Early History of the Alamo
Spanish settlers built the Mission San Antonio de Valeronamed for St. Anthony of Paduaon the banks of the San Antonio River around 1718. They also established the nearby military garrison of San Antonio de Béxarwhich soon became the center of a settlement known as San Fernando de Béxar (later renamed San Antonio). The Mission San Antonio de Valero housed missionaries and their Native American converts for some 70 years until 1793when Spanish authorities secularized the five missions located in San Antonio and distributed their lands among local residents.
Did you know?
Ten years after Texas won its independence and shortly after it was annexed by the United StatesU.S. soldiers revived the "Remember the Alamo!" battle cry while fighting against Mexican forces in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.
Beginning in the early 1800sSpanish military troops were stationed in the abandoned chapel of the former mission. Because it stood in a grove of cottonwood treesthe soldiers called their new fort “El Alamo” after the Spanish word for cottonwood and in honor of Alamo de Parrastheir hometown in Mexico.
Military troops–first Spanishthen rebel and later Mexican–occupied the Alamo during and after Mexico’s war for independence from Spain in the early 1820s. In the summer of 1821Stephen Austin arrived in San Antonio along with some 300 U.S. families that the Spanish government had allowed to settle in Texas. The migration of U.S. citizens to Texas increased over the next decadessparking a revolutionary movement that would erupt into armed conflict by the mid-1830s.
The Battle of the Alamo
In December 1835in the early stages of Texas’ war for independence from Mexicoa group of Texan (or Texian) volunteers led by George Collinsworth and Benjamin Milam overwhelmed the Mexican garrison at the Alamo and captured the fortseizing control of San Antonio. By mid-February 1836Colonel James Bowie and Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis had taken command of Texan forces in San Antonio.
Though Sam Houstonthe newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Texan forcesargued that San Antonio should be abandoned due to insufficient troop numbersthe Alamo’s defenders—led by Bowie and Travis—dug in nonethelessprepared to defend the fort to the last. These defenderswho despite later reinforcements never numbered more than 200included Davy Crockettthe famous frontiersman and former congressman from Tennesseewho had arrived in early February.
On February 23a Mexican force comprising somewhere between 1,800 and 6,000 men (according to various estimates) and commanded by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna began a siege of the fort. The Texans held out for 13 daysbut on the morning of March 6 Mexican forces broke through a breach in the outer wall of the courtyard and overpowered them.
Why Mexico Won the Alamo but Lost the Mexican-American War
In the Mexican-American WarMexico faced an enemy that was coming into its own as a military power.
In the Mexican-American WarMexico faced an enemy that was coming into its own as a military power.
Santa Anna ordered his men to take no prisonersand only a small handful of the Texans were spared. One of these was Susannah Dickinsonthe wife of Captain Almaron Dickinson (who was killed) and her infant daughter Angelina. Santa Anna sent them to Houston’s camp in Gonzalez with a warning that a similar fate awaited the rest of the Texans if they continued their revolt.
The Mexican forces also suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of the Alamolosing between 600 and 1,600 men.
Legacy of the Alamo
From March to MayMexican forces once again occupied the Alamo. For the Texansthe Battle of the Alamo became a symbol of heroic resistance and a rallying cry in their struggle for independence. On April 211836Sam Houston and some 800 Texans defeated Santa Anna’s Mexican force of 1,500 men at San Jacinto (near the site of present-day Houston)shouting “Remember the Alamo!” as they attacked. The victory ensured the success of Texan independence: Santa Annawho had been taken prisonercame to terms with Houston to end the war. In MayMexican troops in San Antonio were ordered to withdrawand to demolish the Alamo’s fortifications as they went.
Slavery and the Alamo
Some historians believe slavery was the driving issue in the showdown at the Alamoarguing that Mexico’s attempts to end slavery contrasted with the hopes of many white settlers in Texas at the time who moved to the region to farm cotton. Renovations to the Alamo have previously been stalled due to similar conversations over the site’s legacy and the role of slavery in the Texas revolution.”
‘Remember The Alamo!’
In 1845the United States annexed Texas. For many years afterwardthe U.S. Army quartered troops and stored supplies at the Alamo. The Alamo remained a symbol of courageand in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848U.S. soldiers revived the "Remember the Alamo!" battle cry while fighting against Mexican forces.
The Alamo has been commemorated on everything from postage stamps to the 1960 film The Alamo starring John Wayne as Davy Crockett. In 1883the state of Texas purchased the Alamolater acquiring property rights to all the surrounding grounds. The Daughters of the Republic of Texasa women’s organization including descendants of the earliest Texan residentshas managed the Alamo since 1905. Todaymore than 2.5 million people a year visit the Alamo. The 4.2-acre site includes some original structures dating back to the mission period.
