American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1877-12-15


the San Antonio with the Battalion de
Cazadores, being shortly after joined
by the Battalion de Ximines, for the
purpose of erecting a battery in front of
the main gate of the Alamo. But the
Texans made strong resistance, the
fight lasting till the afternoon, and re
sulting in the killing of eight Mexicans.
The battery, however, was erected the
following night.
THE MEXICANS REINFORCED.
On the 26th the besiegers were re-en-
forced, Santa Annals force finally
amounting to 1900 men. On the night
of the 26th there was skirmish with
his cavalry east of the fort, and on the
2Sth the enemy erected another battery
at an old mill 800 yards distant. Other
batteries were subsequently equipped,
and ball and shell began to strike and
burst over and among the doomed, none
of whom were harmed during the early
part of the siege. The Texans being
short of ammunition, fired but seldom,
and on the first of March sent a p
pound cannOn-shot into an old house
occupied by Santa Anna as his head
quarters in the town. At the same time
the beleaguered were REINFORCED by
Cap. j. w. Smith, of Gonzales, with 30
men, increasing Travis's effective force
to 1873 rank and file.
"TAKE CARE OF MY LITTLE BOYi''
One of the last couriers sent out by
the brave, but fated Travis, bore note
to his friend in the town of Washington,
Texas, saying: take care of my little
boy. If the country should be saved
may make him a splendid fortune; but
if the country should be lost and 1 should
\ perish, he will have nothing but the
| proud recollection that he is the son oil
a man who died for his country
| PREPARATIONS FOR THE ASSAULT.
On the afternoon of the 4th the Mexi
| can General called a council of war, and
Immediately thereafter began prepare,
lions for the assault, his troops then ex-
ceeding 1900 men, fresh and rested
while the little Texas band were worn
down with the fatigue of watch and the
woe of famine.
On the morning of the 9th of March,
1886, the enemy moved to the assault,
and little past midnight the entire
Mexican army had surrounded the
place. The infantry were arranged in
front with the cavalry in the rear, whe
had orders to cut down those who re
fused to aid in taking the fort
The clear stars looked down up
on the broad prairies, and the dark bat
talions of the besiegers and the be
leaeued, now reduced to the last ex
tremity, as if condemning the terrible
scene about to be enacted. The assail
ants advanced under a severe fire from
the rifles and ordnance of the Texans.
The gray dawn of the eventfui morning
lay over the plains, the town and the
river. The Mexicans advanced with
their scaling-ladders and placed them
against the walls, but the defenders
from within repulsed them with loss
Again the charge was sounded, and the
besiegers advanced to the assault, but
were a second time driven back withou
reaching the top of the walls. There
was dreadful pause, like the lulI in the
storm before bowling like a thousand
demons over the doomed vessel. AnC
now Santa Annals battalions return to
the assault. They scale the walls at last
attempt to get over, but are forced back
and cut down by those within; but theil
places are supplied by fresh men OF
each ladder. At length, after desper
ate resistance-killed, cut down and ex
hausted, but not interchangeable Texans
ceased to make or offer resistance. The
| Mexicans scrambled over the walls, and
soon filled the fort.
THE MASSACRE.
Then occurred a hand-to-hand fight
man to man, followed by a scene of car
mage and blood surpassed in horror b,
few of the massacres of history. Thu
survivors of Travis's company fought t.
the last. Some dubbed their guns ant
did execution on their assailants evel
after they were overwhelmed with mum
bers. Only a few cried quarter, bu
were not needed. OF the entire garri
son all were put to the sword, not on,
surviving, and all fighting till dispatch
ed by the conquerors.
| TRAVIS AND CROCKETT.
Among the defenders was the cele
brated David Crockett, who had gon
to Congress from Tennessee, but conn
to aid the Texans in gaining their liber
ty and freeing themselves from the Mex
lean power. Crockett was killed in tn
eastern corner of the fort, while tn
Texan commander fell on the western
side. 1t had been agreed upon by tn
Texans that the last surviving one o
their number should fire the magazine
thus blowing himself and the enemy in
side the walls to destruction, but Majol
Evans, Master of Ordnance, while il
the act of performing this last solemn
duty was killed.
The brave Colonel Bowie, who hat
been for some days sick, was also butch
cred in his bed and his body horribly
| mutilated.
TAE DEAD HEAPED UP AND BURNED.
Thus fell the Alamo; thus persisted
the 1873 brave patriots who defended it
The sound of the artillery had died away
in the distance of the plains, and the
clear, serene Sabbath sun had risel
alike upon the swell of the grassy hill
in the east and the begrimed anC
bloody faces of the slain. Around ano
about the fort, beside the Texans, Their
lay 521 Mexican corpses, stark, stiff anC