Battle of the Alamo - Thirteen Days to Glory

University of Texas ^ | Unknown | Stephen L. Hardin

[Sparta]

After reading the Ashes series and reading his bio, I was shocked to find out his only military experience was a brief stint in the French Foreign Legion. We need a new Tri-States, better yet a SUSA.

[MamaB]

I read that one too!!! I think it is great having a writer like Johnstone who thinks like we do!!

[SAMWolf]

THE TRI-STATE MANIFESTO

Excerpted from: "FROM THE ASHES: AMERICA REBORN"
By William W. Johnstone


AS ADVOCATES AND SUPPORTERS OF THE TRI-STATE PHILOSOPHY, WE BELIEVE:

THAT FREEDOM, LIKE RESPECT, IS EARNED AND MUST BE CONSTANTLY NURTURED AND PROTECTED FROM THOSE WHO WOULD TAKE IT AWAY.

IN THE RIGHT OF EVERY LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN TO PROTECT HIS OR HER LIFE, LIBERTY, AND PERSONAL PROPERTY BY ANY MEANS AT HAND WITHOUT FEAR OF ARREST, CRIMINAL PROSECUTION, OR LAWSUIT. THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS IS CENTRAL TO MAINTAINING TRUE PERSONAL FREEDOM.

THAT LIBERAL POLITICIANS, THEORISTS, AND SOCIALISTS ARE THE GREATEST THREAT TO FREEDOM LOVING AMERICANS AND THAT THEIR MISGUIDED EFFORTS HAVE CAUSED GRAVE INJUSTICES IN THE FIELDS OF CRIMINAL LAW, EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC WELFARE:

THEREFORE IN RESPECT TO CRIMINAL LAW:

AN EFFECTIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM SHOULD BE GUIDED BY THESE BASIC TENETS:

-OUR COURTS SHOULD STOP PAMPERING CRIMINALS.

-THE PUNISHMENT MUST FIT THE CRIME.

-JUSTICE MUST BE FAIR BUT ALSO BE SWIFT AND, IF NECESSARY, HARSH.

-THERE IS NO PERFECT SOCIETY ONLY A FAIR ONE.

THEREFORE IN RESPECT TO EDUCATION:

EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SOLVING PROBLEMS IN THE SOCIETY AND THE LACK OF IT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF AMERICA'S DECLINE.

AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION:

-MUST STRESS HARD DISCIPLINE ALONG WITH THE ARTS, SCIENCES, FINE MUSIC, AND BASIC SKILLS IN READING, WRITING, AND MATHEMATICS.

-MUST TEACH FAIRNESS AND RESPECT.

-MUST TEACH MORALS, THE DIGNITY OF LABOR, AND THE VALUE OF FAMILY.

THEREFORE IN RESPECT TO WELFARE:

WELFARE (WE PREFER WORKFARE) IS RESERVED ONLY FOR THE EDERLY, INFIRM, AND THOSE WHO NEED TEMPORARY HELPING HAND AND THE WELFARE SYSTEM MUST ALSO:

-INSTILL THE CONCEPT OF HONEST WORK FOR HONEST PAY.

-INSTILL THE CONCEPT THAT EVERYONE WHO CAN WORK MUST WORK AND BE FORCED TO WORK IF NECESSARY.

-INSTILL THE CONCEPT THAT THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH AND THAT BEING PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS IN A FREE SOCIETY IS THE ONLY HONORABLE PATH TO TAKE.

THAT RACIAL PREJUDICE AND BIGOTRY ARE INTOLERABLE IN A FREE AND VITAL SOCIETY

-NO ONE IS WORTHY OF RESPECT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.

-RESPECT IS EARNED BY ACTIONS AND BY DEEDS, NOT BY BIRTHRIGHT.

-THERE ARE ONLY TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE ON EARTH, DECENT AND INDECENT. THOSE WHO ARE DECENT WILL FLORISH, THOSE WHO ARE NOT WILL PERISH.

-NO LAWS LAID DOWN BY A BODY OF GOVERNMENT CAN MAKE ONE PERSON LIKE ANOTHER.

A FREE AND JUST SOCIETY MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS EVEN IF IT MEANS SHEDDING THE BLOOD OF ITS CITIZENS. THE WILLINGNESS OF CITIZENS TO LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR THE BELIEF IN FREEDOM IS A CORNERSTONE OF TRUE DEMOCRACY; WITHOUT THAT WILLINGNESS THE STRUCTURE OS SOCIETY WILL SURELY CRUMBLE AND FALL INTO THE ASHES OF HISTORY.

THEREFORE:

-ALONG WITH THE INALIENABLE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS, AND THE INALIENABLE RIGHT TO PERSONAL PROTECTION, A STRONG SKILLED, AND WELL-EQUIPPED MILITARY IS ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAINING A FREE SOCIETY.

-A STRONG MILITARY ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR "ALLIES," ALLOWING THE SOCIETY TO FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF ITS CITIZENS.

-THE BUSINESS OF CITIZENS IS NOT THE BUSINESS OF THE WORLD UNLESS THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS ARE INFRINGED UPON BY OUTSIDE FORCES.

-THE DUTY OF THOSE WHO LIVE IN A FREE SOCIETY IS CLEAR, PERSONAL FREEDOM IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.

IN CONCLUSION:

WE WHO SUPPORT THE TRI-STATE PHILOSOPHY AND LIVE BY ITS CODE AND ITS LAWS PLEDGE TO DEFEND IT BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. WE PLEDGE TO WORK FAIRLY ANDJUSTLY TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A SOCIETY IN WHICH ALL CITIZENS ARE TRULY FREE AND ARE ABLE TO PURSUE PRODUCTIVE LIVES WITHOUT FEAR AND WITHOUT INTERVENTION.

Ben Raines - William W. Johnstons

[RikaStrom]

"Breakdown" was excellent. If someone wanted to get a quick synopsis of Johnstone and his ideas, read "From the Ashes: America Reborn". It has the unusual aspect of Johnstone interviewing Ben Raines. It also gives quick glimpses into the Ashes books.

[MamaB]

The Blood Brothers is a great series which showed that Indians and the white man could get along back in the Old West. I guess we need to write Johnstone and get him to reprint them. That is what happened with the Rig Warrior series. What is so great about his books is the fact that he did not try to change history but wrote it like it was. Mr. Johnstone has a very interesting history of his own.

[SAMWolf]

I've got all his "Ashes" books, started reading them when they first came out.

[MamaB]

Why is it so hard for liberals to understand this? Is something wrong with their brain or do they have one!!!! I have that book and it makes a lot of sense.

[Jalapeno]

Thank you so much.

[Terry Mross]

This "crap" about Crockett surrendering and claiming to be a "tourist" makes my butt wanta' make button holes, as my dear departed mother used to say. Susanah Dickinson for many years told about walking past Crockett's body, saying she saw the coonskin cap. He had died defending the picket fence. And think about this. What would have riled the Texians more? Crockett dieing swinging "Old Betsy" or beind murdered after he surrendered. In other words, had she told Houston Crockett had been murdered the rallying cry would have been even stronger. Crockett was a celebrity. Back east the people were shocked over his death. Houston could have used his "murder" to his advantage. This proves to me he died fighting just like the all the rest. Besides, they knew if they surrendered they would be executed so why surrender?

All of these men could have left any time they wanted. James Bonham left and returned riding through enemy lines. Crockett could have left. Why stay and fight then surrender? These men died with honor.

Every time I go to the Alamo, my eyes well up with tears. It's the most humbling experience to stand there on that hallowed ground knowing those brave men chose death over tyranny. Something I doubt I could have done.

I heard the other day Randy Quaid is going to play Houston and Billy Bob Thornton is going to play Crockett in the movie Ron Howard turned down. I can see Thornton as Crockett since they're both a little rough around the edges and maybe, since Quaid is a Texan, he'll balk if they try to rewrite history.

Remember the Alamo! And keep it holy!

[PUGACHEV]

"They didn't rewrite Custers battle, they just added some info. Custer attacked over 3000 warriors with less than 300 men in his group. Most were not veterans of indian fights and panicked. Read about the battle, go there, see it and then post your reply. I will answer any questions"

About twenty years ago the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. held an exhibition devoted to General Custer. One of the items on display was a peice of cowhide that had been painted by an Indian warrior who had been present at Custer's last stand. Apparently, this was a sort of diary that the Indian had kept for the purpose of recording the important events of his life and, among other things, it had a graphic depiction of the battle including Custer's death. It was an amazing thing to see, and although I don't recall all of the details, my impression on seeing the Discovery Channel documentary was that it was in general accord with what the Indian had related on that peice of painted cowhide.

[SAMWolf]

On olf interview of Johnstone about his "Ashes" series


Who Are Our Heroes, Anyway ?
Jo Campbell

Recent focus on private paramilitary groups reminds me of one which I came to know through a series of books. The author told me that some Americans may fear a lack of government more than they hate government itself, a feeling often ascribed to them.

Today, indeed, groups may have turned on the government they have in the absence of the "evil empire" which they feared and anticipated for so long. Hate and fear can't last long without a target.

Sometime in 1983, when we all thought we knew our fears, my husband Don brought home a novel called "Out of the Ashes," by William W. Johnstone.

The hero Ben Raines is, like his creator, a retired soldier, mercenary, and adventure writer. Fictional conflict incinerates the world, and the "Ashes" series -- now 13 -- began, taking the reader along with Ben and his followers seeking secure peace.

The newest, "D-Day In the Ashes," gives Raines a challenge worthy of him; extending his kind of peace and discipline to the whole world.

Back when Don and I were following the series through "Fire," and "Anarchy" in the Ashes, I saw Ben's influence in small ways. The name, Ben Raines, appeared on computer bulletin boards. I heard it on the highways over CB radio. We were all, it seemed, looking for a hero.

Don and I liked the stories and Ben Raines' ideas. Finally, I wrote the author a letter in care of his publisher, Zebra Books.

We were amazed when the phone rang, and "Woody" Johnstone introduced himself.

"Jo wrote me an interesting letter," he told Don. The writer and I talked for a long while.

He said public reaction to his books was consistent: readers asked the publisher how they could sign up with Ben Raines.

There were even then organizations around the country preparing to repel boarders of the U.S. shores. They varied. Some fashioned themselves on Raines' "Rebels," others did not.

Johnstone tentatively explored some of the hard-core right-wing groups, he told me. It was not an altogether comfortable experience, even for someone with Johnstone's expertise.

"I put on my Levis, stuck my mouth full of chewing tobacco, got in my truck and went. Talked to some people. I could sense they were getting a little hinky, so I said, you know, au revoir!"

The "Ashes" series involves a post-disaster sub-division of the United States. Raines and his forces maintain a stern but orderly regime in a three-state area. The rest of the U.S. is held by a nervous remnant of government. Would a "Rebels" regime be allowed to happen in real-life? I asked. Possibly, for awhile, Johnstone supposed, but even the remnants of a national authority would not stand for dilution very long. Folks hoping to retain independence would face hard times.

"I can see how people can go off in these (paramilitary) groups," Johnstone said.

I asked if he felt that some groups perceive that nobody else is going to save them, so they have to save themselves.

"Yes, I do," he replied.

Johnstone's heroes and heroines are cut from one mold; smart, valiant, and unflinching in the righting of wrongs.

Somewhat right of center, Raines does not believe in supporting non-workers or others he views as irresponsible. "Liberal" is a bad word. Whiners and slackers get no time from Ben Raines and the men and women of his troops. Yet "Rebels" go to great lengths to help the young, the weak and the old -- the deserving. And they know the difference.

Raines' commanders in the field, in fact, never go wrong when they find and punish miscreants. There is no mistaken identity; no arrest based on prejudice. Justice is clear and swift. Whatever popular views are of today's camouflage-clad shooters, we, the readers, believe in Ben and trust his leaders.

Much of this belief is wishful, of course. We who live among mortal police authorities don't find such perfection, but don't we wish we could?

"Out of the Ashes," Johnstone said, was sent to his publisher as a one-time political statement.

"It never entered my mind that the thing would become a series. I just wrote the book, sent it in and --"Boom!"

Fans identify the author with the hero. They write his publisher asking if Ben/Woody will come and visit them; to teach them how to defend themselves. Johnstone says he is modestly conversant with survival techniques, but is certainly not setting up classes.

"I was talking to one of my editors today," Johnstone told me, "(the 'Ashes' series) is generating more mail than their romance novels."

Johnstone has misgivings about conditions in the United States. Despite the "Ashes" series' fiction plots, he does not forecast nuclear holocaust or even the horror of germ warfare. He believes the system might collapse from within, politically and economically.

At the time we talked, Johnstone feared severe depression. He foresaw that if government assistance were suddenly taken from the many households which now receive it, the reaction would be fear and hunger possibly leading to looting and anarchy.

Will Americans act to prevent this? I asked.

"Look at the record," he suggested. "We literally wipe species off the face of the Earth, and we continue to rely on oil. Americans tend to keep their heads in the sand, so to speak," Johnstone said. "Then they wander around wringing their hands saying 'Gee, how did this happen?'"

"We are living on faith, and I think it is going to collapse," he said.

How can a family prepare? I asked.

"Keep a thirty-days supply of food on hand," he replied. "Learn survival tips like keeping aspirin, water, non-electric lighting sources... "

But clearly, he thought the situation would be much too heavy for average people -- like Don and me -- to handle without Ben Raines and the Rebels nearby to bring order to "The Ashes."

Ben Raines, will you be here if we need you?

[SpookBrat]

"When my brother was in the Air Force many years ago and was stationed out there, he would spend hours and hours at the Alamo. He said you could "feel" the ghostly figures of the brave men who fought at the Alamo."

That's what I was going to post, but you beat me to it.

I grew up 60 minutes from the Alamo and have been there dozens of times. It never gets old for me, and I never leave without a big lump in my throat. A couple of times I have cried.

One thing I always found interesting was the number of men from Tennessee who died defending the Alamo. They call Tennessee the volunteer state don't they?

Also, what pleases me in a day and age when many people are rude with no manners, especially many young people…..people are always on their best behavior at the Alamo and very respectful and quiet.

It's true for me...you can feel the ghostly presence. I don't know if I believe in ghosts or not, but you do "feel" something when you go there. You leave haunted by the bravery and honor these heroes displayed and inspired to be more like them.

[SAMWolf]

It's a shame that basically only the Chapel and part of the walls remain. I 've heard the set of the Movie is a pretty big tourist attraction too although that's in need of repair too.

[MamaB]

Didn't I read recently that someone was trying to change the historical aspect of the Alamo? Why mess with history? It is what it is no matter whether you like it or not. Guess people are trying to be politically correct and not offend the Mexicans. Too bad!! I like to go to antique stores and find old history books which have not been changed. I have one that was written about 1897.

[SpookBrat]

Been there too. LOL It does need repair.

[SpookBrat]

I like old books myself and enjoy history. I think there was talk about someone making a new movie about the Alamo and was going to change it up some, but I can't remember.

[No Truce With Kings]

"All of these men could have left any time they wanted. James Bonham left and returned riding through enemy lines. Crockett could have left. Why stay and fight then surrender? These men died with honor."

Why stay and fight then surrender? Because in battles between civilized nations it is generally accepted that surrender is a part of warfare. I have *never* understood the attitude that *if* Crockett surrendered that it somehow reduced his honor. In every account I have read about the surrender it was always supposed to have occured long after the outcome of the battle was decided.

Fight, do your best, and when you cannot affect things further, surrender, and live for another day. That was an era when prisoners were exchanged, and could continue the war after the exchange.

If the accounts of Crockett's surrender are true it does not reflect badly on Crockett, a man who fought by the soldier's code. Rather, it underscores the barbarity of Santa Anna, who let the gratification of satisfying his blood lust overcome the scruples that a soldier should have. It was not the first time, nor would it be the last. (Although most of the other incidents occurred in what is now Mexico.)

He destroyed the wealth of one of Mexico's most fertile states by slaughtering the artisans who, in pursuit of their rights, opposed his army on the battlefield. Mexico spent 30 years churning through civil wars and rebellions because of his arbitrary pursuit of his desires. (Texas was not the only state that declared independence, and was not even the first.)

Remember that in the American Civil War, Confederates surrendered, and were allowed to go on with their lives in peace. I don't see that Robert E. Lee lost honor by surrendering at Appomatox -- in violation of specific orders to the contrary by the civil government. Rather, he gained honor by ensuring that the war ended, rather than devolving into a guerilla struggle that would have laid waste to the south, and impoverished the north before it ended.

Similarly, *if* Crockett surrendered, it was because he assumed that his opponent was a civilized man who lived by the generally accepted norms of the time. (Remember -- Mexico had been settled for a longer period than the United States.) His death under those circumstances would not have been a personal disgrace, but rather a disgrace to the man who ordered the death, and the lackies who carried out that order.

[johnny7]

One description of the “Last Stand” was told by Sitting Bull.

“Custer stood like a sheaf of corn, with all the ears around him. He laughed when he died... he fired his last shot.”

Whether he was amoung the last to go, no one will ever really know. He was found atop several troopers just below the monument.

I tend to believe he was shot near the ford and that is when command broke down.

[MeekOneGOP]

Davy Crockett using "Old Betsy" musket as a club at the Alamo.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Great history lesson. Thanks Sam.

Bookmarked.