Thirteen Day Siege of the Alamo

The Alamo

January, 1836 events – originally named mission of San Antonio de Valero Jan. 6 – Colonel James C. Neill, commander of

the Alamo, reported to the acting governor that he had 104 men, but they lacked food or clothing.

Jan. 14 – Colonel Neill wrote to General Sam Houston, “Men in field for four months. Today we were to receive pay for the first month. I have 100 men. If they do not get paid, 20 of them will leave immediately for home.”

The Alamo Jan. 15 – Alamo garrison had decreased to

80 men as the volunteers continued to leave.

Jan. 17 – After reading Col. Neill’s message, Sam Houston orders Colonel James Bowie to the Alamo to remove all gun powder and supplies then blow up the Alamo to keep it away from Mexicans.

Jan. 19 – Colonel James Bowie arrived at the Alamo with 30 men.

February 1836

Tuesday, Feb. 2 - Colonel Bowie and Colonel Neill decided that the safety of Texas depended on maintaining the Alamo as a fortress.

Governor Smith asked William Barret Travis to recruit 100 men and lead them to San Antonio to support Neill. – He only could recruit 29 and was embarrassed

and asked to be relieved of the command.

Wednesday, Feb. 3 – Lt. Colonel William B. Travis arrived in San Antonio with 29 men.

February 1836

Monday Feb. 8 - David Crockett, former Congressman from Tennessee, arrived in San Antonio de Béxar with 13 men.

Thursday, Feb. 11 - Colonel Neill left the Alamo on a leave of absence due to an illness in his family.

This left Travis and Bowie arguing about who would take command.

February 1836

Friday, Feb. 12 - Colonel Travis assumed the role of Alamo commander because he was in the regular army, but soon a dispute between Travis and Bowie began over who should be the rightful commander of the Alamo.– Bowie was older and had more experience

at fighting on the frontier.

– He would ignore commands from Travis.

February 1836

Sunday, Feb. 14 – Bowie and Travis decided to hold an election to decide who commanded the Alamo, but it was a tie.– Travis commanded the regular Army.

– Bowie commanded the volunteers.

Tuesday Feb. 16 - General Santa Anna crossed the Rio Grande and started for San Antonio de Béxar.

Map of San Antonio de Bexar

February 1836 Thursday, Feb. 18 - A scout reported

to Colonel Travis that the Mexican Army had crossed the Rio Grande.

Sunday, Feb. 21 – Santa Anna was only eight miles away from San Antonio de Béxar.

Monday, Feb. 22 - General Santa Anna rested his troops while waiting for the Medina River to recede.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 1: Tuesday, February 23, 1836 General Antonio López de Santa Anna

arrived in San Antonio that afternoon with his army. – A blood red banner was raised atop the bell

tower of San Fernando Church, signifying that no prisoners would be taken.

– Colonel William B. Travis ordered a cannon fired in response. The Mexican soldiers fired back and the siege of the Alamo had begun.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 2: Wednesday, February 24, 1836 Gravely ill, Colonel

James Bowie turned over command of the volunteers to Colonel Travis. Travis sent Captain Albert Martin to Gonzales with a letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.“

William Barret Travis Letter from the commandancy of the Alamo 1836 Commandancy of the AlamoBexar, Feby. 24th, 1836

To the People of Texas & all Americans in the World-- Fellow Citizens and Compatriots--

I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna--I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man--The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken--I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls--I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with all despatch--The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country--Victory or Death. William Barret Travis Lt. Col. comdt.

P.S. The Lord is on our side--When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn--We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels, and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves-- Travis

Send this to San Felipe by Express night & day--

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 3: Thursday, February 25, 1836 In San Antonio, Santa Anna moved his

batteries closer to the walls. A strong norther blew in that night around 9:00 p.m. and the temperature was close to freezing.

Day 4: Friday, February 26, 1836 A skirmish occurred east of the fort when a

group of Texans, who had left the Alamo to gather wood, encountered Mexican troops. The Mexican Army tried to cut the Alamo’s water supply.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 5: Saturday, February 27, 1836 James Butler Bonham left the Alamo headed for

Goliad and Gonzales to get more help. Nighttime activity by the Mexican Army kept the Texans on alert, allowing them very little sleep.

Day 6: Sunday, February 28, 1836 Colonel Fannin left Goliad at the head of a relief

column, but turned back after only traveling a short distance because the wagon with the cannon broke down. Fighting at the Alamo continued.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 7: Monday, February 29, 1836 Santa Anna’s batteries moved still closer

to the Alamo’s walls. Day 8: Tuesday, March 1, 1836 The Gonzales Ranging Company which

was about 32 men, arrived at the Alamo at 3:00 a.m., raising hopes that others would soon follow. Texans fired two cannon shots at the house on Main Plaza occupied by Santa Anna--one hit the house but he was unharmed.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 9: Wednesday, March 2, 1836 Heavy Mexican cannonading continued. Inside

the Alamo, the defenders were unaware that delegates meeting at Washington-on-the-Brazos had signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Day 10: Thursday, March 3, 1836 James Butler Bonham returned from Goliad to

report that Colonel Fannin was not coming to the Alamo’s aid.

Day 11: Friday, March 4, 1836 Mexican cannonading started early and

continued all day. Santa Anna meets with Generals to discuss his battle plan.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 12: Saturday, March 5, 1836 According to a popular legend, Colonel

Travis drew a line on the ground with his sword and then asked those willing to stay and fight to cross over and join him.

The only person to leave was a frenchman named Louis “Moses” Rose. He was an older man that had fought with Napoleon.

The Mexican bombardment ended at 10:00 p.m.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Travis discussed the battle plans:– It was decided that the church would be the last

stand of the battle. – The few women and children living in the Alamo

with their men were to stay in the sacristy in the chapel

– If Travis were to fall, Captain Baugh, who was with Travis, was to take command.

– If he were killed, then command went to Crockett.– Major Evans was told to be ready to blow up the

gunpowder in the church.– Bowie would be in his room on the South wall

close to Crockett with his two guns and Bowie knife.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

Day 13: Sunday, March 6, 1836 1:00 a.m. The weary Texans slept while the

Mexican troops moved into positions. 2:00 a.m. Santa Anna and Colonel Juan N.

Almonte discussed the battle plans. 4:00 a.m. The troops, now in position, laid on

the ground in silence. First Attack Begins – click to link to see

diagram– 5:00 a.m. Santa Anna gave the signal to advance

just after 5 a.m. – The bugle song of “Deguello” (No mercy)

begins playing and the first attack begins

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

– Travis was awakened by Captain Baugh and ran to the North Wall onto the ramp with the cannon.

– Mexicans were bombarded with gunfire and were pushed back.

– While trying to reload his rifle, Travis was shot in the head by a bullet and rolled down the ramp.

The second attack came and the Texans defeated them Mexicans again, much to their surprise. This angered Santa Anna.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

The third attack came with much more force and the Mexicans rushed the North Wall.

The troops scaled the north wall and poured into the compound fighting with guns, then hand to hand combat.

They took over the cannons and then turned them facing the Texans inside the walls.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

The fighting moved to the Long Barrack, Low Barrack, and former church.– Davy Crockett and men stood behind the

stockade between the church and south wall holding back the Mexicans until they ran out of ammunition and fought hand to hand.

– James Bonham fired a cannon from the roof of the chapel and held back the Mexicans on the East side of the Alamo until the Mexicans burst through the church doors and shot Bonham, Dickenson and Esparza.

The Bart Moore knife is a claimant for the title of Bowie's Alamo knife. The Moore family asserts that an old Mexican soldier, who claimed to have participated in the storming of the Alamo, gave the knife to Mr. Moore's grandfather. The soldier supposedly retrieved the knife from where it lay by one of the funeral pyres and had kept it for many years. He offered it to Mr. James F. Moore as payment for a five-dollar debt.

13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo

– Major Evans fell halfway to the gunpowder room.– The Mexicans began going from room to room and

shooting at anything that moved.– Bowie, lay on his cot in the lower barracks on the

South Wall, with two pistols and his Bowie knife. He was the last Texan to be shot.

By 6:30 a.m. the Alamo had fallen and every Texan was dead.

The fighting only lasted about 90 minutes. For every 1 Texan killed, 8 Mexican soldiers

died. All Mexican soldiers were buried, but Santa

Anna ordered the Texans bodies to be burned.

The only survivors were a few Mexican families, some slaves, and Mrs. Almeron Dickinson and her baby.– When the chapel was stormed by the Mexican

soldiers, the door with the women and children burst open.

– One of the children was shot and killed as a soldier shot into the room without looking.

– Susanna Dickinson’s name was called out and when she finally stood, several soldiers tried to grab her and one shot her in the right calf.

– The officer shouted at the men and told them to back off.

– She was then taken to a Mexican surgeon then to Santa Anna.

Santa Anna spared her life so that she could go to Sam Houston and warn him about the results of the Alamo.

Santa Anna hoped this would scare the Texans and they would surrender.