THE ALAMO
By Harold Merton
San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution.
Originally named Mision San Antonio de Valero, The Alamo served as home
to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. Construction
originally began on the site in 1724. In the early 1800s, the Spanish
military stationed a calvary unit at the former mission. In December of
1835 Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against Mexican troops
quartered in the city. After five days of fighting they forced the Mexicans
to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied The Alamo - already
fortified prior to the battle. They increased the fortification. In February
of 1836 the arrival of the Mexican army almost caught them by surprise.
Undaunted, the Texians and the Tejanos prepared to defend The Alamo together.
They held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William Travis, the
commander of the Alamo sent couriers carrying pleas for help to communities
in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived
bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. The defenders
saw the Alamo as a key to the defence of Texas and were ready to give
their lives rather than surrender. Among the Alamo's defenders were Jim
Bowie, a renowned knife fighter and Davie Crockett, famed frontiersman.
The final attack came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836.
The Alamo's defenders beat back several attacks but the Mexican army regrouped
and scaled the walls. Once inside they turned the captured canon on the
Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricade doors. The struggle
continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. They all lost their lives
in defence of The Alamo. There is no doubt about what that battle has
come to symbolize. People continue to "remember the Alamo" as
a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds. It was a place where men
made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and for this reason the Alamo
remains hallowed ground and a shrine of Texas Liberty.
The famous building that remains is the church. Inside you will find
several rooms and a well stocked souvenir sales room. The Daughters of
the Republic of Texas have been entrusted by the Texas State Legislature
since 1905 with the care and maintenance of The Alamo. They must preserve
the historic site "as a sacred memorial to the heroes who immolated
themselves upon that hallowed ground". In keeping with this goal
they do not allow any photographs of the interior of the building. It
is a place were millions of people have already paid their respect and
millions more will follow them. The Alamo is now in downtown San Antonio.
It is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There is no admission charge but donations are accepted.
The Alamo
P.O. Box 2599
San Antonio TX 78299
210.225.1391