This episode covers the 1836 siege of the Alamo, the defiant stand of its defenders against Santa Anna's 6,000-strong army, and the famous letter William Barrett Travis wrote appealing for reinforcements. Students will understand why the Alamo became the defining symbol of Texan independence.

Key Takeaways

• Mexico originally invited Anglo settlers into Texas as a buffer against Comanche and Apache raids, but by the 1830s those settlers were in open rebellion.

• When Santa Anna centralized power and dissolved Mexico's republican constitution, Texan colonists issued a formal declaration defending the original Mexican constitution of 1824.

• Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and William Barrett Travis each had distinct backgrounds and came to the Alamo by very different roads, but all died defending it on March 6, 1836.

• The two-week siege ended in a total defeat for the Alamo's roughly 182 defenders, but the battle became a rallying cry that sustained the revolution.

• Travis's letter appealing for reinforcements, written on February 24, 1836, is considered the most famous letter in Texas history.

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FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How many defenders were at the Alamo?

Approximately 182 men defended the Alamo during the final assault on March 6, 1836. The original garrison numbered around 150, and 32 militia volunteers from Gonzales slipped through Mexican lines on March 1st to join them. All of the defenders were killed in the battle.

Q2: Why did Davy Crockett go to Texas?

Davy Crockett lost his bid for reelection to Congress in 1835, largely because of his opposition to the Indian Removal Act. After a bitter falling-out with fellow Tennessean Andrew Jackson, he left for Texas to join the revolution against Santa Anna. He died at the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

Q3: What was the Alamo before it became a military garrison?

The Alamo was originally Mission San Antonio de Valero, a Franciscan mission established in the early 18th century on the outskirts of San Antonio de Bexar. By the time of the Texas Revolution, it had long since stopped functioning as a religious mission and had been converted into a military fortification.

Q4: Why didn't Santa Anna take prisoners after the battle?

Santa Anna viewed the Texan rebels as pirates and traitors rather than soldiers entitled to the laws of war. He had already issued a decree that foreigners fighting against Mexico would be executed. After the Alamo fell, he ordered that the bodies of the defenders be burned. One survivor, the brother of a Mexican officer who fought on the Texan side, was reportedly spared due to that family connection.

Q5: What does the Travis letter say and why is it famous?

Written on February 24, 1836, Colonel Travis's letter was a desperate appeal for reinforcements, addressed to 'The People of Texas and All Americans in the World.' It described the overwhelming force arrayed against the garrison and ended with the famous declaration 'Victory or death.' The letter circulated widely through Texas newspapers and became a powerful piece of wartime rhetoric that galvanized support for the revolution.

Mexico's Republic and the Anglo Settlers of Texas

In 1833, General Antonio López de Santa Anna gained control of the Mexican government. He ruled with an iron fist, which three years later he took north from Mexico City to Texas, where the mostly Anglo settlers were in rebellion. In 1821, after 11 years of struggle with Imperial Spain, Mexico declared independence. Three years later, a constitution was ratified. Mexico was now a republic. As part of its effort to buffer its northern region from fierce attacks by Comanche and Apache warriors, the government encouraged Anglos to immigrate to Texas, at the time part of the state of Coahuila y Texas. In 1820, Spain had given Moses Austin a land grant to settle Texas. He died in June 1821, just months before Mexico won her independence from Spain. His son, Stephen Austin, often called the father of Texas, took over the land grant and managed the original settlers who began arriving in 1821. They were called the Old 300. The American settlers were of English descent and immigrated mainly from west of the Appalachians.

Most of the new Texans received large tracts of land along the Brazos River. Many owned slaves, which would become problematic for Mexico, especially when the country became a republic. In 1830, Mexico banned any further immigration from the U.S. into Texas and any further importation of slaves. After General Santa Anna was elected president in 1833, he disrupted the republic. Congress was dissolved, the constitution replaced, and government was centralized. Spanish influence in North America had begun centuries earlier, as we cover in our episode on Spain's first foothold in Florida.

Santa Anna Marches North

In late 1835, following a consultation in San Felipe de Austin, the Texans issued a declaration: "The good people of Texas, availing themselves of their natural rights, solemnly declare that they have taken up arms in defense of their rights and liberties, which are threatened by the encroachments of military desperados, and in defense of the Republican principles of the Federal Constitution of Mexico of 1824." In November 1835, Santa Anna moved north with an army of 6,000 Mexican soldiers, his intent to end the Texas Rebellion. Santa Anna marched the main body of his forces 400 miles east to San Antonio de Béxar. The former mission turned garrison was under the command of William Barret Travis. In 1836, the provisional governor of Texas, Henry Smith, had ordered Travis to the Alamo. He arrived with 30 men and assumed command of the regulars.

Jim Bowie was there when Travis arrived, already famous for the knife named after him. Before the battle, he commanded the Alamo's volunteer soldiers. During the battle, however, he was confined to bed, likely with pneumonia. Travis assumed full command. There were approximately 150 men: a mix of settlers from the east, Europeans, and Tejanos, Spanish-speaking Texans. Among the defenders was the storied frontiersman Davy Crockett. Having lost re-election over his opposition to the Indian Removal Act, Crockett left his home state of Tennessee. After a bitter break with fellow Tennessean Andrew Jackson, Crockett left for Texas to join the revolution. The fall of the Alamo would set up a decisive Texan victory weeks later, as we cover in our episode on Texas independence at San Jacinto.

The Siege and the Final Assault

In late February 1836, Santa Anna's army arrived. For two weeks, they besieged and bombarded the garrison. In response to a call for the Texans to surrender, Colonel Travis ordered a cannon shot and the flag to remain in place above the battered walls. On March 2nd, Texas declared independence from Mexico. On March 6th, Santa Anna's troops launched a full-scale attack just before dawn. Never surrendering, the Texans fought to the last man. The battle lasted about 90 minutes.

All of the Alamo's defenders were killed. At Santa Anna's orders, their bodies were stacked and burned, with one exception, the brother of a Mexican officer. We end this episode with one final story from the Alamo. On February 24th, 1836, the day after the Mexican army began its siege, Colonel Travis wrote a letter, an appeal for reinforcements. On horseback, Albert Martin carried the letter under the dark of night through the Mexican lines to Gonzales. From there, it was delivered to San Felipe de Austin, where copies were made and distributed to newspapers. On March 1st, 32 Texas militiamen from the Gonzales Ranger Company slipped through the enemy line. They were the only Texans to arrive before the final assault. Their numbers brought the defenders to about 182 men.

The Travis Letter

Our story ends with a few lines from the Travis letter, the most famous letter in the history of Texas: "I call on you in the name of liberty, of patriotism, and of everything dear to the American character to come to our aid with all dispatch. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country. Victory or death. William Barret Travis." The Texan War for Independence would continue, and the memory of those who died at the Alamo would fuel the fight that followed. The Texas conflict would later spill into a wider war, as we cover in our episode on the Mexican-American War.