Texas Almanac, 2000-2001 Page: 44
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Texas Almanac 2000-2001
position taken by
Texas was in support
of the Constitution of
1824, which the flag
symbolized. But the
only flag found after
the battle, according
to historian Walter
Lord, was one flown
by the New Orleans
Greys.
By March 5,
Santa Anna had 4,000
men in camp, a force
he felt sufficient to
David Crockett subdue the Alamo.
Historians dis-
agree on the date, but the story goes that on March 3 or
5, Travis called his command together and explained the
bleak outlook. He then asked those willing to die for
freedom to stay and fight; those not willing could try to
get through enemy lines to safety. Even the sick Jim
Bowie vowed to stay. Only Louis (Moses) Rose, a vet-
eran of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow slipped out of
the Alamo that night.
At dawn March 6, Santa Anna's forces attacked.
When the fighting stopped between 8:30 and 9 a.m., all
the defenders were dead. Only a few women, children
and black slaves survived the assault. Davy Crockett's
fate is still debated. Mexican officer Enrique de la Pefia
held that Crockett was captured with a few other defend-
ers and was executed by Santa Anna.
Santa Anna's victory came at the cost of almost one-
third his forces killed or wounded. Their deaths in such
number set back Santa Anna's timetable. The fall of the
Alamo also brutally shook Texans out of their lethargy.
Sam Houston, finally given command of the entire
Texas army, left the convention at Washington-on-the-
Brazos on the day of the fall of the Alamo.
On March 11, he arrived at Gonzales to begin orga-
nizing the troops. Two days later, Susanna Dickinson,
the wife of one of the victims of the Alamo, and two
slaves arrived at Houston's position at Gonzales with the
news of the fall of the San Antonio fortress.
Houston then ordered James Fannin to abandon the
old presidio La Bahia at Goliad and to retreat to Victo-
ria. Fannin had arrived at the fort in late January with
more than 400 men. As a former West Pointer, he had a
background in military planning, but Fannin had refused
Travis' pleas for help, and after receiving Houston's
orders, Fannin waited for scouting parties to return.
Finally, on March 19, he left, but too late. Forward
elements of Gen. Jos6 de Urrea's troops caught Fannin's
command on an open prairie. After a brief skirmish Fan-
nin surrendered.
Santa Anna was furious when Gen. Urrea appealed
for clemency for the captives. The Mexican leader
issued orders for their execution. On March 27, a Palm
Sunday, most of the prisoners were divided into groups
and marched out of Goliad, thinking they were being
transferred to other facilities. When the executions
began, many escaped. But about 350 were killed.
On March 17, Houston reached the Colorado near-
the present city of La Grange and began receiving rein-
forcements. Within a week, the small force of severalhundred had become almost respectable, with 1,200-
1,400 men in camp.
At the time Houston reached the Colorado, the con-
vention at Washington-on-the-Brazos was completing
work. David Burnet, a New Jersey native, was named
interim president of the new Texas government, and
Lorenzo de Zavala, a Yucatan native, was named vice
president.
On March 27, Houston moved his men to San Felipe
on the Brazos. The Texas army was impatient for a fight,
and there was talk in the ranks that, if action did not
develop soon, a new commander should be elected.
As the army marched farther back toward the San
Jacinto River, two Mexican couriers were captured and
gave Houston the information he had hoped for. Santa
Anna in his haste had led the small Mexican force in
front of Houston. Now the Texans had an opportunity to
win the war.
Throughout the revolt, Houston's intelligence sys-
tem had operated efficiently. Scouts, commanded by
Erastus "Deaf" Smith, kept the Texans informed of
Mexican troop movements. Hendrick Arnold, a free
black, was a valuable spy, posing as a runaway slave to
enter Mexican camps to gain information.
Early on April 21, Gen. Cos reinforced Santa Anna's
troops with more than 500 men. The new arrivals, who
had marched all night, disrupted the camp's routine for a
time, but soon all the soldiers and officers settled down
for a midday rest.
About 3 p.m., Houston ordered his men to parade
and the battle was launched at 4:30 p.m.
A company of Mexican-Texans, commanded by
Juan Seguin, had served as the rear guard for Houston's
army through much of the retreat across Texas and had
fought many skirmishes with the Mexican army in the
process.
Perhaps fearing the Mexican-Texans would be mis-
taken for Santa Anna's soldiers, Houston had assigned
the company to guard duty as the battle approached. But
after the men protested, they fought in the battle of San
Jacinto.
Historians disagree widely on the number of troops
on each side. Houston probably had about 900 while
Santa Anna had between 1,100 and 1,300.
But the Texans had the decided psychological
advantage. Two thirds of the fledging Republic's army
were "old Texans" who had family and land to defend.
They had an investment of years of toil in building their
homes. And they were eager to avenge the massacre of
men at the Alamo and Goliad.
In less than 20 minutes they set the Mexican army to
rout. More than 600 Mexicans were killed and hundreds
more wounded or captured. Only nine of the Texans
died in the fight.
It was not until the following day that Santa Anna
was captured. One Texan noticed that a grubby soldier
his patrol found in the high grass had a silk shirt under
his filthy jacket. Although denying he was an officer, he
was taken back to camp, where he was acknowledged
with cries of "El Presidente" by other prisoners.
Santa Anna introduced himself when taken to the
wounded Houston.
President Burnet took charge of Santa Anna, and on
May 14 the dictator signed two treaties at Velasco, a
public document and a secret one. The public agreement
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Ramos, Mary G. Texas Almanac, 2000-2001, book, 1999; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth162509/m1/44/: accessed April 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.