1. The Alamo and Goliad

2. People and Faces of “The Alamo”
Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston
Commander of Texas Army
Billy Bob Thornton as David
Crockett
Hero at the Alamo

3. People and Faces of “The Alamo”
Patrick Wilson as William Travis
Co-Commander at the Alamo
Jason Patric as James Bowie
Co-Commander at the Alamo

4. People and Faces of “The Alamo”
Emilio Echevarria as Gen. Santa Ana
President of Mexico
Jordi Molla as Juan Seguin
Tejano Scout for Texas

5. People and Faces of “The Alamo”
Laura Clifton as Susanna Dickinson
Survivor of Alamo
Marc Blucas as
James Bonham
Messenger of the Alamo

6. People and Faces of “The Alamo”
Brandon Smith as Lt.
Colonel James C. Neill
Original commander of
the Alamo
W. Earl Brown as
David G. Burnet
Ad Interim President
Of Texas

7. A Missed Opportunity
Santa Anna furious over Gen. Cós’ surrender (Cós is Santa Anna’ brother-in-law)
Texans waste time with no strong leadership
Most volunteers went home after the capture of San Antonio

8. The Texas Army
After capturing San Antonio, the Texas Army became smaller because it drifted without leadership, and most of the volunteer army returned home.
New arrivals from the U.S. came in units, twos and threes, or alone.
Some were well known, but many others were unknown farmers, hunters, and clerks.
Many different nationalities were represented.

9. The Texas Army The Texas forces remained scattered in many places.
Little coordination
or communication
existed between
these scattered
units.
Sam Houston was unable to unite the military units.

10. Texas Forces are Divided
San Antonio (100 men)
Col. James C. Neill
Goliad (450 men)
Col. James W. Fannin
San Patricio (100 men)
Col. Frank W. Johnson
Dr. James Grant

11. Texans Plan to Capture the Mexican City of Matamoros
Control of Matamoros
would boost the morale
of Republicans in Mexico.
Texans hoped that in moving the war south, Santa Anna would not interfere in Texas at all.
No single Texas force was large enough to make the attack, as the army units were so scattered.

12. Santa Anna’s Army
Santa Anna quickly recruited his army of some 6,000 soldiers, even though the volunteers were untrained, undisciplined, poorly clothed, poorly fed, and forced to fight with poor equipment against their will.

13. The Movement of Santa Anna’s Army
Santa Anna hoped to surprise the Texans by moving northward in the winter, so he could end the rebellion against the Mexican government and thus keep his authority and power.

14. Division of the Mexican Army
Santa Anna divided his army
into two main columns:
Santa Anna led one
division toward San
Antonio de Bexar.
The other column
commanded by
General Jose Urrea
moved toward
Goliad.

15. Texans at the Alamo Colonel Neill— 104 soldiers Colonel James Bowie—
25 soldiers from Goliad
William B. Travis—30
soldiers from San Felipe

16. Texans at the Alamo David Crockett— 12 more volunteers Juan Seguin
led many
Tejano
defenders

17. The Battle of the Alamo
Chapter 10
Section 2

18. Alamo – Then and Now

19. Jim Bowie’s Arrival at the Alamo
Bowie estimated that
1,000 troops would be
needed to defend the fortress.
Bowie and Travis felt
that holding the Alamo
at any cost was vital to
the future of Texas.
They began to strengthen
their defenses.

20. Strengths of the Alamo A good defensive position Walls--2-3 feet
thick and 6-12 feet high
Fortified by twenty
cannons
Adequate supplies
of beef and corn
Sufficient and
available water

21. Weaknesses of the Alamo
Incomplete wall that surrounded the main plaza of the old mission
A gap between the south wall and the old chapel on the southeast (closed only with sticks and dirt)
Mission too large for Travis to defend with the number of troops he had (nearly three acres of land with only 200 volunteers)

22. Alamo – Then

23. Travis’s Letters
Written to the people of Texas and the United States asking for assistance at the Alamo

24. Travis’s Best Known Letter
“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 put to the sword, if the fort is taken -- I have answered the demand with a with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls -- I shall never surrender or retreat Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch -- The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country -- Victory or Death!”

25. Travis’s Famous Letter
One of the finest
statements of courage in American history
Unfortunately brought little response from the outside--Texas forces still poorly organized and badly scattered

26. Travis Declares “Victory of Death”
Letter sent out by Travis asking for assistance
Alamo symbolizes struggle for independence
No help from Fannin or Houston
Albert Martin and George C. Kimball come with 32 men from Gonzales
Santa Anna plays “El Deguello” – slit throats
James Bonham (messenger) returns knowing he would face death

27. Santa Anna’s Well Trained and Well Equipped Army
An estimated 2,400 Mexican
troops headquartered at the
San Fernando Church, which
faced eastward toward the Alamo.
The red flag of “no quarter”
raised over Santa Anna’s
headquarters which meant
there would be no prisoners
in the coming battle.

28. Travis’s Last Appeal Written on March 3, 1836 Sent to the
President of the
Convention of 1836,
which was meeting
at Washington-on the-Brazos
Described what had already taken place and repeated the request for assistance

29. Travis’s Last Appeal (continued)
Warned the Convention
that the power of
Santa Anna must be
met at the Alamo
instead of in the
settlements
Concluded that
Travis and his troops
were determined to hold the Alamo

30. Fact or Legend?
Travis and his volunteers had no chance for victory and faced certain death.
Travis drew a line, so that all those who wished to stay and defend the Alamo could step over the line. All but one man crossed over the line.
These men decided to defend the Alamo for a cause in which they believed, even though they were free to leave the Alamo.

32. Facing Certain Death Constantly bombarded by Santa Anna for 13 Days
March 5th
Travis draw a line with his sword
Those who wish to stay and defend the Alamo were asked to cross over
Louis “Moses” Rose did not cross
Veteran of Napoleonic Wars
Thought Alamo was a lost cause
“Yellow” Rose of Texas
Constantly bombarded by Santa Anna for 13 Days
Texans had better long range rifles
Santa Anna had more men

33. The Mexican Armies Encircled the Alamo
At first, these
defenders held
the mission
against the
bombardment
of the heavy
Mexican cannons.

34. The Final Attack
Some 2,400 Mexican trained troops assaulted the Alamo at between 4-5 a.m. on March 6, 1836.
“El Degüello” played (no mercy will be shown)
The Texas defenders put up a stubborn resistance in the 1st and 2nd attacks, but they were slowly forced to give ground against the Mexican troops in the 3rd attack.
The battle was over by 8 a.m.

35. The Fall of the Alamo
Historians disagree over the number of casualties.
Santa Anna stated:
Over 600 Texans
70 Mexicans
Texans stated:
Texans
1500 Mexicans

36. After the Battle Santa Anna ordered that all defenders
of the the Alamo
be killed, so an
estimated
Texans were killed
at the Alamo. This
included Bowie,
Travis, and Crockett.

37. Survivors
Santa Anna released three wives of the defenders, which included Suzanna Dickinson. Her daughter, Angelina, an enslaved person, Joe Travis, Madame Andrea Candelaria, and Brigido Guerrero of San Antonio also survived.

38. The Alamo’s Significance
Without the Battle of the Alamo, Texas would not have won its independence.
Because of the loss of professional soldiers, Santa Anna had to delay the fighting for more than two weeks, which was of great value to the Texan cause.
The courage of Travis and his forces made Texans more determined than ever to win their independence.

39. The Alamo’s Significance (continued))
United States citizens
sent money and went
to Texas to help in the
struggle for freedom.
Other Texans were also inspired by the heroism of those in the Alamo.
“Remember the Alamo!” became the battle cry of Houston’s army.

43. Texans Defeated in South Texas
The other Mexican army led by General Urrea advanced from
Matamoros up through South Texas.

44. Urrea Sweeps Northward to Refugio
Advancing through South Texas (with 1000 soldiers) while Santa Anna attacks Alamo
Feb. 27, 1836 – San Patricio – defeated 50 Txns under command of Frank W. Johnson
March 2, 1836 – Agua Dulce – defeated 30 Txns under command of Dr. James Grant
Col. Fannin sent 130 men to assist at Refugio
March 13, 1836 – Refugio – defeated Txns under the command of Col. William Ward & Capt. Amon King
Rest of retreating Texas army captured at Victoria
Loss of lives at San Patricio, Agua Dulce, Refugio, & Victoria a severe blow to Texan efforts

45. The Battle at Coleto Fannin’s inability to make decisions hurt
the Texas cause.
Fannin delayed his
retreat from Goliad to Victoria, which allowed General Urrea to surround his army near Coleto Creek.

46. The Battle of Coleto (continued)
The Mexicans had
the advantage of
being in the nearby
woods, and after a
brief exchange of
gunfire, Fannin
asked General Uerrea
for the terms of
surrender.

47. Texans Surrender Confusion over surrender terms
Texans believed that they were prisoners of war and would be treated fairly
Surrender agreement in Mexican archives contains no such promise – shows Texans surrendered unconditionally (at the mercy of the Mexican commander)
Texans marched back to Goliad and imprisoned in the old presidio

48. Santa Anna’s “Cruel Necessity”
Urrea wrote to Santa Anna requesting that Fannin and his men’s lives be spared
Santa Anna ordered the immediate execution of the Texans
Feared that if the Texans were released that they would join others in the rebellion
Mexican law required the execution of those who “took up arms against the government”.

49. The Terms of Surrender Fannin was assured by Urrea that the
Texans would be
treated fairly no
matter what document
was signed.
However, Santa Anna
ordered the immediate
execution of the
Texans.

50. Fannin’s Surrender Colonel Fannin was the last prisoner to be shot.
Even though some
prisoners were
allowed to escape,
on Palm Sunday,
March 27, 350
prisoners were
executed.

51. “Angel of Goliad
Senora Francisca Alvarez helped care for the Texans and even allowed some to escape. She was known as the “Angel of Goliad.”

52. Lessons of Goliad
The fighting in South Texas revealed the lack of cooperation among Texas forces and convinced General Houston that he must not allow his forces to be separated into small groups.
This massacre angered Texans as had the deaths at the Alamo, so “Remember Goliad” now joined “Remember the Alamo” as the motto of Texas soldiers.

53. The Lessons of the Alamo and Goliad
Early April Santa Anna has everything going his way
Alamo battle cost Santa Anna:
Professional soldiers and officers
Delay gave Texans time to train and regroup
News inspired the U.S. to assist Texas in their fight – sent more people, supplies, $$
Lessons learned by Texans
Do not divided groups
Combine volunteer and regular army forces
Do not fight on an open prairie/plain – huge advantage for Mexican cavalry