In a February 13 letter to Texas Governor Henry Smith, Alamo surgeon Amos Pollard spelled out the garrisons dire medical situation: It is my duty to inform you that my department is nearly destitute of medicine, and in the event of a siege I can be of very little use to the sick.. Groneman (1990), p. 11; Todish (1998), p. 76. Twenty-two days later Pollard perished with the rest of the garrison. Among those buried in the mission compound before or during the 13-day siege may be men who succumbed to wounds suffered during the December 1835 Siege of Bxar. Lindley (2003), p. 144; Todish (1998), p. 84. Nor is it at all clear that the Alamos defenders bought time for Sam Houston to raise the army that eventually defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto the following month. Left as courier with Seguin on February 25, Entered March 1 or 4 Gonzales Mounted Ranger Company, Slave of Desauque, served as a combatant (Slaves identified by last names of their masters), On a scouting run when the Mexican troops arrived on February 23. These include muster roles from the Alamo prior to the Battle, newspaper reports, first-hand accounts of people who were at the Alamo before and during the Battle, land grant claims by descendants of the Alamo Defenders, and other historical evidence. In 1912, Barnes wrote a lengthy article about the Springfield House and its pending demolition. [4] Most Texian soldiers in Bxar left to join a planned invasion of Matamoros, Mexico. 3. When the U.S. insists they follow American laws and pay American taxes, they refuse. Frontiersman and congressman, his life was portrayed in many exploits during and after his death. [4], Erected in memory of the heroes who sacrificed their lives at the Alamo, March 6, 1836, in the defense of Texas. Groneman (1990), p. 53; Lindley (2003), p. 144; Moore (2007), p. 100. William Travis never drew any line in the sand; this was a tale concocted by an amateur historian in the late 1800s. Marking it were four cuts possibly inflicted by a knife or saber. In February 1837 Colonel Juan N. Segun of the Army of the Republic of Texas, whod left the Alamo amid the siege as a courier, led the procession to inter the ashes of his comrades. We love San Antonio, just like you. Between 1,800 and 6,000 Mexican soldiers besieged the fort, while . Barnes noted that in 1906, August Biesenbach, the city clerk, shared a boyhood recollection of Alamo defenders ashes being moved about a mile east in 1856 for final burial at Odd Fellows Rest.. And while the hallowed grounds of the Alamo may continue to yield archaeological clues, the fates of many who died in its defense 185 years ago will assuredly remain a mystery. What happened in the past cant change. [2], In an effort to tamp down on the unrest, martial law was declared and military governor General Martn Perfecto de Cos established headquarters in San Antonio de Bxar, stationing his troops at the Alamo. Based on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas. "The enemy in large force is in sight. 6061, 66; Todish (1998), p. 89; Lindley (2003), p. 133. COMING SATURDAY: Red McCombs collection of historic artifacts. Groneman (1990), p. 79; Todish (1998), p. 83; Moore (2007), p. 100. Whether Corner was noting a separate discovery of skeletal remains by Babbitt or mistakenly referring to Everetts earlier find is unknown. Everetts renderings of the Alamo ruins support eyewitness accounts of the battle and its aftermath. . Lindley (2003), p. 144; Groneman (1990), p. 32; Moore (2007), p. 100. Two days later, only a few skulls and limbs were left, and after being exposed for several more days, a small pit was dug in what is now the Ludlow front yard where the remains were buried. tourist attractions and odd sights in Texas, Giant Empty Cross, Large Jesus on Horseback, Memorial to America's Worst Drunk Driving Accident. Below are 256 known combatants: 212 who died during the siege, 43 survivors, and one escapee who later died of his wounds. All Rights Reserved. Census data indicates that Latinos are poised to become a majority of the Texas population any year now, and for them, the Alamo has long been viewed as a symbol of Anglo oppression. One of the great mysteries of the Alamo one that lingers today as a critical issue in how the historic site is interpreted is the location of funeral pyres where bodies of some 200 men were burned after the morning battle on March 6, 1836. The Alamo and its defenders, according to historian Stephen L. Hardin, "transcended mere history; both entered the realm of myth." Indeed, the siege and battle of the Alamo serves today as a definition of American character. USAA wants some remote employees in the office three days Jury takes an hour to reach verdict over deal at Port S.A. Texas Vista owner has threatened hospital shutdown before. After the siege in February and March of 1836, all of them died at the hands of their Mexican adversaries -- and then what happened? Three volleys and the blowing of taps ended the ceremony. Henry Woodson Strong scouted for famed Indian fighter Ranald S. Mackenzie. R.S. Lindley (2003), p. 144; Groneman (1990), p. 110. The issue is controversial. In 1889 he recalled having had the ashes buried within San Antonios San Fernando Cathedral, in front of the altar railings, but very near the altar steps. Jos Mara Rodriguez, who witnessed the storming of the Alamo as a child, later expressed doubt the ashes had been buried inside the sanctuary without the common knowledge of his fellow parishioners, though a marble sarcophagus just inside the entrance of the present-day cathedral supposedly holds those ashes. This Monday, March 6, marks the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo outside of San Antonio, Texas, back in 1836. Some were placed in a coffin and taken to San Fernando church, then carried in a procession through the town, back to the east side of the river, and buried. It also became a symbol of fierce resistance for the people of Texas and a rallying cry during the Mexican-American War. Meaning the Alamos defenders, far from being the valiant defenders who delayed Santa Anna, pretty much died for nothing. Imagine if the U.S. were to open interior Alaska for colonization and, for whatever reason, thousands of Canadian settlers poured in, establishing their own towns, hockey rinks and Tim Hortons stores. There are many people who were at the Alamo prior to that day who are not part of the Defenders list, including couriers sent out during the siege to inform the rest of Texas and the world of what was happening at the Alamo. Meanwhile, further evidence strongly suggests other Alamo defenders may have escaped Santa Annas funeral pyres. 503504; Groneman (1990), p. 101. Researchers are unclear whose remains they are or when they perished, and the Texas General Land Officethe present-day caretaker of the historic sitehas yet to approve DNA testing. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). The Great Battle of 1836, more commonly known as The Alamo, was engaged on February 23, 1836. After the battle, and Almeron's death,they were freed to spread the word of what had happened at the Alamo. Matovina (1995), pp. No archaeological research was done, since the work predated the states Antiquities Act. Some statues are recognizable from their former locations at SeaWorld and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, while others were crafted specifically for the Alamo Sculpture Trail, following the footpath from the Briscoe Western Art Museum to the Alamo. He has been a reporter at the Express-News since 1985, covering a variety of issues, including public safety, criminal justice, flooding, transportation, military, water and the environment. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Lindley (2003), p. 144; Groneman (1990), p. 81. It was probably connected with Lindos which is supported by epigraphic finds from that city. On Feb. 25, 1837, Texan Lt. Col. Juan Seguin gave the defenders a formal military funeral. Yes, my friends, they preferred to die a thousand times rather than . Excavations in 1985 unearthed 847 recovered specimens and 245 bone fragments. The group has even started a DNA database of its members. Colonel Juan Nepmuceno Segun, military commander of San Antonio, presides over the burial of the Alamo defenders' ashes. Only a thick chain and a recently erected historical marker delineates the plot from nearby civilian tombstones. One, a marble plaque, had been placed through De Zavalas efforts at the Halff Building, then moved to its current location in 1995. 6465; Todish (1998), p. 89; Edmondson (2000), p. 369; Lindley (2003), p. 44. On December 5, 1835, the Texians attacked San Antonio in what became known as the Battle of Bxar. The family's two-room stone house, an old Indian dwelling that had been deeded to them, was on the Plaza de Valero near the southwest corner of the mission compound. In 1910, Charles Barnes, journalist-historian and writer for the Express-News, published Combats and Conquests of Immortal Heroes and stated: When the slaughter was done, Santa Anna was confronted with the problem of disposing the dead. Were they among the remains unearthed by archaeologists in December 2019 and January 2020? E ver since remains were discovered in 1936 by workmen who were making repairs to the alter at the San Fernando Cathedral, there have been skeptics as to their origin. So why does any of this matter? The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. The Ludlow House, a three-story red brick boarding house built in about 1901, was razed in 1938 for a parking lot and later a Joskes tire outlet that was demolished in 1984. Seguin remained in the army after the revolution. Copyright 1996-2023 Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. At first the battle was primarily a siege marked by artillery duels and small skirmishes. The current list is based on many primary and secondary sources. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. The fact that many Tejanos Texas Latinos allied with the Americans, and fought and died alongside them at the Alamo, has generally been lost to popular history. Death united in one place both friends and enemies, recalled Mexican Colonel Jos Enrique de la Pea of that hellish day, adding, within a few hours a funeral pyre rendered into ashes those men who moments before had been so brave that in a blind fury they had unselfishly offered their lives and had met their ends in combat.. The battle, in fact, should never have been fought. Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News. Groneman (1990), p. 120; Moore (2007), p. 100. We want men and provisions. During the Texan Revolution, Seguin supported independence. The monument was erected in grey Georgia marble and pink Texas granite. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. A natural leader, James Bowie played an important role in the Texas Revolution. A marble plaque in the 600 block of East Commerce Street, next to a street-level pedestrian bridge over the River Walk and across the street from the Shops at Rivercenter mall parking garage, marks the general area where two funeral pyres are believed to have burned after the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. Magazines, Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth, Or create a free account to access more articles, We've Been Telling the Alamo Story Wrong for Nearly 200 Years. The old house stands, ramshackle and deserted, on East Commerce Street, just a little beyond St. Josephs church. Whether William Travis ever drew his "line in the dust" doesn't . Finally, there is a 1906 account from city clerk August Biesenbach, who told San Antonio Express reporter Charles Merritt Barnes that years after the battle some of the fragments of heads, skulls, arms and hands had been removed and buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery, about a mile east of the Alamo. Nearly 350 rebels were executed in the Goliad Massacre, almost twice as many as were killed at the siege of the Alamo. [16], Research into the battle, and exactly who was inside the fortress, began when the Alamo fell and has continued with no signs of abatement. Santa Anna's Mexican army killed virtually all of the roughly 200 Texans (or Texians) defending the Alamo, including their leaders, Colonels William B. Travis and James Bowie, and the legendary. Among the remains were two femur bones between stained ground amid an alignment of nails and wood fragments. A chain-enclosed 10-foot-square area at Odd Fellows Cemetery on the near East Side is where August Biesenbach, San Antonio city clerk in the early 1900s, recalled Alamo defenders being buried decades earlier, midway between the monuments of two Texas Rangers Capt. Lindley (2003), p. 143; Groneman (1990), p. 34. These were located on what was then known as the Alameda, or Cottonwood grove roadway. Give us assistance. He taught school, edited a newspaper, and passed the barall before turning 21 years-old. The ceremony has been long forgottenand the land covered over by buildings, severing our historical connection with these sacred sites. Groneman (1990), p. 30; Moore (2007), p. 100. Joined relief force from Gonzales, arrived March 1, 1836. The very first Mayor of San Antonio under the Republic of Texas, John William Smith, played an important role in early Texas history. 4.Texians formed a square in the middle of the prairie and attempted to defend their position. Last entry is 15 minutes prior to closing. But the many myths surrounding Texas birth, especially those cloaking the fabled 1836 siege at the Alamo mission in San Antonio, remain cherished in the state. Whoops! Todish (1998), p. 84; Moore (2007), p. 100. Born to a prominent San Antonio family, Juan Seguin led a life of service to his community. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Texas Bexar County San Antonio The Alamo Defenders of the Alamo Memorial Maintained by: Find a Grave Added: 22 Aug 2000 When the government tries to collect taxes, they shoot and kill American soldiers. The skull resides at the Center for Archaeological Research on the University of Texas San Antonio campus. More recent discoveries of human remains at the Alamo extend hope for a more complete accounting of those buried there, perhaps even revealing defenders whose corpses were spared the flames. Groneman (1990), p. 53; Moore (2007), p. 100. 5354; Lindley (2003), p. 144; Moore (2007), p. 100. The March 28 issue of the Telegraph and Texas Register only gave the burial location as where "the principal heap of ashes" had been found. After losing his re-election bid in 1835, Crockett vowed to go to Texas where he expected to revive his political career. When law enforcement goes after the killers, the colonists, backed by Canadian financing and mercenaries, take up arms in open revolt. But other cultural groups are opposed to DNA testing on religious grounds. Groneman (1990), p. 62; Lindley (2003), p. 143. This, by and large, is not the Texas history many of us learned in school; instead, we learned a tale written by Anglo historians beginning in the 19th century. Defenders of the Alamo are defined as those who fought and died during the final battle on March 6, 1836. Legend would later credit West with sending word of San Anna's whereabouts to Houston and then entertaining the Mexican general, distracting him enough that Houston's troops swept in at San Jacinto and defeated the Mexican army. Esparza's brother Francisco was a soldier in the Mexican army and received permission from Santa Anna for a Christian burial. He served as an Alamo courier, and valiantly led his fellow Tejanos as a Captain at the Battle of San Jacinto. David Crockett was a frontiersman who became a well-known politician and humorist in early 19th century America. [7], A fierce defense was launched from within the walls, even as Bowie and Travis made unsuccessful attempts to negotiate with the Mexican army. [1] President Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna and the government in Mexico City believed the United States had instigated the insurrection with a goal of annexing Texas.