BATTLE OF THE ALAMO: CAUSES, PARTICIPANTS, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2024

The Battle of El Álamo (February 23, 1836 - March 6, 1836) was part of the military conflict between Mexico and Texas, unleashed by the attempt to gain independence from the latter territory. For a long time, American settlers had settled on that land. Immigration was so massive that they made up a great majority of the population.

The coming to power of General Santa Anna did not help to ease the existing tensions. By repealing the current federal Constitution, he provided the last excuse for Texans to take up arms.

The Fall of the Alamo. Source: Robert Jenkins Onderdonk

To fight the independentistas, Santa Anna marched with a battalion towards the town of San Antonio de Béjar. Nearby, a group of rebels had entrenched themselves in an old Spanish religious mission El Álamo, ready to resist the Mexican army.

After thirteen days of siege, Santa Anna took the makeshift fortress. All Texans died, either during the battle or later, executed by the Mexicans.

Despite the defeat, the Battle of the Alamo became a spur to the Texans. Shortly after, shouting "Remember the Alamo", they defeated Santa Anna's army, which was captured and ended up signing an agreement that declared Texas independence.

Background

The arrival of Anglo-Saxon settlers to Texas began already during the time of the Spanish viceroyalty. Various circumstances had made these lands remain very unpopulated, without awakening interest in the Spanish or French.

In 1821, Mexico declared independence. Its first leader, Emperor Agustín de Iturbide, allowed more American settlers to settle in Texas. To favor their arrival, he granted them seven years free of taxes, in addition to granting them the possibility of having slaves.

During that period, Texas enjoyed some autonomy. Later, with the Federal Republic, the government of Guadalupe Victoria maintained the incentives for the settlers, but joined the territory to Coahuila, forming the State of Texas and Coahuila.

Over time, Americans in Texas outnumbered three times as many as Mexicans. The first ideas of independence were beginning to permeate.

Santa Anna

When General Santa Anna seized power in Mexico, the country began to lose its federal character. His government began to acquire dictatorial overtones until, at the beginning of 1835, it repealed the Constitution of 1824. This caused riots among the Federalists, including those in the Texas area.

On the other hand, the United States had tried to buy Texas on several occasions, meeting with the Mexican refusal.

The Texans, for their part, had made a series of demands before the government of Mexico. First, to lift the ban on the arrival of more settlers established in 1830. Second, they wanted the tax exemption, which had expired, to return. And finally, they asked to establish their own state, without Coahuila.

Stephen Austin, with great influence among Texans, traveled to the Mexican capital to negotiate it, but without complete success. Between this and the already existing tension in the area, the uprising was inevitable.

Texas War of Independence

The first battle between the Mexican army and the Texan rebels took place in October 1835. Santa Anna, determined to stop the uprising at its inception, formed an army destined for that territory. "Army of Operations in Texas".

The Texans began their offensive with victories over the Mexican troops already stationed in Texas. On December 9, they managed to conquer Béjar, defeating General Martín Perfecto de Cos.

Santa Anna, enraged, promised to shoot all the prisoners he took and was even communicated by letter to the US President, Andrew Jackson.

The newly created Army of Operations in Texas, under the command of Santa Anna himself, began to march into the territory.

Fortress of the Alamo

Following the capture of San Antonio de Béjar, the Texans had established a garrison at an old Spanish mission, El Álamo. According to Santa Anna, it was "an irregular fortification, hardly worth the name."

In principle, El Álamo had been fortified to resist attacks by the tribes in the area, but not to withstand the artillery of a conventional army.

The Texans tried to strengthen the facilities, installing cannons along the walls. By January 1836, there were only about 100 soldiers inside, so the Texan commander called for reinforcements and supplies.

The rebel leaders did not ask, at that time, to provide the help requested from the Alamo, so the situation remained as it was.

Causes

Demography

Since the time of the Viceroyalty, Mexican governments had favored the arrival of Anglo-Saxons to the territory of Texas. So much of the population was of American origin.

This caused a desire to be governed under the laws of the United States, especially after the arrival of Santa Anna to power. In addition, there was no identification of the inhabitants with Mexico, nor had they adopted its culture.

Abolition of slavery

With independence, Mexico had enacted laws to abolish slavery. However, the Texas economy, highly focused on agriculture and with large farms, was supported in large part by slave labor.

Arrival to power of General Santa Anna

Texans were not very fond of the reforms undertaken by Antonio López de Santa Anna when he came to power. The military was not in favor of continuing with the federal structure, while the Texans even pretended to have a state of their own.

The proclamation of the Seven Laws, repealing the Federal Constitution, prompted pronouncements in various parts of the country, including Texas.

Search for independence

All of the above led to the Anglo-Saxon population of Texas beginning to seek independence from Mexico. To all this, we must add the US interference, which had previously tried to buy Texas from Mexico and which always defended the cause of the independentists.

Participants

The contenders in the Battle of the Alamo were Mexico, to which the territory belonged, and the Texas rebels who sought independence.

There were, in addition, some proper names that have gone down in history as protagonists of this war episode.

Antonio López de Santa Ana

After overthrowing the government in 1832, General Santa Anna became president of Mexico the following year. His trajectory had been quite changeable in the ideological, since he had supported different positions during the years after independence.

As president, he began governing with the federalists, later allying himself with the centralists, conservatives, and Catholics. Following this second line, he suppressed the federal structure in 1835. This caused rebellions and further divided the country.

Sam houston

Although he did not participate directly in the Battle of the Alamo, Houston was one of the fundamental characters in the events of the time. He was the main leader of the Texans and would be the one to capture Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto.

James Bowie

Like many other Americans, this adventurer moved to Texas in search of riches. There, he became rich speculating in land for the settlers and won the support of the most important families of San Antonio.

Already during the war against Mexico, Bowie became one of the leaders of the independentistas, distinguishing himself for his work on the battlefield. In 1836, he was among the defenders of the Alamo, awaiting the arrival of Santa Anna's troops.

Bowie, faced with the withdrawal orders issued by Houston, was in favor of resisting there, being appointed chief of the volunteers.

As in other aspects of this Battle, Bowie's death has been recounted in various ways, as the Americans have turned this confrontation into a founding myth.

Thus, some historians affirm that he died of tuberculosis before beginning the final assault, while others (mainly those from the United States) report that he died fighting from the infirmary bed during the battle.

David crockett

Davy Crockett became famous in his home state of Tennessee for his hunting skills. In addition, he began a political career, being elected to various positions, including that of a member of the United States Congress.

Losing the election to renew his seat for the fourth time, Crockett moved to Texas in 1835, after having enlisted in the army. On February 6, he met Bowie and they both responded to a call for help from Travis, Commander of the Alamo.

As with Bowie, his death is surrounded by questions. Some claim that he died fighting, while others claim that he survived the battle and was shot by order of Santa Anna.

Development

The success of the Texans in taking San Antonio de Béjar did not lead, however, to establish a large military garrison there. Instead, most of the soldiers retreated to their homes, leaving only a handful of men at the old Spanish mission of El Alamo.

For their part, the Mexicans commanded by General Santa Anna began to plan the counterattack. Thus, they assembled an army that reached 6000 men. In February 1836, the troops crossed the Rio Grande with the intention of reconquering San Antonio.

The Texans installed in the Alamo, led by Colonel William Travis, did not, in principle, give too much credit to the rumors that pointed to the Mexican advance. This meant that they did not ask for reinforcements and that, when Santa Anna arrived in San Antonio on February 26, they were outnumbered.

That's when Travis called in backup, but it was too late. It only had 150 men to face the army of Santa Anna.

The siege

The inhabitants of the town began to flee when they saw the Mexican army arrive. This was composed of about 1500 men, under the command of General Santa Anna himself. Meanwhile, in the Alamo, Travis placed a soldier in the bell tower, in order to give the alert of the arrival.

When, at last, the Mexican troops reached the area, they asked to parley with the Texans. Travis's response was a cannon shot, which was immediately met with gunfire. That move by the fortress commander caused some division among his men, as Bowie thinks it has been rash.

To try to save the situation, Bowie sent one of his henchmen to talk to Santa Anna. However, the Mexican general refused to meet him.

From that moment on, a siege began that lasted 13 days. The attackers were attacking the Texas forward positions, weakening the defenses. Then, under enemy fire, they advanced little by little, establishing positions ever closer.

The final assault

On March 6, at dawn, the final attack on the fortress of El Álamo took place. There is no consensus among historians on the development, as some claim that they managed to reach the walls the first time and others point out that there were two waves.

Finally, the besieged were unable to maintain their defenses. The Mexicans entered the interior of the fortress under the slogan "to slaughter", killing all the defenders.

The only survivors were Brigido Guerrero and Henry Warnell, who had left the mission two days before the siege began. The others died in the battle. The number, like many other aspects, has not been fully determined. The different sources speak of a death toll that ranges between 184 and 257.

Despite the fact that Santa Anna had promised not to take prisoners, the truth is that he respected the lives of non-combatant civilians. Instead, a small group of Texan soldiers was captured and later executed.

As for the casualties suffered by the Mexican army, the figures vary from the 900 dead and wounded reported by American historians and the 60 dead and 250 wounded that Santa Anna confirmed.

Consequences

The victory at the Alamo emboldened Santa Anna. Immediately, he divided his troops into several columns and sent them in search of the Texan leader: Sam Houston.

Remember the Alamo!

However, the Texans took advantage of the loss to create a revenge atmosphere, fueled by anger. The volunteers to enlist multiplied and decided to stand up to Santa Anna's troops. The ultimate goal was independence.

For a month and a half they dedicated themselves to reorganizing their forces. In the end, in San Jacinto, the final battle occurred. The Texans' rallying cry was "Remember the Alamo!"

Battle of San Jacinto

Commanding some 700 men, Santa Anna had been chasing Sam Houston east of the territory. The Texan chief was accompanied by about 800 soldiers. On April 21, the Mexicans, who had received reinforcements, camped next to the San Jacinto River.

According to historians, there was an excess of confidence in Santa Anna, who did not have surveillance or advanced defenses. Thus, the Texans surprised them, causing the troops to flee. In addition to the victory, they managed to capture the Mexican president Santa Anna.

Texas Independence

In prison, Santa Anna signed the Treaty of Velasco with the Texas rebels. The agreement required the withdrawal of all Mexican forces and the de facto independence of Texas. Some point out that it was also the germ of the future war between Mexico and the United States.

References

1. National Institute for Historical Studies of the Revolutions of Mexico. The Battle of the Alamo. Obtained from inehrm.gob.mx
2. Mexico history. Battle of the Alamo. Obtained from independencedemexico.com.mx
3. About History. The Battle of the Alamo. Obtained from sobrehistoria.com
4. New World Encyclopedia. Battle of the Alamo. Retrieved from newworldencyclopedia.org
5. Wallenfeldt, Jeff. Texas Revolution. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The Battle of the Alamo. Retrieved from tsl.texas.gov
7. Hickman, Kennedy. Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
8. Lee, Paul. The Alamo: 13 Days of Glory. Retrieved from historynet.com