Led large army to Texas because he wanted revenge against the Texans for making General Cos surrender in San Antonio. Decisions Concerning the Alamo Houston: sent James (Jim) Bowie & 25 Texans to decide if Texans should defend the fort or abandon it. Houston recommended that the Alamo be abandoned. Governor Smith believed it was important to defend the Alamo. o Its defenses had been improved. o Texans had access to weapons left there by Cos. o Alamo was located along the Old San Antonio Road and was best chance to stop Mexican army. Neill: Commander at Alamo who did not want to destroy the Alamo. Bowie: decided to stay & defend the Alamo Santa Anna: Weaknesses:

 Walls 2 to 3 feet thick and 12 feet high (palisades)  21 cannons including a powerful 18 pounder pointed to town  Supplies of beef and corn were high  Plenty of water  Better defensive position

Alamo in 1836 Strengths & Weaknesses

 Wall surrounding main plaza of mission was incomplete  Gap between the South wall and the old chapel  Mission was too large to defend with the low number of Texan troops Weaknesses:

Alamo in 1836 Strengths & Weaknesses

El Degüello (slit throat) No Mercy  More than 6,000 men  Hoped to surprise the Texans  Wanted revenge “No Quarter”: Take No Prisoners  New troops were untrained and undisciplined  Some troops were poorly clothed and fed  Many men had old muskets and poor equipment  Some were forced to fight against their will  Army marched several hundred miles in the winter Video Clip

Siege of the Alamo Mexican army arrived in San Antonio on February 23, The next day: Santa Anna demanded that the Texans surrender. The Texans answered with a cannon shot toward the Mexican army. The Mexicans raised the red flag and began to bombard the Alamo with cannons. Travis sends famous plea “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.”

Siege of the Alamo March 3: Travis sends final appeal for help to Washington-on- the-Brazos. March 6: Final Attack Begins Santa Anna’s band was playing El Degüello. At about 5 a.m., four columns of Mexican soldiers attacked the Alamo. Casualties: Almost all of the Alamo defenders were dead About 600 Mexicans were killed, wounded, captured, or missing in action The survivors of the attack were noncombatants, or people not involved in the fighting.