‘Remember the Alamo’: The Freedom Fighters Who Inspired Millions

Photo of the Alamo taken by me, with various depictions of the Battle of the Alamo above. All other photos in this piece were taken by me.

Today, March 6, marks the anniversary of one of the most famous fights in American history, the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. While the Mexican troops under brutal and dictatorial Gen. Santa Anna seized the Alamo and massacred its American and Mexican defenders, the legacy of the Alamo continues to inspire Americans even today.

“Remember the Alamo” was the rallying cry for Americans in the Texas Revolution and beyond. Why was that? What is the Alamo, and what happened there? The Alamo was originally the Spanish Catholic Mission San Antonio de Valero. Later, the church was turned into a fortress, and that’s what the Texan and Tejano defenders of the Alamo decided to use it for in 1836.

So why was there conflict? After Mexico gained independence, many Mexicans and some Americans enjoyed a fairly independent and autonomous life in the area of what is now the state of Texas. All that changed when Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna won the presidency of Mexico, abolished the 1824 Constitution, and attempted to impose centralization. In October 1835, the Texas Revolution began, with early victories for the revolutionaries against the Mexican Army, including at San Antonio de Bexár (modern-day San Antonio). The revolutionaries fortified the Alamo, including with 18 or more cannons, and garrisoned it with about 150 men.

But a Mexican army led by Mexican President Santa Anna was marching to take Bexár back and crush the Texas Revolution. The Siege of the Alamo lasted 13 days, during which time Texas declared its independence and help was sent to the Alamo—which, sadly, would not arrive in time. The Alamo historic site explains:

‘On February 24, 1836, with the garrison surrounded and the Texan Army at the Alamo outnumbered, one of the most famous letters in American history was written by William B. Travis.  It was addressed, “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.”  This letter was a passionate plea for aid for the Alamo garrison.  He ended the letter “Victory or Death” – the only outcome this battle could have.  That letter left the Alamo and the siege continued.  

On March 1, 1836, 32 men from the town of Gonzales arrived to aid the Alamo. This brought the number of defenders up to almost 200 men.’

Statue of Davy Crockett with the Alamo in the background

Again, it is important to note that the defenders of the Alamo not only included such famous Americans as W.B. Travis, Davy Crockett, and James Bowie, but also a number of Tejanos. While some moderns try to pretend the Alamo defenders were fighting for slavery or that it was a struggle of white Americans against Mexicans, the truth is that there were Mexicans on both sides—with the freedom lovers inside the Alamo (in fact the Tejanos started the Revolution).

Two sides of the San Antonio monument to the Alamo defenders. Photos taken by me.

The diverse group of Irish, English, German, Scottish, American, and Hispanic freedom fighters knew they would either conquer the Mexican troops, or die trying.

‘At dawn on March 6, 1836, the 13th day of the siege, the Battle of the Alamo commenced. Fighting lasted roughly 90 minutes, and by daybreak all the Defenders had perished, including a former congressman from Tennessee, David Crockett. The loss of the garrison was felt all over Texas, and even the world. The Defenders were from many different countries, including some Defenders who were native-born Mexicans. Following the battle, Santa Anna ordered the Defender’s remains burned.’

But the tragic deaths of the Alamo defenders did not prove an end of the conflict, as Santa Anna no doubt intended. In death, the Alamo’s defenders became larger than life, their heroic sacrifice spurring other men to take up the cause and fight for liberty.

Items owned by individuals connected with the Alamo, including Sam Houston’s sword, Travis’s ring, and Davy Crockett’s rifle, tin box, brush, and knife.

On April 21, 1836, the Texan Army led by Sam Houston launched an attack on Santa Anna’s army. The Texans charged the enemy on the banks of the San Jacinto River, shouting, “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! God and Texas!” The brief battle—a mere 18 minutes long—was a decisive Texan victory. “The following day, Santa Anna was captured and brought to Sam Houston,” The Alamo notes. “An agreement was made and the Republic of Texas was born.”

The men who fought and died at the Alamo did not live to see the victory and independence they dreamed of, but their defeat proved, in the long run, a powerful weapon against Santa Anna and his attempts to impose centralized authoritarianism. As the San Antonio Alamo monument says, “From the fire that burned their bodies rose the eternal spirit of sublime heroic sacrifice which gave birth to an empire state.”

Just like Houston’s Texans at San Jacinto, let us determine to fight our political and societal battles in honor of the memory of the Texan and Tejano heroes, vowing always to “Remember the Alamo!”