21June06

The Alamo!

Deriving its name from a nearby grove of Cottonwood trees, the Alamo, even in 1836, was an abandoned and dilapidated mission-turned-barracks (in present-day San Antonio, TX) sitting astride an ancient but isolated trade route. Americans, mostly of European origin, had poured into Texas after Mexico wo n its independence from Spain in 1821. Texas, then part of Mexico, was isola ted, mostly barren and had little to recommend it, except for the fact that spacious land grants were being gratuitously handed out by the Mexican gove rnment, in exchange for badly-needed, hard currency. This resulted in a large population in Texas of mostly former Americans. In the process, they becom e nominal Mexican citizens, learned to speak Spanish, and many married into l ocal, Mexican families.

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, though born in Mexico, had been a Spanish army

officer of good repute. But, instead of going to Spain after the revolutio n, he remained in Mexico, became enthusiastically involved in politics, and began ruthlessly seizing power. A soldier all his life, Santa Anna quickly lost faith in Democracy, eventually characterizing himself as the "Napo leon of the West," Once in power, Santa Anna scrapped the new Mexican Const itution, fashioned largely after the American one, and, like Napoleon before him, declared himself "Emperor." As soon as he did, armed rebel lions broke out all over Mexico, and, without delay, Santa Anna set out remorselessly suppressi ng all of them, one by one.

In view of the foregoing, Texans, as they now defiantly called themselves, quickly started putting together an army. They too had overtly rebelled, after a Mexican army detachment, under General Coz, was sent to seize a sing le, mostly-obsolete cannon from the town of Gonzales. The seizure was largely symbolic, and Coz naively expected scant resistance, but, under the banner "Come and take it," Texans not only prevented the seizure, they successful ly drove the entire Mexican garrison out of San Antonio! When word of this ignominious trouncing reached Santa Anna, an armed confrontation between hi mself and the Texans was inevitable, and everyone knew it!

Texans immediately appealed to Washington for military assistance. Officially, the Jackson Administration rebuffed these requests, outwardly c onsidering it a matter of internal, Mexican politics. However, Jackson contemplated, as did many others, a newly independent Texas eventually annexing with the United States. The American government thus began surreptitiously supplyin g the revolution and encouraging young men to arm themselves and head south to Texas, so they could join it. Many got the hint!

Lawyer-turned-soldier, Sam Houston, got the dubious title of Commanding General of the Army of Texas, an army that was, at the time, largely non-existent. Houston could plainly see that, in his march northward, San ta Anna could not bypass the Alamo. He would have to physically seize it. Houston also knew that the Alamo did not lend itself to a competent defense, and he therefore had no intention of defending it. Houston's plan was one of slow attrition. As Santa Anna plodded northward, Houston would confront his arm y piecemeal, trading space for time, until Santa Anna's supply lines became overextended, and Houston's own army could be assembled and trained . He would then isolate, surround, and defeat Santa Anna. The Alamo played no part in Hous ton's plan!

Jim Bowie, a sleazy Louisiana land speculator who was in Texas fleeing creditors, got himself appointed to the rank of colonel and was sent by Hous ton to the Alamo with instructions to evacuate it. Upon arriving, Bowie decided t o disobey Houston and fortify the post! Bowie's decision was made in the expectation that, with enough reinforcements, the Alamo could hold out. Li ke Houston, Bowie knew that, without seizing the Alamo, Santa Anna could proce ed no further. When he heard of Bowie's disobedience, Houston was furio us and nearly resigned! However, he began to realize that Bowie's plan mi ght just work, particularly if the Alamo could be reinforced with Colonel James W Fa nnin' s detachment, in nearby Goliad.

Ever-dithering Fannin never arrived, but ex-senator Davy Crockett did, bringing with him a contingent of sharp-shooting "Tennessee Voluntee rs," as did flamboyant ex-lawyer from South Carolina, William Travis. Command of the fort was muddled, with Travis and Bowie incessantly bickering. Bowie, an alcoholic, eventually became too sick to be actively involved, and nominal command defaulted to Travis.

Santa Anna wasted no time, arriving at the Alamo, with an army of two thousand, much sooner than anyone thought he would or could. With fewer t han two-hundred defenders, it was becoming obvious to all that the Alamo had no

chance of holding out. An irritated and impatient Santa Anna informed the Alamo garrison that, unless they surrendered immediately, no prisoners would be taken. He considered them not an army, but criminals and rabble, and all w ould be summarily executed. Travis answered the ultimatum with a precipitous cannon shot. The battle was joined!

Travis sent message after message begging for additional reinforcements. No

more arrived. Some of his own garrison understandably bugged out, but only a few. In a display of deep-rooted courage, nearly all decided to stay and fight it out to the end. They began to see their somber mission as fatally

delaying Santa Anna's advance and inflicting so many casualties that his army, though victorious in the short term, would be crippled. They succeeded on both counts, though they were wiped out to a man! Paradoxically, Texas, on the second of March, had declared its independence from Mexico. Alamo defender s, at the last, were thus fighting as Soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Texas, although they probably didn't know it.

It was said of the defenders, particularly Crockett's Tennesseans, t hat their rifle fire was devastatingly precise. The Alamo thus held out for th irteen days, 23 February through 6 March 1836. Assault after assault was repulsed , but the end was never in doubt. Santa Anna's casualties were hideo us, but he pressed on. During the final assault, all remaining defenders were kill ed. True to his word, Santa Anna took no prisoners, although several women and

children, dependants of defenders, were release unharmed.

A troubled Santa Anna, hurriedly burned the defender's bodies, burie d his own, and quickly marched on to Goliad. He knew that this unforeseen, thirteen-day delay had critically wounded his plan. Fannin's detach ment, numbering three hundred, surrendered to Santa Anna, an unwise decision and, as it tur ns out, Fannin's last. Fannin and his entire command were summarily m assacred. Between the Alamo and Goliad, Americans everywhere became incensed. The ti de had turned.

Houston, now with a real army, caught up with Santa Anna at San Jacinto. A s predicted, Santa Anna's army had outrun its supply lines and had be come dangerously isolated. This is precisely what Houston had hoped for all alo ng! When attacked, the entire Mexican army precipitously fell apart, was quickl y routed, and, during a frightful rage of vengeance, wiped out, nearly to a m an. Amid a chorus of "Remember the Alamo," Santa Anna's North American adventure came to an abrupt end!

Santa Anna himself, in disguise, escaped, but was discovered and captured the following day. All wanted to shoot or hang him on the spot, but a calculating Houston decided he would be more valuable alive. Instead of ki lling him, Houston persuaded Santa Anna to sign an agreement granting independence to all of Texas. The new Republic was instantly, officially, and conveniently

recognized by the United States and, ten years later, annexed.

Santa Anna returned to Mexico and promptly become involved in a war with France. Cited numerous times for bravery, and fading in and out of politic al popularity, he garnered a large, cult following. He was eventually forced out of the political arena and died in 1876, in Mexico, at the age of 82.

Not surprisingly, Sam Houston served at the first President of the Republic

of Texas and thereafter as a US Senator after annexation to the Union. He successfully ran for governor, as a Unionist, just as the Civil War was beginning, but the State of Texas voted to secede, and he was forced out of office. He died in Alabama, his wife's home state, in 1863, at the age of s eventy.

Lessons: We fight in the expectation of victory, but sometimes we must stan d and fight, even when there is no chance of victory, because there are principles we hold dear, and they must be defended, even in the face of cert ain death. The Alamo defenders clearly saw their duty and their place in histo ry. They did not die doubting!

Accurate rifle fire was, and still is, the most important, single, fight-winning commodity. Competent rifleman are worth their weight in gold !

When, for the first and only time, the first Napoleon met Russian Czar Alexander in the City of Tilsit in Russia in 1807, he pointed to a badly-sca red member of his vaunted Imperial Guard and said to the Czar, "What do you think of a man who can endure such wounds?" The Czar cleverly retorted, "And, what do you think men who can inflict them?" The Guardsman himself, int errupting both heads of state, volunteered, "They're all dead!"

When we have men like that, who can be against us?

/John