Alamo Traces (27 page)
Authors: Thomas Ricks Lindley
The total is fifty-three men. The roster may contain a few errors and may not include all of the men who entered the Alamo with Crockett on the morning of March 4, 1836. Still, there is at least one piece of primary evidence that puts each man in the Alamo or strongly suggests each man was an Alamo defender.
The reinforcement was only partially successful in that perhaps only about one-third of the combined force made it into the Alamo. That result appears to have convinced the remaining men that the enemy line around the Alamo was too strong for their small force to break through. Also, they probably had a few wounded men. The force, however, seems to have remained in the area. They most likely returned to the Cibolo ford on the Gonzales road to await the arrival of additional men from Gonzales and Goliad.
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In probably late afternoon, Santa Anna met with his generals, battalion colonels, and one major. The group discussed the commander-in-chief's
plan for the final assault of the Alamo.
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Almonte later wrote: “A meeting of Generals and Colonels was held . . . After a long conference [Martin Perfecto] Cos, [Manuel F.] Castrillon, Orisnuela [Gregorio Urunuela], and [Jose Maria] Romero were of the opinion that the Alamo should be assaulted â first opening a breach with the two cannon of ______ and the two mortars, and that they should wait the arrival of the two 12 pounders expected on Monday the seventh. The President, Gen. Ramirez [y Sesma], and I were of the opinion that the 12 pounders should not be waited for, but the assault made. Colonels [Francisco] Duque and [Agustin] Amat, and the Major of the San Luis battalion did not give any definite opinion about either of the two modes of assault proposed. In this state things remained â the General not making any definite resolution.”
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Travis may have also met with his officers that afternoon. As least they would have had much to consider. The large compound was encircled by almost 2,400 enemy soldiers, comprised of about 2,000 footsoldiers and artillerymen and about 380 horsemen. Major Williamson and Fannin should have arrived with a large force by that time, but they were nowhere to be seen.
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During the night, Santa Anna had the third and last Mexican artillery battery installed north of the Alamo. Lieutenant Ignacio Berrospe, an engineer officer, supervised the construction. The fortification was put in place to hammer the Alamo's north wall for the final assault.
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Sometime that evening, John W. Smith left the Alamo for the last time. He rode east, probably to locate what remained of the combined force. If he found them, their officers probably told him they would not attempt to enter the Alamo without additional men. Getting killed while trying to enter the fortress would not have helped Travis and his men. Regardless of what may or may not have happened at the Cibolo ford, Smith continued on to Gonzales to search for help.
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There were men at Gonzales but not many. Captain Jesse Billingsly arrived sometime during the day with his company of Mina Volunteers. Lt. Colonel James C. Neill had arrived sometime after March 1 and had assumed command of all the troops at that settlement. The town had two bronze cannon, a four-pounder and a six-pounder, guns that had been captured at the storming of Bexar in December 1835. Neill had the guns mounted on carriages made from the front and back wheels of a cotton
wagon. Also, he collected provisions, equipment, clothing, and medicine for the ride to the Alamo.
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Also, at Gonzales that day, Travis's letters of March 3 and a missive from Crockett calling for assistance were most likely given to a courier to take to San Felipe and Washington-on-the-Brazos. The rider was William Bull, who was paid five dollars by Joseph D. Clements, a Gonzales resident, to deliver the express mail.
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At San Antonio Colonel Almonte reported that the day was clear and moderate with a thermometer reading of fifty degrees. Ideal weather for the heavy labor of working hot cannon. He continued in his diary: “A brisk fire was commenced from our north battery against the enemy, which was not answered, except now and then.” At high noon the temperature was almost seventy degrees.
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Sometime that day, perhaps in the morning, Ben Highsmith arrived from Goliad. He later reported that as he approached the Alamo he saw that it was circled by cavalrymen “. . . on the look out for messengers whom they knew the Texan commander was sending from the doomed fort.” Highsmith, seeing that he had no chance to join Travis, departed for Gonzales. The enemy, however, saw the young Texian and pursued him. The chase continued for six milesâtwo miles beyond Salado Creek. Young Ben, who must have been riding an extremely strong and fast horse, escaped his pursuers.
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In the afternoon Santa Anna called his senior officers together. The Mexican general had made a decision about the Alamo. At 2:00 p.m. he issued “secret” attack orders to the “Generals, Chiefs of Sections, and Commanding Officers.” The assault was to be conducted by four separate columns from the north, south, east, and west. The attack was to take place the following morning just before daylight in order to catch the Alamo defenders by surprise, when their sleep was the most sound.
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Santa Anna's secret plan was soon compromised to some extent. That evening Angel Navarro crossed the river and approached the Alamo. He requested that Juana Alsbury and Gertrudis Navarro, his daughters, be allowed to leave the compound. Undoubtedly, Navarro's appeal made Travis realize that a major assault on the fort would soon take place. Thus, he took advantage of the opportunity to send a message out with Mrs. Alsbury, who went out to talk with her father. Little valid
evidence of this incident has survived.
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General Filisola, however, left this description: “On that same evening about nightfall it was reported that Travis Barnet [
sic
], commander of the enemy garrison, through the intermediary of a woman, proposed to the general in chief that they would surrender arms and fort with everybody in it with the only condition of saving his life and that of all his comrades in arms. However, the answer had come back that they should surrender unconditionally, without guarantees, not even of life itself, since there should be no guarantees for traitors. With this reply it is clear that all were determined to lose their existence, selling it as dearly as possible. Consequently they were to exercise extreme vigilance in order not to be surprised at any time of the day or night.” Mrs. Alsbury, after hearing from Santa Anna or his representative, returned to the Alamo.
101
Later that night the last courier from the Alamo left for Goliad. The rider was a young man named James L. Allen. Allegedly, he was selected because he had a “fleet mare.” Yet, he had no saddle. He rode bareback “with his arms about the animal's neck and bending low the better to conceal himself. . . .” Apparently, he passed through the enemy lines unnoticed because of their preparation for the final attack on the Alamo. Allen would later tell Fannin that the Mexicans had erected an artillery battery four hundred yards from the Alamo and that “every shot goes through the walls.”
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The Mexican artillery remained quiet that night. Thus, the people in the Alamo obtained some much-needed sleep. The defenders, sleeping or not, probably knew that an attack, a fatal one, could occur at any time. Travis's men would have been doing everything possible to repair the damage to the north wall, which was most likely nothing more than shoring up the interior side with a dirt embankment. Also, given the cannonball pounding the north wall had been taking, Travis would have realized that the main thrust of the attack would be at that point. Thus, he most likely shifted weapons, ammunition, and men to positions that would allow them to react quickly to wherever they were needed.
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That afternoon or evening John W. Smith would have arrived at Gonzales. The force there had not grown much larger. Besides Billingsly's company, Sidney Sherman had arrived with a company of American volunteers from Kentucky. Moseley Baker's San Felipe company of foot soon joined the Gonzales force.
104
At about a half-hour before daylight, Santa Anna's soldiers, with rockets bursting in the dark sky to signal the assault, stormed the Alamo fortress from the south, the north, the west, and the east with a force of about 1,500 men. Ramirez y Sesma, with part of the Dolores cavalry, was stationed in the
alameda
(cottonwood grove) about a hundred yards southeast of the Alamo. Colonel Ventura Mora, with the rest of the cavalry, was stationed north of the Alamo, probably near the Mexican artillery battery.
105
In a brief description, Colonel Almonte reported: “At 5 A.M. the columns were posted at their respective stations, and at half past 5 the attack or assault was made, and continued until 6 A.M. When the enemy attempted in vain to fly, they were over taken and put to the sword, and only five women, one Mexican soldier (prisoner,) and a black slave escaped from instant death. On the part of the enemy the result was, 250 killed, 17 pieces of artillery â a flag; muskets and fire arms taken. Our loss was 60 soldiers and 5 officers killed, and 198 soldiers and 25 officers wounded â 2 of the latter General officers. The battalion of Toluca lost 98 between the wounded and killed.”
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Sam Bastian and his comrades appear to have watched the final assault from their hiding place northwest of the Alamo. Bastian reported: “Disguising myself, and in company with Rigault, the creole, we stole into the town. Everything was in confusion. In front of the fort the Mexican dead covered the ground, but the scene inside was awful.” After they had completed their dangerous visit, Bastian claimed: “We now thought it time to look after ourselves, and made for the chaparral, where our companions were [waiting]. We had nearly reached the wood when a mounted lancer overtook us. Rigault awaited and shot him dead, and so we made our escape.” Ultimately, these men appear to have fallen back to Gonzales.
107
The remaining members of the combined force that camped at or near the Cibolo Creek ford on the Gonzales road also realized the Alamo had fallen. Some of these men retreated to Gonzales, arriving on March 8. Others appear to have joined Fannin at Goliad. Juan Seguin may have sent a part of his Tejano company to his ranch and the Flores ranch on the San Antonio River to evacuate their families to Nacogdoches. Seguin and his remaining men then rode to Gonzales with John Chenoweth and Francis De Sauque.
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Cibolo Creek ford on the Gonzales/San Antonio road
and author's good friend Donald Hoffman
On March 7, probably in the morning, John W. Smith, unaware that the Alamo had fallen, departed Gonzales with fifty volunteers to return to the Alamo. The force seems to have ridden to Bexar on the upper road, which was also known as the “Mill” road. That route ran northwest from Gonzales, then southwest to San Antonio, through the area that became the town of Seguin, Texas.
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The Gonzales-bound element of the combined force, under command of Chenoweth, De Sauque, and Seguin, arrived at that settlement on March 8.
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Two men from the combined relief group appear to have ridden northeast from San Antonio to Nacogdoches. The March 29, 1836 issue of the
Arkansas Gazette
carried this report:
San Antonio retaken, and the Garrison massacred. â Just as our paper was ready for press, a gentleman who arrived this morning, from Red River, informs us, that, on Thursday night last [March 24], he spent the night, on the Little Missouri, with a man and his family, who had fled from the vicinity of San Antonio after that post was besieged by the Mexicans. This man, he says, informed him, that on his arrival at Nacogdoches, he was overtaken by two men (one of them badly wounded), who informed him that San Antonio was retaken by the Mexicans, and the garrison put to the sword â that if any others escaped the general massacre, besides themselves, they were not aware of it.
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