The Mexican Army Advances

Seeking revenge against the

rebellious Texans, Santa

Anna decided that he would

personally lead the attack.

In Feb. 1836 Santa Anna’s

army of approximately

6,000 soldiers reached the

Rio Grande. Santa Anna led

some of his forces to San

Antonio.

The Mexican Army Advances

General Jose de Urrea who

entered Texas further south

near Matamoros, proceeded

with an army toward Goliad.

The Texas army was

unprepared for an advance

by the Mexican troops, and

Urrea quickly overtook the

Texans that were headed to

Matamoros. General Jose de

Urrea

The Mexican Army Advances

The rest of the Texas troops

were scattered into small

groups.

Colonel James Neill had just

more than 100 troops in San

Antonio and about 400

soldiers were in Goliad under

the command of Colonel

James Fannin.

Colonel James

Fannin

The Mexican Army Advances

Sam Houston was alarmed that the Texas

army was so ill-prepared and disorganized.

He sent James “Jim” Bowie to San Antonio

to evaluate the situation there.

Houston recommended that the Alamo be

destroyed and its artillery removed.

Governor Smith disagreed, believing it was

important to defend the Alamo Governor Henry

Smith

The Mexican Army Advances

On January 19 Bowie arrived

in San Antonio with 25 men.

He examined Colonel Neill’s

improvements to the fort

and its 21 cannons.

He and Neill agreed that the

Alamo and its artillery were

too important to destroy.

He wrote Governor Smith

with his recommendation. James “Jim” Bowie

The Mexican Army Advances

When Smith received Bowie’s letter,

he sent reinforcements. He ordered

Colonel William B. Travis and the 30

men Travis recruited to San Antonio.

As word of the rebellion spread, U.S.

volunteers trickled into Texas

including famous frontiersman and

former U.S. Congressman from

Tennessee, David Crockett. He didn’t

want a position of authority.

David Crockett

The Mexican Army Advances

James Bonham and a volunteer force

from Alabama called the Mobile

Grays also joined the Texas

defenders.

When Colonel Neill had to leave the

Alamo to care for an ill family

member, he put Travis in command.

Bowie and Travis argued over

control, but finally agreed to share

command. James Bonham

The Siege Begins

As the Mexican troops approached San Antonio, the Texas troops built up their defenses. They strengthened the walls by building them 12 feet high and 2 feet wide. They also built palisades (high fences made of stakes) for the soldiers to fight behind.

21 cannons were placed around the Alamo.

The Siege Begins

The Alamo would be difficult to

defend. The area enclosed was 3

acres and likely required 1,000

soldiers to defend it properly. The

Texans only had 150 men.

Travis and the rest of the Alamo

defenders hoped for reinforcements

.

Juan Seguin organized scouts to

look for Santa Anna’s troops.

The Siege Begins

As Mexican troops marched in to the

city, the defenders, their families and

some local residents rushed into the

Alamo walls. Expecting a siege, they

collected food, supplies and

ammunition.

General Santa Anna demanded their

surrender and the Texans responded

by firing a cannon shot toward the

Mexican army.

The Siege Begins

Santa Anna responded quickly by ordering

a blood red flag to be flown so the

defenders could see. This “no quarter”

flag meant that Santa Anna would leave no

survivors.

On February 24, Mexican forces began

firing on the Alamo and that day Travis

wrote his famous letter which was a

request for aid in the face of certain

death.

The Siege Begins

Bowie, who was ill, collapsed

during on the second day of

the siege, so Travis took

command.

He ordered the Texans to

stop shooting so they could

save their ammunition.

The Fall of the Alamo

Travis sent out several more

pleas for help. Bonham left to

find aid for the Alamo, only to

sneak back in on March 3.

Juan Seguin snuck past

Mexican solders to request

help from Col. James Fannin at

Goliad, but no help arrived.

On March 1, 32 volunteers from

Gonzales rode into the Alamo.

The Fall of the Alamo

In the early morning hours of March 6

the Mexican forces attacked the Alamo

to the sounds of Santa Anna’s army

band playing “El Deguello”. This song

meant no mercy would be shown.

Mexican troops overwhelmed the

Texans with their bombardment and

hand to hand combat followed until

almost every defender was killed.

The Fall of the Alamo

As the smoke cleared, at least 182

Texans were dead.

Accounts of Mexican losses vary. There

were some 600 Mexican casualties.

Of the Alamo, survivors, Susanna

Dickinson and her baby. Santa Anna

summoned her and told her to warn the

other Texans of the fate of the Alamo to

discourage any more rebellion. Susanna Dickinson

The Fall of the Alamo

General Santa Anna believed

that the fall of the Alamo would

convince Texans to surrender.

In a letter, he wrote that he had

achieved a “complete and

glorious triumph”.

Instead, the Alamo became a

symbol to many Texans that they

must fight at any cost.