The purpose of this paper is to discuss an alternate ending to one of the greatest battles in Texas history, the battle of the Alamo. This paper will show how using Intellectual standards and critical seasoning can be used to conduct battle analysis as well as develop and alternate outcome to a historical battle. The turning point in the fight for Texas' independence from Mexico was the fight at the Alamo again Santa Ana. If Santa Ana would not have won that decisive victory over the Texas militia at the Alamo, the fight for Independence from Mexico would have possibly taken longer to rally the troops. Before the siege at the Alamo, Santa Ana used his understanding of the battlefield by properly using his scouts and strategically placing cannons …show more content…
By 1835 there were some 30,000 former Americans, plus some 5000 slaves, living in Texas. Concerned, the central government of Mexico, tried to accomplish three things: Free the slaves, bring Texas under direct rule of Mexico City and halt immigration from the United States. Rather than submit, the colonists revolted and declared independence. The defenders of the Alamo were led by William Travis and James Bowie, They were later joined by famed backwoodsman and former member of Congress Davy Crockett. The Mexican government, determined to restore order, sent General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna, and over 6,000 soldiers north to San Antonio and the Alamo. The army reached San Antonio on 23 February 1836. At this time, Bowie was quite ill and Travis led the defense. For the next 13 days, Santa Anna and his army remained outside the range of the Alamo's' cannons. Finally in the early morning of 6 March his forces attacked. Never meant to be a fort, the Alamo fell by 8:00 AM. Angered at the resistance, Santa Anna had ordered that there be no quarter and no mercy. Those defenders taken alive were killed outside the mission and all the defenders bodies were burned. The only survivors were Susan Dickerson, …show more content…
That instant when the Alamo fell, intertwined Santa Ana's fate with the Alamo. (LSJunction, 1999)
What if Santa Ana did not strategically place forces around the Alamo and reinforcements had come to aid the Alamo? The Alamo was never intended to be a defensive position by any means, but was meant to be a mission. The Mission San Antonio De Valero, established in the early 18th century, was situated along the San Antonio River. By 1800, the missionaries were displaced and their land was seized for military purposes. Occupying soldiers called the Mission-turned-garrison El Alamo after the cottonwood trees surrounding it. Eventually the mission was officially renamed The Alamo. First Spanish soldiers, then Mexican soldiers occupied The Alamo. With only 200 Texan soldiers defending the Alamo, Santa Ana lost 600 soldiers during the 13 day siege of the Alamo. Reinforcements would have turned the tide in favor of the Texans. William B. Travis wrote a letter to the people of Texas and all Americans. “I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be
The Battle of the Alamo is probably the most famous battle to take place in the history of, and in the state of, Texas. The battle has given Texans the will to persevere against tough odds and the courage to endure through seemingly impossible situations for many generations. Many a Texan would draw inspiration during the fights following the defeat at the Alamo. This inspiration eventually led them to victory during the Texas Revolution following the Battle of San Jacinto. Had the Texas military correctly utilized their intelligence and combat assets available to them at the time, they would have been able to properly reinforce the Alamo. This would have allowed Texan leadership to develop an effective strategy to defeat the Mexican army
The Alamo is a 2004 American war film about the Battle of the Alamo amid the Texas Revolution; it is a motion picture that catches the dejection and fear of men sitting tight for two weeks for what they hope to be sure passing, and it some way or another succeeds in taking those popular society brand names like Davy Crockett and James Bowie and giving them human structure. The film was coordinated by Texan John Lee Hancock, delivered by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark Johnson, dispersed by Touchstone Pictures, and featuring Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston, Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett, and Jason Patric as James Bowie. The film relates to history, the Alamo looks exact, and, in reality, we find that San Antonio de Béxar was deliberately re-made with small saving of cost. In any case, a feeling of the way the occasions at the Alamo are joined with the national story of slavery, development, and the evacuation of Native American from the eastern United States in the 1830s and 1840s is missing. On the off chance that we incorporate this bigger story, we can maybe figure out the more extensive point of view that at first created enthusiasm for the venture.
Sleuthing the Alamo: Davey Crockett’s Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution is more about the issue of racism than it is about history itself. The author does make several good points and gives historical documentation to back up his points such as the diary of Jose` Enrique de la Pena. However, the book has a lot of opinion mixed in with fact. Crisp does not get an overview of the battle of the Alamo from both sides but takes his opinion from the Mexican standpoint and the standpoint of a German soldier.
The men fought very bravely and had some of the best fighters in America at their side, such as Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William B. Travis were all patriots who came together to fight for Texas’s freedom. All of the soldiers who fought for the Alamo were volunteers, all wanting their freedom from the Santa Anna. The Texan soldiers defeated over 700 of the Santa Anna’s soldiers but still lost the battle of the Alamo.
What I can conclude from the fall of Alamo is that if the city had stayed behind as one and fought against the enemy, they would have won. We can see from the only 150 men left behind who were able to guard the walls for 4 days while surrounded by thousands of enemies. It, therefore, marked an important chapter in history as America will forever remember the fearless soldiers (Digitalhistory.uh.edu,
The film “The Alamo” revealed the history of Texas and battle of Alamo about Texas revolution, early back in the mid-1830s. The film was released in 2004, which reflected how the Texans fought bravely against Mexicans government to preserve their independence from the Mexico. Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, William Barrel Travis, Davy Crockett, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna were the main characters of the movie. Sam Houston was the governor of the Texas and used to live with Indians. Jim Bowie was the colonel with a huge knife and was opportunities. William B Travis was lieutenant colonel who divorced his wife and Jim used to call him “Buck” in the movie. Davy Crockett was renowned as a bear fighter and sharpshooter. He used to play violin and everybody
The battle at the Alamo is one of the most significant events in the Texas Revolution, as well as in both Mexican and American history. For Mexican President and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, it was a tale of determination and holding to the principles of a strong, central government. For Americans living in Texas, the Alamo was a venture of small scale Revolutionary ideals; a people should be able to democratically express how they feel their homeland to be governed. As we know, both countries experienced the extreme opposites of their desired outcomes, if only initially. The tales of this specific point in time are many, though some certainly contain many varying details from the next. However, most can hardly be proven, as
Knowing that the Texans were not obeying Mexico’s laws, the Mexican President sent Antonio López de Santa Anna to fight and stop the revolting Texans. “Santa Anna gained his earliest military experience fighting for the Spanish army
On February 15 and 16, 1836, General Santa Anna and his men crossed the Rio Grande to put down the uprising and prevent Texas from becoming its own state. The Mexican Army successfully won multiple skirmishes and battles, to include the Alamo and Goliad (Hardin, 2004).
Even though Travis did not succeed due to the overwhelming number of Santa Ana’s army which Travis and the troops paid with their lives Travis’s letter did however struck a core in many of the volunteers and the US army, which Sam Houston led to victory over Santa Anna in April 21 1836, in the Battle of San Jacinto. Travis’s letter had a vast impact that shaped the destiny of America and the world with the defeat of Santa Anna since the Republic of Texas
General Sam Houston did not see San Antonio as an area worth holding because most of the Anglo settlements were in the eastern section of the region. Because of the General Houston sent Jim Bowie to San Antonio with orders to destroy the Alamo and return with the rebels and their weapons. Bowie along with William B. Travis disregarded the general’s orders and took refuge
In January of 1836 about 145 Texans were fortified in the soft walls of the Alamo also known as Cottonwood. Some of the important people here were lieutenant Colonel William Berret Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crocket. Meanwhile Santa Anna drove his troops into Texas in the dead of winter to level the Alamo. They arrived and began their siege on February 23. Fighting Ensued for about 13 days with minimum casualties. But on the 13th day of battle March 6, 1836 Santa Anna ordered a surprise attack from all sides in the dead of night. All defenders of the Alamo died that night.
Texans are full of pride and have been since the term Texan was created. The Texas revolutionary war was a great battle between Mexican Republic and the Texas Colonists. The Texas Revolution was also known as the Texas War of Independence. What will be discussed throughout the research paper are the battles that took place throughout the revolutionary war. The paper will explain how these battles shaped the way Texas Independence was won and how it shaped the future for Texan colonists. The battles of Gonzales, Goliad, The Alamo, and the final battle of San Jacinto played the biggest roles in the Texas Revolution
Throughout American history, a number of battles come to hold iconic positions in the shaping of this great nation: Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Alamo, Gettysburg, Belleau Wood, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and the Battle of the Bulge, just to name a few. When the Spanish-American War of is thought of, the Battle of San Juan Hill undoubtedly comes to mind. Americans think of the great sacrifices throughout the fight. They think of Teddy Roosevelt charging up San Juan hill, leading his Rough Riders to a miraculous victory. They remember this all-American combination of valiant cowboys, Ivy Leaguers, Pawnee Scouts, polo players and New York City policemen
It is our duty, as soon to be Second Lieutenants in the Army, to learn from history. Learning from mistakes in the past is necessary to understand the responsibilities we will soon have. The Battle of Gettysburg shows prime examples of the nine principles of war: Objective, Offensive, Mass, Economy of Force, Maneuver, Unity of Command, Security, Surprise and Simplicity. In the military today, we are overwhelmingly blessed with every asset that we have including technology and monetary resources the list could go on forever but the most invaluable asset is history. Although all nine principles of war are pertinent to success on the battlefield, only five will be discussed in this analysis.