennessee.
John H. Dillard, of Tennessee.
James R. Dimpkins, of England.
Lewis Duel, of New York.
Andrew Duvalt, of Ireland.
Carlos Espalier, of San Antonio, Texas.
Gregorio Esparza, of San Antonio, Texas.
Robert Evans, of Ireland.
Samuel B. Evans, of New York.
James L. Ewing, of Tennessee.
William Fahbaugh, of Alabama.
John Flanders, of Massachusetts.
Dolphin Ward Floyd, of North Carolina.
John Hubbard Forsyth, of New York.
Antonio Fuentes, of San Antonio, Texas
Galba Fuqua, of Alabama.
William H. Furtleroy, of Kentucky.
William Garnett, of Tennessee.
James W. Garrand, of Louisianna.
James Girard Garrett, of Tennessee.
John E. Garvin, of unknown origin.
John E. Gaston. of Kentucky.
James George, or unknown origin.
John Camp Goodrich, of Tennessee.
Albert Calvin Grimes, of Georgia
Jose Maria Guerrero, of Laredo, Texas.
James C. Gwynne, of England.
James Hannum, of unknown origin.
John Harris, of Kentucky.
Andrew Jackson Harrison, of unknown origin.
William B. Harrison, of Ohio
Charles M. Haskell (Heiskell), of Tennessee.
Joseph M. Hawkins, of Ireland.
John M. Hays, of Tennessee.
Patrick Henry Herndon, of Virginia.
William D. Hersee, of England.
Tapley Holland, of Ohio.
Samuel Holloway, of Pennsylvania.
William D. Howell, of Massachusetts.
Thomas Jackson, of Ireland.
William Daniel Jackson, of Ireland.
Green B. Jameson, of Kentucky.
Gordon C. Jennings, of Connecticutt.
Damacio Jimenes, of Texas.
Lewis Johnson, of Wales.
William Johnson, of Pennsylvania
John Jones, of New York.
Johnnie Kellog, of unknown origin.
James Kenney, of Virginia.
Andrew Kent, of Kentucky.
Joseph Kerr, of Louisianna.
George C. Kimball (Kimble), of New York.
William P. King, of unknown origin.
William Irvine Lewis, of Virginia.
William J. Lightfoot, of Virginia.
Jonalhan L. Lindley, of Illinois.
William Linn, of Massachusetts.
Jose Toribio Losoya, of San Antonio, Texas.
George Washington Main, of Virginia.
William T. Malone, of Virginia.
William Marshall, of Tennessee.
Albert Martin, of Rhode Island
Edward McCafferty, of unknown origin.
Jesse McCoy, of Tennessee.
William McDowell, of Pennsylvania.
James McGee, of Ireland.
John McGregor, of Scotland.
Robert McKinney, of Ireland.
Eliel Melton, of Georgia.
Thomas R. Miller, of Tennessee.
William Mills, of Tennessee.
Isaac Millsaps, of Mississippi.
Edward F. Mitchusson, of Virginia.
Edwin T. Mitchell, or unknown origin.
Napoleon B. Mitchell, or unknown origin.
Robert B. Moore, of Virginia.
William Moore, of Mississippi.
Robert Musselman, of Ohio
Andres Nava, of San Antonio, Texas.
George Neggan, of South Carolina
Andrew M. Nelson, of Tennessee.
Edward Nelson, of South Carolina.
George Nelson, of South Carolina
James Northcross, of Virginia.
James Nowlan, of Ireland
George Pagan, of Mississippi.
Christopher Parker, of Mississippi
William Parks, of North Carolina.
Richardson Perry, of unknown origin.
Amos Pollard, of Massachusetts.
John Purdy Reynolds, of Pennsylvania.
Thomas H. Roberts, of unknown origin.
James Robertson, of Tennessee.
Isaac Robinson, of Scotland.
James M. Rose, of Virginia.
Jackson J. Rusk, of Ireland
Joseph Rutherford, of Kentucky.
Isaac Ryan, of Louisianna. — MY COUSIN, DIED ON THE NORTH WALL, I have copy of his Baptism certificate and his parents’ marriage license.
Mial Scurlock, of North Carolina.
Marcus L. Sewell, of England
Manson Shied, of Georgia.
Cleveland Kinlock Simmons, of South Carolina
Andrew H. Smith, of Tennessee.
Charles S. Smith, of Maryland.
Joshua G. Smith, of North Carolina
William H. Smith, of unknown origin.
Richard Starr, of England.
James E. Stewart, of England.
Richard L. Stockton, of Virginia.
A. Spain Summerlin, of Tennessee.
William E. Summers, of Tennessee.
William D. Sutherland, of Alabama.
Edward Taylor, of Tennessee.
George Taylor, of Tennessee.
James Taylor, of Tennessee.
William Taylor, of Tennessee.
B. Archer M. Thomas, of Kentucky.
Henry Thomas, of Germany.
Jesse G. Thompson, of Arkansas.
John W. Thomson, of North Carolina.
John M. Thruston, of Pennsylvania.
Burke Trammel, of Ireland
William Barret Travis, of South Carolina.
George W. Tumlinson, of Missouri.
James Tylee, of New York..
Asa Walker, of Tennessee.
Jacob Walker, of Tennessee.
William B. Ward, of Ireland.
Henry Warnell, of Arkansas.
Joseph G. Washington, of Tennessee.
Thomas Waters, of England
William Wells, of Georgia.
Isaac White, of Kentucky.
Robert White, of unknown origin.
Hiram J. Williamson, of Pennsylvania.
William Wills, of unknown origin.
David L. Wilson, of Scotland.
John Wilson, of Pennsylvania.
Anthony Wolfe, of England.
Claiborne Wright, of North Carolina.
Charles Zanco, of Denmark.
About 189 Texans died at the Siege of the Almo. There were only three
survivors: John, a negro slave of Colonel William B. Travis [He was the only
man to survive the Alamo] and Susanna Dickinson along with her infant child.
[She was the wife of Almeron Dickinson of Tennessee, one of the defenders of
the Alamo]. Partly to reinforce his goal of terrorizing colonists in Texas,
Santa Anna released these survivors to inform Texans of the fate of the
I don’t think it’s a sad anniversary at all. I think it’s the anniversary of a bunch of men being men. True heroes stnding up for what they believed in.
Maybe that’s the sad part...that most men aren’t men anymore.
I can still remember the song we sang in a 4th grade play, over 25 years ago:
A hundred and eighty were challenged by Travis to die
With a line that he drew with his sword when the battle was nigh
To him who would fight to the death, cross over
To him that would live never die
And over the line stepped a hundred and seventy-nine
High-yup Santa Anna
They’re killing your soldiers below
That men, wherever they go
Will remember the Alamo.
Always good to remember men using their right of revolution to overthrow and/or secede from oppression!
Yes, he put it to music.
Unfortunately, a brief search of amazon.com reveals no album containing it for sale.
You can probably find a copy on one of the Evil Peer-to-Peer Music Sharing Services.
And now our country is falling to the gradual invasion from the same direction.
***I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be behind the walls and hear the bugler signal El Deguello (all are to be put to death) and the Mexican army unfurl the red flags.***
Yeah, but it wasn’t the Texans who were wetting their pants. They already knew it was to the death when they stepped over the line and had the courage to buy time for Houston with their lives. It was the Mexicans who had to tremble when they learned the resolve of the defenders.
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