The Battle of The Alamo

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The Battle of the Alamo

Introduction
 The Alamo is located in San Antonio TX (map)
 The Texas war for independence from Mexico (Febr23-March6,1836)

But first some 

Early History of the Alamo


 Spanish settlers  Mission San Antonio de Valero ont he bank of the
San Antonio River around 1718
 also established the nearby military garrison
 1793, Spanish authorities secularized the five mission in San Antonio
and distributed their lands among local residents
 early 19th century, Spanish military troops were stationed in the
abandoned chapel of the former mission
 new name: ’El Alamo’ (=cottonwood) in honour their hometown in Mexico
(Alamo de Parras)
 Military troops (Spanish, then rebel, later Mexican) occupied the Alamo
during and after Mexico’s war for independence from Spain in the early
1820s
 Texas was called Tejas back in the day (Tejanos)
 Stephen Austin (=Father of Texas) arrived in San Antonio with 300 US
families that the Spanish government had allowed to settle in Tejas
(Texians)
 Increasing migration of US citizens to Texas in the next decades
 sparkling revolutionary movement because of the growing population
armed conflict by the mid 1830s

 Battle of Gonzales : October 2, 1835 First military engagement of Texas


Revolution, fought between rebellious Texian settlers and the Mexican
army

 Texians raised this homemade white flag with the image of a black
cannon and a star. Then they fired their cannon at the Mexican camp,
they were outnumbered and outgunned so Castaneda led his troops back
to the Alamo
The Battle of Alamo
 Early stages of the war (December, 1835)  a group of Texan volunteers
(led by George Collinsworth and Benjamin Milam) overwhelmed the
Maxican garrison at the Alamo
 By mid February, 1836, Colonel James Bowie and Colonel William B.
Travis had taken command of Texan forces in San Antonio
 Sam Houston argued that San Antonio should be abandoned due to
insufficient troop numbers
 BUT! The Alamo defenders (led by Bowie and Travis) were willing to fight
to the last (200 volunteers)
 Mexican general: Santa Anna, also known as the Napoleon of the West
led thousands of troops against Texan defenders
 Santa Anna ordered his man to take no prisonersonly a few lives were
spared

To the People of Texas and All Americans of the


world
 open letter

 February 24, 1836, written by W.B. Travis

 Seeking reinforcement and supplies from the promoters

 ‘Masterpiece of American Patriotism’

 ‘Declaration of Defiance’

 „Victory or Death”

 Sam Houston decided to fight against the Mexicans after reading the letter

Legacy of the Alamo


 From March to May, Mexicans occupied the Alamo

 Battle of Alamo became the symbol of courage and heroic resistance for
the Texans

 April 21, 1836, Sam Houston and 800 Texans defeated Santa Anna’s
Mexican force of 1500 men at San Jacinto (near to present day Houston)

 shouting „Remember Alamo” as they attacked

 Success of Texan independence

Today
 most of the parts are renovated, or later newly added
 more than 2,5 million people visit the Alamo every year
 there is also an Alamo Museum which was built for the battle’s 100th
anniversary

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