Battle of the Alamo

battle_name=Battle of the Alamo

Controversies of the Alamo

The line in the sand

A legend persists that on March 3 or March 4, Lt. Col. Travis drew a line in the sand with his sword and invited all those who were willing to stay, and presumably to die, to cross over the line. Allegedly, the invalided Jim Bowie was carried across the line at his request. According to one variant of the story, all but one defender crossed the line. Louis (or Lewis) "Moses" Rose, said to be a French soldier who had fought under Napoleon in Russia before arriving in Texas, allegedly slipped out of the Alamo. After evading the Mexican forces by moving at night, Rose is said to have taken shelter with the family of William P. Zuber to whom he told the tale of his escape. In 1873, Zuber (or his son) published a version of the story, which has not been historically documented.

Related Topics:
March 3 - March 4 - Louis (or Lewis) "Moses" Rose - Napoleon - Russia - 1873

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Death of David (Davy) Crockett

The popular belief has been that Crockett went to his death during combat, perhaps taking a number of Mexicans with him. Before the siege, Santa Anna ordered that a red flag be raised from San Fernando cathedral indicating to the defenders inside the Alamo that no quarter would be given. According to the controversial José de la Peña diary, several defenders who had not been killed in the final assault on the Alamo were captured by Col. Manuel Fernández Castrillón (178?–1836) and were presented to Santa Anna, who personally ordered their execution. Among the six prisoners was David Crockett. De la Peña also states that Travis attempted to negotiate a surrender with Santa Anna, but was turned down on the grounds of 'no guarantees for traitors'.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Flags of the Alamo

After the battle, Mexican soldiers discovered the company flag of the New Orleans Greys and sent it to Mexico City as proof of U.S. involvement. It is now the property of the National Historical Museum in Mexico City. No one knows which flag flew over the Alamo during the battle. One flag of note was the Mexican tri-color flag with the numbers "1824" set in the middle denoting the Constitution of 1824. Another flag might have been the Mexican tri-color with two stars in the middle denoting Coahuila y Tejas. The flag issue thus remains unsolved.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~