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


81. BATTLE OF THE ALAMO.
The Story of the Massacre Retold-One of
the Most Thrilling Tragedies of His
tOry-Present Condition of the Blood
Stained Fortress.
lHs Especial Cor. of the Globe Democrat
GALVESTON, Texas, December 3.-A
few days ago Bishop Pellicer, of the
Catholic Diocese of San Antonio and
West Texas, sold to Mr.. Grenet by far
the most valuable portion of the Alamo
property, in the immediate vicinity OF
the now fourishing city of San Antonio.
The remainder he has reserved, in order
to give the State of Texas an opportu-
nifty of redeeming spot made sacred
by the death and blood of her defend
ers while struggling with the Mexican
tyrant and ruthless butcher of men,
Santa Anna. Mr.. Grenet, it is learned,
will apply his new purchase to purposes
of trade and traffic. A movement will
be madein the next Legislature of Texas
to buy up the whole, if it can be had,
and thereupOn erect magnificent mon
uncut to the memory of the heroes who
fell there over 40 years ago.
~.r-,- ITS ORIGIN.
In the year. 1703 some pious Francis
can monks of the Apostolic College of
Queretaro, smitten with desire of con-
verting the Indians, founded Ennis
sion" in the valley of the Rio Grande,
under the invocation of San Francisco
Salano. In 1718 the friars moved their
mission, on account of the scarcity of
water, to this day prevalent in Western
IL, l.. D.
& Greek, about three-quarters of a mile
from the site of the present City of San
Antonio. Here, as the savages and
especially the Comanches, had become
~, troublesome, it was put under the pro-
~ lection of the Spanish military post of
San Antonio de Valero. In 1744 the
foundations of the sChurch of the Ala
MOI were laid, and from the time of its
building to 1888 it was known and con-
dncted as the Mission of San Antonio de
8 e Valero. On the I'd of January, 1898,
the Bishop of Monterey directed the
good Franciscan Father Lopez, then in
charge of the mission, and who had Ia
bored in the Alamo, to turn over its rec
ords and papers to the Citrate of San
Antonio de Bexar. The following year,
Texas being portion of Mexican Ter
ritory, Don Pedro de Nava, Governor
of chihuahua, ordered the seculariza-
@ ton OF all the missions under his iuris-
Xxx. dictien, which extended likewise over
the Province of Texas. In 1925 the
Aalmo ceased to be a place of worship
altogether. '
CONSTRUCTION AND DIMENSIONS.
~ Built for defense, as well as Church
fbo &c Of
walls are feet thick, and the principal
building, inclosing a court or square, is
60 yards long and 40 wide. On the
southeast corner of this fort is the
church of the Mission proper, built like
wise of stone, the whole reminding the
spectator of the baronial castles of
European feudal ages. On the west
81 and east of the structure were two
GceQuisG, or bitches, employing into the
San Pedro.
SANTA Annals SUMMONS TO SURRENDER
The Texan revolt against her Mexi-
can masters was not yet successful, and
Gen. Santa Anna, then considered the
Napoleon of the West,' crossed the
Rio Grande with an army, determined
to reduce his rebellious subjects of
texas. lie ldu IOfIn0u at MdItbnlOraS
junction with Gen. Urea, whom he dis
patched with portion of his forces to
occupy San Patrico, on the Lower Texan
coast. With the remainder he set out
for San Antonio, then held by Lieut.
Col w. Barrett Travis, in COM
TOlsmand of handful of Texans
1t was on the 23d of Febru-
airy, 1886, a year most memorable in
Texan annals, that Gen. Santa Anna,
with about 1 1000 men, approached the
-o town from the southwark. With him
i were Gems. Ramirez, Sesma and Al
monte. The Texans retired in good order
"a s. to the Alamo, leaving the town in the
hands of the Mexicans, who Immediately
+ r hoisted on a church-tOWer the blood
. red flag. Behind the stone walls of
his place of retreat Travis found but
es-A three bushels of corn, but before he was
totally surrounded captured 80 or 80
bushels and some beeves from the vi
entity. The place was supplied with
water from the GcequtGs mentioned
The Texan commander was thus shut
p up with force of 145 men only, the
fortress being defended by but II pieces
of artillery Four of these were mount
ed on the walls facing the town, four
commanded the bridge oyer the San
Antonio River leading to the Alamo,
two on the side next the church, on the
eastward four were mounted on the
northern side.
Such was the state of affairs when the
Mexican General demanded the uncon-
ditional surrender of the fort, but the
summons was replied to by a shot from
the Texans, Col. Travis declaring his
purpose neither to retreat nor surrender.