The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1894-12-29
Az ALAMO HERO,
Gel. Bowie, after SVEacna aEae
Bowie Es.iEe WAS famed.

IL IL Il SCb4C HDtSOl Cl1tiV iIliiO OOO vi
every eleven boys who are prof.
cient in the use Of bowie knife
have not the slightest idea where
the instrument got its name. Col
Bowie of Texas fame gave the
knife its title. And when one
writes of the Texas hero Ole must
needs think of the battle Of Alamo,
that heroic fight Of which we
Americans seem te think so little.
We read how the brave soldiers
fought and held the pass Of Their
IL opyl@, but we seldom think of
how a mere handful Of men defend
ed the Alamo Mission. How they
dropped fighting on their knees
and then died facing the foe. If
you should 60 to the historical city
Of San Antonio in Texas you will
see the mission building standing
with battered, bullet-pierced walls,
q monument to the 172 heroes Of
'36. Behind those walls the most
important battle in the war be-
tween Mexico and Texas was fought.
That was when Santa Ana was
President and the Texans were
fighting for their Independence.
Here 1t was that Col Bowie ended
his brave life, dying with his boots
on and fighting under the most ter
rible odds. The story is this, and
every American should know it by
heart that he may tell it when
other nations are talking Of their
great deeds:
One hundred and forty-fve men
under Capt. Travis, a young man
Of %, were holding the town of San
Antonio against Gen. Santa Ana
and 1000 men. They were the only
defenders Of the town and were es-
conced in the old mission of the
Alamo Davy Crockett was also
with thom, and Col. Bowie, who was
wounded and stretched out on his
cot. OF artillery they had only
fourteen pieces.
Santa Ana demanded surrender,
but the little garrison held out for
ten days, skirmishing secretly for
food and water. Every shot sent
out of the mission house told, but
not one of the Alamo heroes were
hurt. Patience and strength, how
ever, were being rapidly exhausted.
Some Of the little band were falling
sick, others were desperate. Rein
forcements had been appealed for,
but none had come. Col. Lamein
with 800 men and four pieces Of
artillery had started in answer to
the appeal, but had put in some
where for fresh water and food sup
plies.
At last Capt. Smith joined the
exhausted band with thirty-two
men. Three days after Gen. Santa
Ana ceased the bombarding, and,
taking advantage Of this, Capt. Ira
Wis called his men iuto line and
frankly owned that their was no
hope for them; that he had led
them into this, thinking reinforce
mentS were on the way. He does
not utter one word against Lamein
for failing him; he simply gives
them their choice Of deaths. They
can surrender and be shot down, or
be killed fighting out the revenge.
The captain drew a line and said:
every man who is determined to
remain here and to die with me will
come to me across that line" Every
soldier but one crossed at once.
When they finished Col. Bowie
looked up with his arm in a sling
and cried: "B0ys, don't leave me.
Won't some ofyou carry me across?"
And the only backward step they
made was to 90 over the line and
carry the colonel to the young cap
tain's side. The man Rose, who was
coward, dropped over the wall
into a ditch, and was the only man
who escaped to tell the tale. And
then came the terrible day.
Santa Ana brought all his forces
to bear on the fortress. The seal
ing ladders were again and again
raised, but those who placed them
were shot down like grain. Four
thousand men charging into 172
seemed easy enough, but it soon
reduced the 1000. Atlast numbers
conquered, and the Mexicans
climbed over into the Alamo. The