Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-12


mayor Of San Antonio afterwards.
The second and third day of the siege
resulted with very little variance from
the first to-wit: With heavy losses to
our army. This SO exasperated Santa
Anna that he said, to use his own Ian
guage, that he was losing the flower of
his army, and to see the Alamo still hold
| out he became terribly enraged, and it
was at this time that he made the fatal
promise, which he so scrupulously car
ried out, that he would burn the last
one Of them when taken whether dead
or alive. He Immediately called couns
ell of all his officers and proposed another
attack on the Alamo in the evening of
the the third days siege with his entire
force. His cry was: con to the
Alamo. - This was met with the cry by
the officers and men that: "On to the
Alamo was on to death. -
A large majority of the officers were
in favor of waiting until they could get
more heavy cannon and perhaps by that
time the garrison would be starved out
and surrender and further bloodshed be
avoided. Santa Anna, with his usual
lmpetuosity, swore that he would take
the fort the next day or die in the at
tempt. So on Wednesday, the 9Th day of
March, 1886, and the fourth day of the
siege, was the time fixed for the final
assault.
Each and everything pertaining to the
final assault underwent the personal
supervision of Gen. Santa Anna, to the
end that it would be successful. Three
of his most experienced officers were
selected to assist him in commanding the
assaulting parties. Gen. Vicente
Felisola, his second in command, with
1000 picked men took charge of the
assault on the east of the Alamo. Gen.
Caslrillor, with a like number, was
placed on the south side. Gen. Ramirez
Sesma was to have taken command
on the west side next to the river, but
seeing that President Santa Anna was
determined to make the final assault the
next day feigned sickness, the evening
before, and was put under arrest and
started back to the capital. This part of
the command then devolved on Gen.
VOL, so there was no Gen. Sesma in
command of any portion of the army at
the fall of the Alamo, nor afterwards.
The troops on the north and northwest,
1900 in number, were commanded by
Gen. Santa Anna in person. This made
$500 men who participated in the engage
fatigue party well supplied with ladders,
crowbars and axes for the purpose of
making breaches in the walls, or at any
other vulnerable point
The infantry were formed nearest the
Alamo, as we made the least noise. The
cavalry was formed around on the out
side of the infantry, with special orders
from all the commanders to cut down
every one who dared to turn back.
Everything being in readiness just at
the dawn of day on March 6, and on the
fourth day of the siege, all the bugles
sounded charge from all points. At
this time our cannon had battered down
nearly all the walls that inclosed the
church, consequently all the Americans
had taken refuge inside the church, and
the front door of the main entrance
fronting to the west was open. Just
outside of this door Col. Travis was work
ing his cannon. The division of our army
on the west was the first to open fire.
They fired from the bed of the river near !
where the opera house now stands. The |
first fire from the cannon of the |
Alamo passed over our heads and did |
no harm, but as the troops were |
advancing the second one opened lane |
in our lines at least fifty feet broad. Our |
troops rallied and returned a terrible fire |
Of cannon and small arms. After this |
the cannonading from the Alamo was
heard no more. 1t is evident that the
discharge killed Travis, for then the
front door was closed and no more
Americans was seen outside. BY this
lime the court yard, the doors, the win
lows, roof and all around the doomed
Alamo became one reeking mass Of
armed humanity. Each one of us Wed
With the other for the honor of entering
he Alamo first. Just at sunrise a lone |
narksman appeared on top of the church
md fired. A colonel was struck in the
leck by this shot and died at shutdown.
This the officers took as an evidence that
he Americans had opened hole in the
oof themselves. This proved to be true,
or almost in the next moment another
American appeared on top of the roof
With little boy in his arms, apparently
bout three years old, and attempted to
imp off, but they were Immediately
iddled with bullets and both fell lifeless
o the ground. With this the troops
ressed on, receiving a deadly fire from
he top of the roof, when it was discov-
hat the Americans had constructed Gu
ious kind of ladder, or gangway, of
0ng poles tied together with ropes
nd filed up on top with sticks
nd dirt. This reached from the
DOR on the inside of the church to over
he top edge of the wall, to the ground
n the outside. AS soon as this discov-
~ was made Santa Anna ordered his
ntire division to charge and make for
ne gangway and hole in the roof. But
lost OF the soldiers who showed them
elves at this place got not into the
lamo, but into another world, for
early every one of them was killed.
re then found out that all the Ameri-
ans were alive inside of the church.
uring the entire siege up to this time
e had not killed even single one, ex-
opt Col. Travis, and the man and boy
,ferred to, for afterwards there were no /
ew graves nor dead bodies in an adj !
anced state of decomposition dlscov-
ed.
By this time the front door was bat
red down and the conflict had become I
eneral. The entire army came pouring {
from all sides, and never in all my &
fe did l witness or hear of such hand {
-hand conflict. The Americans fought
it'll the bravery and desperation of {
l.