The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-03-28
REMEMBER ALAMO.
STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST He
ROIC FIGHTS IN HISTORY.

Effect Until the Breath Left His Body.
1t is safe wager that nine out of
every eleven boys who are proficient in
the use of bowie knife have not the
slightest idea where the instrument got
its name.
Colonel Bowie of Texas fame gave the
knife its title.
And when one writes Of the Texas
hero one must needs think of the battle
of Alamo-that heroic fight Of which
our American boys and girls seem to
think so little and half of them know
nothing whatever.
They read how the brave soldiers
fought and held the pass of Thermop-
yla, but they seldom think Of how a
mere handful of men defended the
Alamo mission-how they dropped fight
ing on their knees and then died facing
the foe.
If you should go to the historical city
of San Antonio, in Texas, you will see
the old mission building standing, with
battered, bullet pierced walls, monu
ment to the 172 heroes of 1886. Behind
these walls the most important battle in
the war between Mexico and Texas was
fought. That was when Santa Anna
was president and the Texans were
fighting for their independence. Here it
was that Colonel Bowie ended his brave
life, dying with his boots on and fight
ing under the most terrible odds. The
story is this, and every American child
should know it by heart, that he may
tell it with pride when other nations
are talking of their great deeds:
One hundred and forty-fve men I'M
der Captain Travis, a young man of %,
were holding the town of San Antonio
against General Santa Anna and 1000
men. They were the only defenders of
the town and were ensconced in the old
mission of the Alamo. Davy Crockett
was also with them and Colonel Bowie,
who was wounded and stretched out on
his cot. Of artillery they had only IA
pieces
Santa Anna 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
was hurt. Patience and strength, how
ever, were being rapidly exhausted.
Some Of the little band were falling
sick; others were desperate. Reinforce
ments had been appealed for, but none
had come. Colonel Lamein, with 800
men and four pieces of artillery, had
started in answer to the appeal, but had
put in somewhere for fresh water and
food supplies.
At last Captain Smith joined the ex-
hausted band with 80 men. Three days
after General Santa Anna ceased the
bonn barding, and taking advantage of
this Captain Travis called his men into
line and frankly owned that there was
no earthly hope for them; that he had
led them into this thinking that re-en-
forcements 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 surren-
der and be shot down or be killed fight
ing out their revenge The captain drew
line and said, every man who is de-
termined to remain here and to die with
me will come to me across this line"
Every soldier but one crossed at once.
When they finished, Colonel Bowie
looked up, with his arm in sling, and
cried: "Boys, don't leave mel Won't
some of you carry me across?" And the
only backward step they made was to
go over the line and carry the colonel
to the young captains side The man
Rose, who was coward, dropped over
the wall into ditch to tell the tale
And then came the terrible day.
Santa Anna brought all his forces to
bear on the fortress. The scaling lad
ders were again and again raised, but
those who placed them were shot down
like grain. Four thousand men charg-
ing into 175 seemed easy enough, but
it soon reduced the 1900. At last num-
bers conquered, and the Mexicans climb
ed over into the Alamo. The little band
Of defenders were trampled on and beat
en-, but they dropped to their knees and
hacked and shot and pierced until the
pile of the dead was awful Colonel
Bowie, too weak to rise from his cot,
leans on his elbow and marks his man
every time he pulls the trigger. Cut,
bleeding, he continues to kill until the
pistol drops and the breath leaves his
body. Davy Crockett, standing in cor
ner, fights like panther, and the young
captain, backed against the wall, surren-
ders only when run through and
through.
The great battle is over The Mexi-
cans have won. Out of the 172 Texans
are 172 dead. No Spartans were Drawer
or more tenacious, for they killed 522 |
of their enemies and wounded 500 more. |
Texas, though, was finally freed, and |
whenever great deeds thrill young boys
hearts they should think of that SPLEEN
did piece of American daring and say,
as Houston said to his men, "Remem-
Der the Alamo st. Louis Republic.