Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-03-17
here was little ammunition.
Santa Anna demanded uncon.

there was little ammunition.
Santa Anna demanded uncon-
ditional surrender, and the
answer was ten days of dogged de-
fence, and skirmishes by day
and sorties for food and water by
night. The Mexicans lost heavily
during the first days of the siege,
but not one inside of the Alamo
was killed. Early in the week
Travis had despatched couriers fol
help, and the defenders of the
mission were living in the hope
of reinforcement, but four days
passed and neither couriers re.
turned nor re-enforcements came
On the fourth day Colonel Fannin
with 800 men and four pieces Of
artillery started forth from Goliah
but put back again for want Of
food and lack of teams. The garri.
ison of the Alamo never knew OF
this. On the 1st of March Captain
John w. Smith, who has found
teams. and who has found
rations, brings an offering of 81
men from Gonzales, and leads
them safely into the fort. They
have come with forced marches tc
their own graves; but neither dc
they know that, and the garrison
now 172 strong, against 4OOt
Mexicans, continues its desperate
sorties and it's desperate defence
On the Sd of March, 1886
there was cessation in the
b ,mbardment, and Captain Travis
drew his men up into single rank
and takes his place in front Of
them:
He tells them that he has de-
ceived them with hopes of re,
enforcements, false hopes based
on false promises of help from
the outside, but he does moi
blame those who failed him ne
makes excuses for them, they
have tried to reach him, nc
doubt, but have been killed on the
way. Sidney Lanier quotes this
excusing of those who had deserted
him at the very threshold of death
as best showong The fneness Of
Travis, and the poet who has
Judged the soldier SO truly hai
touched here one of the strongest
points of this story of great
heroism.
Captain Travis tells them that al
that remains to them is the choice
of their death, and that they have
but TO decide in which manner Of
dying they will best serve thei7
country. They can surrender
and be shot down mercilessly
they can make a sortie and b'
butchered before they have gained
twenty yards, Or they can di'
fighting to the last, and killing
their enemies until that las
comes.
He gives them their choice, ant
then STOPPING, draws a line will
the pointof his sword in the grount
from the left to the right OF TN
rank.
aAnd now,' he says, every maj
who is determined to remain her
and to die with me will come t.
me across that line"
Tapley Holland was the first t
cross. Hejumped it witha bound
as though it were Rubicon. {"
am ready to die for my country,
be. said.
And then all but one man
named Rose, marched over to tn
other side. Colonel Bowie, lyinl
wounded on his cot, raised himsel
on his elbow. aBoys," he said,
don't leave me. Won't some o
you carry me across?"
And those of the sick who coult
walk rose from the hunks AM
tottered across the line; and thos
who could not walk were carried
Rose, who could speak Span
ish, trusted to this chance to escape
and scaling the wall of the Alamo
dropped into ditch on the othe
side, and crawled, hidden by tn
cactus, into a place of safety
Through him we: know wha
happened before that final da.
came. He had his reward.
Three days after this, on tn
morning ofthe 9Th ofiMarch, sant
Anna brought forward all of hi
infantry, supported by his cav