Texas Tidbits: The Siege of the Alamo, Day 11

The Symbol of Texas

We have been covering the Texas Revolution, specifically the Alamo, for about a week and a half now and with the benefit of hindsight, we have seen the situation go from hopeful to hopeless. Colonel Travis and his men must have felt that way, too, knowing that there were thousands of Mexican troops literally at the door step of the Alamo and inside the mission, less than 200 Texians. yet, despite such a bleak outlook at hand, the defenders of the Alamo were prepared to give their very lives in the pursuit of Liberty and Freedom for Texas. Their bravery and courage while staring Death in the face are the stuff of legend....and history.

We once again catch up on the events of the day, March 4, 1836, at Wikipedia, "The Mexican bomdardment recommenced early on March 4. That afternoon, Santa Anna called a council of war with his senior officers. He proposed an imminent attack on the fort. Many of his officers disagreed, recommending instead that they wait for the arrival of the heavy artillery. Two 12-lb cannons, with the capability to quickly destroy the Alamo walls, were due to arrive in Bexar on Monday, March 7.^[112] According to later reports by Filisola, on the evening of March 4, a woman from Bexar informed Santa Anna that Travis and his men were planning to either surrender or escape if reinforcements did not arrive quickly.^[124][125] Many years later, Susannah Dickinson commented that Juana Alsbury left the fort that evening; Dickinson believed that Alsbury had deserted to provide Santa Anna with information about the Texian troop strength. Edmondson notes that Alsbury returned to the Alamo, and he speculates that Travis sent her to try to negotiate an honorable surrender for the Texian troops.^[125] According to Todish, "More than one historian, and even some of Santa Anna's own officers, have speculated that this information is what prompted him to push for an immediate assault rather than wait for his heavy siege guns. There would have been little glory in a bloodless victory, and glory is what Santa Anna craved above all else." take a minute to read the rest of the day's events here.

The defenders of the Alamo were facing a certain death on this date in 1836, that much they had to know. But, what they didn't know was that they would be heroes 175 years later to Texans who still know and and re-tell the story of their heroics, God rest their souls. The men who fought so valiantly at the Alamo were the blood of patriots that is from time to time necessary to nourish the tree of Liberty. God bless those men and may God continue to bless Texas.