The Alamo
The Alamo is an old Spanish mission (like a church built by Catholic missionaries to minister to the natives) in what is now San Antonio, Texas, United States. The Alamo was authorized in 1718 but was not built until 1744. Its original name was San Antonio de Valero Mission.
| The Alamo | |
|---|---|
 The Alamo seen from up front. | |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Built | 1744 |
The Alamo is most famous for the Battle of the Alamo, which took place there in 1836. It was occupied by 187 men from Texas and elsewhere who were fighting for the independence of Texas, which was then in Mexico. the men in the Alamo were defeated by a force of 5,000 Mexican troops. General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was the general for the Mexican Army.[1] Nearly all of the defenders were killed, and "Remember the Alamo!" became the battle cry of the Texas Revolution. The battle ended on March 6, 1836, when those who surrendered were executed.[2]
Many years later, the Texas government restored the Alamo.[3] The Alamo became a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and is now open for tourists. It also became a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 5, 2015.
The Alamo Media
The Fall of the Alamo, painted by Theodore Gentilz in 1844, depicts the Alamo complex from the south. The Low Barracks, the chapel, and the wooden palisade connecting them are in the foreground.
James Bowie arrived at the Alamo Mission on January 19 with orders to destroy the complex. He instead became the garrison's co-commander.
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led Mexican troops into Texas in 1836.
William B. Travis became sole Texian commander at the Alamo on February 24.
This plan of the Alamo was created by José Juan Sánchez Navarro in 1836. Places marked R and V denote Mexican cannon; position S indicates Cos's forces.
The Fall of the Alamo (1903) by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk, depicts Davy Crockett wielding his rifle as a club against Mexican troops who have breached the walls of the mission.
A knife purportedly carried by Davy Crockett during the Battle of the Alamo
Detailed news of the battle sometimes took weeks to reach publication in the East, such as these April 9 columns in a Georgia newspaper.
A sarcophagus in the San Fernando Cathedral that is purported to hold the ashes of the Alamo occupiers. Historians believe it is more likely that the ashes were buried near the Alamo.
Susanna Dickinson survived the Battle of the Alamo. Santa Anna sent her to spread word of the Texian defeat to the Texas colonists.
References
- ↑ "The Alamo - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
- ↑ (in en) Relevance of the Battle of the Alamo is Still Present Today. 2016-03-07. http://news.utexas.edu/2016/03/07/relevance-of-the-battle-of-the-alamo-is-still-present-today. Retrieved 2017-04-26.
- ↑ "The Alamo Facts". www.softschools.com. Retrieved 2017-04-26.