San Antonio de Bexar 1

Today in Texas History On the trail to Texas independence. Mar 04, 1836 - (11th day of the siege of the Alamo) Sam Houston is appointed commander of all Texas forces. Santa Anna holds a council of war with generals Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma, Martín Perfecto de Cós, Manuel F. Castrillón and Colonels Juan Almonte, Agustín Amat, Francisco Duque, and Manuel Romero to plan the final assault. The Mexicans finish a new battery at close range. The bombardment starts cracking the walls). That afternoon, a Mexican woman in the Alamo leaves and tells Santa Anna that the Alamo's walls are falling apart and would be easy to take. Santa Anna ordered his artillery batteries moved closer to the Alamo. The prolonged artillery attack continues. San Antonio de Béxar had long been an important place in Texas. Not only was it home to a military garrison, it was a crossroads and center of commerce. By the early 1830s, the town’s population had grown to nearly 2,500. With the outbreak of revolt in Coahuila y Tejas, San Antonio even resumed its old role as the capital of Texas. San Antonio experienced two sieges and battles during the Texas Revolution. The first, the Siege and Battle of Béxar, began in late October 1835 after the incident in Gonzales when angry colonists and Tejanos followed the retreating Alamo company back to San Antonio in the early stage of the revolution. When the Texian siege of the town stalled, soldier and impresario Ben Milam rallied a force on December 5 that fought their way into the center of San Antonio. After a bloody five-day, house-to-house fight, the Texians took control of the town and Mexican General Martín Perfecto de Cós surrendered the town and the public property it held. Thus, the rebels gained control of San Antonio and the Alamo. On February 23, 1836, after a grueling winter march, General Antonio López de Santa Anna and his army arrived at San Antonio to put down the frontier rebellion. The Texian rebels withdrew across the San Antonio River into the safety of the old fortified mission known as the Alamo. As Mexican forces surrounded the Alamo, Santa Anna raised the red flag indicating that no quarter would be given to the traitors inside the mission. Alamo commander William Barret Travis began writing desperate pleas for help, including the famous “Victory or Death” letter sent out on February 24. While the Alamo was under siege, the provisional Texas government organized at Washington-on-the-Brazos. On March 2, the convention declared independence and the Republic of Texas was born, at least on paper. The Alamo’s garrison showed its support for independence from Mexico by sending its own delegates to the convention. While they were unaware that Texas had declared independence, the roughly 200 Alamo defenders stayed at their post waiting on help from the settlements. Among them were lawyers, doctors, farmers and a former congressman and famous frontiersman from Tennessee David Crockett. While the youngest was 16 and the oldest 75, most defenders were in their twenties. Most were Anglo, but there were a handful of native Tejano defenders as well. Legendary knife fighter and land speculator James Bowie was in command before falling ill and sharing duties with Travis. Pictures: General Sam Houston, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, General Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma, General Martín Perfecto de Cós, San Antonio de Béxar, Colonel Benjamin Milam, Colonel William Travis, Colonel David Crockett, Colonel James Bowie