1. Thirteen Day Siege of the
Alamo

2. The Alamo
January, 1836 events – originally named mission
of San Antonio de Valero
 Jan. 6 – Colonel James C. Neill, commander of
the Alamo, reported to the acting governor
that he had 104 men, but they lacked food or
clothing.
 Jan. 14 – Colonel Neill wrote to General Sam
Houston, “Men in field for four months. Today
we were to receive pay for the first month. I
have 100 men. If they do not get paid, 20 of
them will leave immediately for home.”

3. The Alamo
 Jan. 15 – Alamo garrison had decreased to
80 men as the volunteers continued to
leave.
 Jan. 17 – After reading Col. Neill’s message,
Sam Houston orders Colonel James Bowie
to the Alamo to remove all gun powder and
supplies then blow up the Alamo to keep it
away from Mexicans.
 Jan. 19 – Colonel James Bowie arrived at
the Alamo with 30 men.

4. February 1836
 Tuesday, Feb. 2 - Colonel Bowie and Colonel Neill
decided that the safety of Texas depended on
maintaining the Alamo as a fortress.
 Governor Smith asked William Barret Travis to
recruit 100 men and lead them to San Antonio to
support Neill.
– He only could recruit 29 and was embarrassed and
asked to be relieved of the command.
 Wednesday, Feb. 3 – Lt. Colonel William B. Travis
arrived in San Antonio with 29 men.

5. February 1836
 Monday Feb. 8 - David Crockett, former
Congressman from Tennessee, arrived in San
Antonio de Béxar with 13 men.
 Thursday, Feb. 11 - Colonel Neill left the
Alamo on a leave of absence due to an
illness in his family.
 This left Travis and Bowie arguing about who
would take command.

6. February 1836
 Friday, Feb. 12 - Colonel Travis assumed
the role of Alamo commander because he
was in the regular army, but soon a
dispute between Travis and Bowie began
over who should be the rightful
commander of the Alamo.
– Bowie was older and had more experience at
fighting on the frontier.
– He would ignore commands from Travis.

7. February 1836
 Sunday, Feb. 14 – Bowie and Travis
decided to hold an election to decide who
commanded the Alamo, but it was a tie.
– Travis commanded the regular Army.
– Bowie commanded the volunteers.
 Tuesday Feb. 16 - General Santa Anna
crossed the Rio Grande and started for
San Antonio de Béxar.
 Map of San Antonio de Bexar

8. February 1836
 Thursday, Feb. 18 - A scout reported to
Colonel Travis that the Mexican Army had
crossed the Rio Grande.
 Sunday, Feb. 21 – Santa Anna was only
eight miles away from San Antonio de
Béxar.
 Monday, Feb. 22 - General Santa Anna
rested his troops while waiting for the
Medina River to recede.

9. 13 Days of the Siege of the
Alamo
Day 1: Tuesday, February 23, 1836
 General Antonio López de Santa Anna arrived
in San Antonio that afternoon with his army.
– A blood red banner was raised atop the bell tower of
San Fernando Church, signifying that no prisoners
would be taken.
– Colonel William B. Travis ordered a cannon fired in
response. The Mexican soldiers fired back and the siege
of the Alamo had begun.

10. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
Day 2: Wednesday,
February 24, 1836
 Gravely ill, Colonel James
Bowie turned over
command of the
volunteers to Colonel
Travis. Travis sent
Captain Albert Martin to
Gonzales with a letter
addressed "To the People
of Texas and All
Americans in the World.“
William Barret Travis Letter from the commandancy of
the Alamo 1836
Commandancy of the Alamo
Bexar, Feby. 24th, 1836
To the People of Texas & all Americans in the World--
Fellow Citizens and Compatriots--
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 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 despatch--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
& die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own
honor & that of his country--Victory or Death.
William Barret Travis Lt. Col. comdt.
P.S. The Lord is on our side--When the enemy appeared in sight
we had not three bushels of corn--We have since found in
deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels, and got into the walls 20 or 30
head of Beeves--
Travis
Send this to San Felipe by Express night & day--

11. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
Day 3: Thursday, February 25, 1836
 In San Antonio, Santa Anna moved his batteries
closer to the walls. A strong norther blew in
that night around 9:00 p.m. and the
temperature was close to freezing.
Day 4: Friday, February 26, 1836
 A skirmish occurred east of the fort when a
group of Texans, who had left the Alamo to
gather wood, encountered Mexican troops. The
Mexican Army tried to cut the Alamo’s water
supply.

12. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
Day 5: Saturday, February 27, 1836
 James Butler Bonham left the Alamo headed for
Goliad and Gonzales to get more help. Nighttime
activity by the Mexican Army kept the Texans on
alert, allowing them very little sleep.
Day 6: Sunday, February 28, 1836
 Colonel Fannin left Goliad at the head of a relief
column, but turned back after only traveling a short
distance because the wagon with the cannon broke
down. Fighting at the Alamo continued.

13. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
Day 7: Monday, February 29, 1836
 Santa Anna’s batteries moved still closer to
the Alamo’s walls.
Day 8: Tuesday, March 1, 1836
 The Gonzales Ranging Company which
was about 32 men, arrived at the Alamo at
3:00 a.m., raising hopes that others would
soon follow. Texans fired two cannon
shots at the house on Main Plaza occupied
by Santa Anna--one hit the house but he
was unharmed.

14. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
Day 9: Wednesday, March 2, 1836
 Heavy Mexican cannonading continued. Inside the
Alamo, the defenders were unaware that delegates
meeting at Washington-on-the-Brazos had signed
the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Day 10: Thursday, March 3, 1836
 James Butler Bonham returned from Goliad to
report that Colonel Fannin was not coming to the
Alamo’s aid.
Day 11: Friday, March 4, 1836
 Mexican cannonading started early and continued
all day. Santa Anna meets with Generals to discuss
his battle plan.

15. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
Day 12: Saturday, March 5, 1836
 According to a popular legend, Colonel
Travis drew a line on the ground with his
sword and then asked those willing to stay
and fight to cross over and join him.
 The only person to leave was a frenchman
named Louis “Moses” Rose. He was an
older man that had fought with Napoleon.
 The Mexican bombardment ended at 10:00
p.m.

17. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
 Travis discussed the battle plans:
– It was decided that the church would be the last stand
of the battle.
– The few women and children living in the Alamo with
their men were to stay in the sacristy in the chapel
– If Travis were to fall, Captain Baugh, who was with
Travis, was to take command.
– If he were killed, then command went to Crockett.
– Major Evans was told to be ready to blow up the
gunpowder in the church.
– Bowie would be in his room on the South wall close to
Crockett with his two guns and Bowie knife.

20. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
Day 13: Sunday, March 6, 1836
 1:00 a.m. The weary Texans slept while the
Mexican troops moved into positions.
 2:00 a.m. Santa Anna and Colonel Juan N.
Almonte discussed the battle plans.
 4:00 a.m. The troops, now in position, laid on the
ground in silence.
 First Attack Begins – click to link to see diagram
– 5:00 a.m. Santa Anna gave the signal to advance just
after 5 a.m.
– The bugle song of “Deguello” (No mercy)
begins playing and the first attack begins

22. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
– Travis was awakened by Captain Baugh and
ran to the North Wall onto the ramp with the
cannon.
– Mexicans were bombarded with gunfire and
were pushed back.
– While trying to reload his rifle, Travis was
shot in the head by a bullet and rolled down
the ramp.
 The second attack came and the Texans
defeated them Mexicans again, much to
their surprise. This angered Santa Anna.

23. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
 The third attack came with much more
force and the Mexicans rushed the North
Wall.
 The troops scaled the north wall and poured
into the compound fighting with guns, then
hand to hand combat.
 They took over the cannons and then turned
them facing the Texans inside the walls.

24. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
 The fighting moved to the Long Barrack, Low
Barrack, and former church.
– Davy Crockett and men stood behind the
stockade between the church and south wall
holding back the Mexicans until they ran out of
ammunition and fought hand to hand.
– James Bonham fired a cannon from the roof of
the chapel and held back the Mexicans on the
East side of the Alamo until the Mexicans burst
through the church doors and shot Bonham,
Dickenson and Esparza.

25. The Bart Moore knife is a claimant for the title of Bowie's Alamo knife. The Moore family
asserts that an old Mexican soldier, who claimed to have participated in the storming of the
Alamo, gave the knife to Mr. Moore's grandfather. The soldier supposedly retrieved the knife
from where it lay by one of the funeral pyres and had kept it for many years. He offered it to
Mr. James F. Moore as payment for a five-dollar debt.

26. 13 Days of the Siege of the Alamo
– Major Evans fell halfway to the gunpowder room.
– The Mexicans began going from room to room and
shooting at anything that moved.
– Bowie, lay on his cot in the lower barracks on the
South Wall, with two pistols and his Bowie knife.
He was the last Texan to be shot.
 By 6:30 a.m. the Alamo had fallen and every
Texan was dead.
 The fighting only lasted about 90 minutes.
 For every 1 Texan killed, 8 Mexican soldiers
died.
 All Mexican soldiers were buried, but Santa
Anna ordered the Texans bodies to be burned.

27.  The only survivors were a few Mexican
families, some slaves, and Mrs. Almeron
Dickinson and her baby.
– When the chapel was stormed by the Mexican
soldiers, the door with the women and children
burst open.
– One of the children was shot and killed as a soldier
shot into the room without looking.
– Susanna Dickinson’s name was called out and when
she finally stood, several soldiers tried to grab her
and one shot her in the right calf.
– The officer shouted at the men and told them to
back off.
– She was then taken to a Mexican surgeon then to
Santa Anna.

28.  Santa Anna spared her life so that she could go
to Sam Houston and warn him about the results
of the Alamo.
 Santa Anna hoped this would scare the Texans
and they would surrender.