The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-02-24
The Texas State Capitol Interesting
Reminiscenees of Early DAYS


"Reminiscences of Early Days
4 correspondent Of the, Cincinnati Com
mercial, IN letter from Austin, Texas, de-
scriptive OF the State capitol, thus recalls
some Oldand almost forgotten events to mind.
In the portico stands a square pedestal,
made from the stone of the famous Alamo
fortress, at San Antonio, and bearing on two
sides the names Of the heroes that perisled
In it in the war for Texan independence.
Surrounding the pedestal is a pyramidaI col
umn of the same, bearing various designs,
and on its four faces, respectively, the fol
lowing legends To the God Of the fear
less and free is dedicated this alter, made
from the ruins of the Alamo" Blood of
heroes hath stained me. let the stones of
the Alamo speak, that their immOlatiOu may
not be forgotten" Be they enrolled with
Leonidas in the host of the mighty dead"
ThermopOlB had her messenger of!aefeat.
but the Alamo had none" It was on the
9th of March, 1886, four days after the dec
iaratiOn Of Texas independence, the mem
orable massacre Of the Alamo took place, in
which IS8 Texans, commanded by Lieut..
Cob Travis, were captured, and the suryiY'
Ors all put to the sword by an army Of 1000
Mexicans, under Santa Anna The account
Yoakum's History of Texas is as follows
q On Sunday morning, the 9th Gf March, q
little after midnight, the Ammo was sur
rounded by the entire Mexican army. The
cavalry were placed without the infantry, to
cut them down if they offered to give way,
The latter were provided with scaling lad
ders. The enemy, thus forming n circle
facing the fort, advanced rapidiy, under Il
tremendous fire from the Texan rifles and
artillery Just at daylight the ladders were
placed against the walls, and an attempt
made by the enemy to enter the fort, but
they were driven back by the stern defend
ers within. Again the charge was sounded.
and a second effort was made to reach tho
top of the walls but again the ASSISTANTS
were repulsed. For q few moments there
was pause BY the presence, threats and
! promises of Santa Anna, a third assault was
made, and with more fatal success. The
enemy, reaching the tops of the ladders,
wayeFed and fell but their places wero
supplied by the hundreds pressing onward
and behind them on each ladder. At
length, killed, cut down and exhausted, the
Texan defenders did not retreat, but ceased
to keep back the Mexicans Instantly the
fort was filed by the latter. The survivors
still continued to do battle. They dubbed
| their guns and continued to use them until
they were nearly all cut down. =
! Travis and Crockett fell-the former near
the western wall-the latter in corner
near the church, with piles Of dead around
| them. It had previously agreed upon by the
| besieged that the survivor should FIRE n large
| quantity Of damaged powder in the maga-
/ zine Major Eyens the master Of ordnance,
was shot as he attempted to perform that
last high duty to his country. Col. Bowie,
who had been for some days sick in his bed,
was there butchered and mutilated" The
! Crockett mentioned was the famous David
/ the inarticulate hero, and grateful Texans
/ still p0int out the place where he fell This
/ bloody assault cost the Mexicans 52i killed
/ and proportiOnate number killed and
wounded