Remember the Alamo!

March 6, 1836

The History

Settlement of the San Antonio area escalated in 1821, when the Mexican authorities opened the province of Texas to foreign settlement, realizing the need to occupy the vast area of Texas. The Mexican authorities gave the settlers tax and customs abatements but did not include government services such as defense. The new settlements governed themselves and soon the newcomers (Texians or Texans) outnumbered the original Mexican population (Tejanos) by five to one.

In 1823, Mexico passed the Imperial Colonization Law, the first of several, encouraging settlers to the Texas area. In 1824, the new Mexican government redefined territories as states joining two separate territories into one state, Tejas y Coahuila. This turned out to be an unpopular move with the settlers and armed protests were staged. Colonization was halted in 1830. This unrest had culminated in 1832 with the taking of a Mexican fort on Galveston Bay by the Texans.

In 1833, Stephen F. Austin, representing the settlers, traveled to Mexico City to try to persuade the new president, Santa Anna, to recognize Texas and Coahuila as separate states. When Santa Anna rose to power he had revoked the Mexican Constitution of 1824. He also dissolved local legislatures and imposed central control. The Texans soon discovered that their political conventions were considered acts of treason. The Mexican government was losing control and tried to take it back, but many troubles were brewing. Tension continued with skirmishes occurring periodically.

December 10, 1835: a Mexican garrison of 1,105 surrendered and evacuated the Alamo, and the Texans took over.

January 3, 1836: The Texan government authorized a raid on Matamoras, Mexico, but failed to establish a clear chain of command. They eventually named four different commanders including Sam Houston, and Col. James Fannin, a West Point attendee who had resigned after two years in the academy. Many of those who gathered to fight were American adventurers rather than Texan settlers who had gone home for the spring planting.

January 10, 1836: Many from the Texan ruling council complained that the Alamo had been stripped of cannons and supplies for the Matamoras expedition.

January 17, 1836: Sam Houston sent Jim Bowie and about 20 men to the Alamo with orders to destroy it.

February 8, 1836: Former Tennessee congressman David "Davy" Crockett arrived with about a dozen of his "Tennessee volunteers".

February 11, 1836: Col. James Neill, official commander of the Alamo, left for personal business, leaving Travis in command. The garrison, however, held an election and elected Bowie. The two agreed to be co-commanders.

February 15, 1836: Santa Anna arrived at the Rio Grande, near present-day Eagle Pass. He commanded that every Texan rebel be executed or exiled, the other settlers sent to the interior and replaced with Mexican settlers, and immigration stopped.

February 16, 1836: Fannin at Goliad got the first of several appeals for aid from Travis at the Alamo. Fannin refused.

February 23, 1836: the siege of the Alamo began. The defenders were out-numbered ten to one but are the only things standing in the way of the destruction of Texas. They had an assortment of nearly two dozen cannon but a shortage of technical skills and equipment made them nearly unusable.

February 24, 1836: Travis sent out his famous appeal for reinforcements.

February 27, 1836: Travis sent out another appeal to Fannin carried by his close friend and fellow South Carolinian, James Butler Bonham. When Bonham began his journey back to the Alamo another rider begged him not to return to certain death. He did return and reported the negative results of his mission.

March 2, 1836: A new Texas government declared independence from Mexico.

March 4, 1836: Fannin finally decided to head toward the Alamo, but only four miles into the journey wagons began breaking down and he turned back. That night a woman left the Alamo and reported to Santa Anna that the defenses were crumbling and about to collapse. She urged him to attack immediately.

March 6, 1836: the Alamo was stormed before dawn. The Mexicans attempts to scale the wall were repelled until the third attempt. The size of the initial attack force was approximately 1400 to about 189 defenders. Most sources agree that the attack lasted about 1½ hours. When the attack ended, the Alamo was destroyed and approximately 189 Texans and 1600 Mexicans lay dead.

March 11, 1836: Sam Houston reached Gonzales. He heard of the fate of the Alamo and ordered Fannin to join him but Fannin did not respond in a timely fashion. Fannin went to Goliad and as he was moving his troops out of Goliad he was soon surrounded and pinned down.

March 20, 1836: Fannin surrendered unconditionally and has the understanding that he and his men will be expelled from Mexico.

March 27, 1836: Fannin and his men are marched out of Goliad under Santa Anna's orders and shot.

March 28, 1836: the Mexican army advanced from San Antonio and began burning Texan settlements. Houston was at the Brazos River with approximately 1400 troops.

April 1836: most Texans abandoned their land and fled to the Louisiana border that was also the U.S. border.

April 18, 1836: Houston's scout, Deaf Smith, captured a Mexican courier. His papers showed the planned Mexican movements. The courier's saddlebags carried the monogram "W.B. Travis".

April 21, 1836: Houston's force of 918 overran Santa Anna's troops of 1200 while they were taking a siesta.

April 22, 1836: Santa Anna was found hiding in the bushes and captured. He agreed to recognize Texas' independence and ordered all Mexican forces to evacuate Texas. The war for Texas independence was won at the Battle of San Jacinto with the Texans crying, "Remember the Alamo!" and "Remember Goliad!"

After the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas became an independent republic. At the end of 1845, Texas was annexed by the United States at its request.