Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-04-07
SOME TRUE TALES OF THE OLD
HISTORIC FORT-DR. BARN
ARDS ACCOUNT OF THE BURN
ING OF THE BUILDING---FATE
OF ORIGINAL MONUMENT.
tBen G. Stuart, in the Dallas, Texas,


The recent special dispatch from
Austin to the News, stating that the
Daughters Of the Republic would Pc
tition the Legislature to amend the
existing law SO as to place the GUS
tody Of that historic edifice, the Ala
mo, at San Antonio, in charge of a
commission of five, recalls the tragic
story of that Texas fortress. While
much fact and more myth regarding
the fall of the Alamo has been writ
ten during the last half century, pro-
badly the best and most authentic
account was that contributed by the
late Capt. r. M. Potter, of the United
States Army, to the Texas Almanac,
printed at Galveston in 1868.
Capt. Potter was himself veteran
and held several offices Of trust under
the republic of Texas. After Texas
became State in the Federal Union
he was appointed paymaster in the
United States army. He was in the
State when, in 1861, the United
States posts were surreld dered to the,
Confederate authorities, and passed.
through Galveston on his way North.
While here he informed a lifelong
friend Of his determination to e
main steadfast to the old flag, and,
derrccating the secession movement,
he remained in the service until his
death at or Lear New York city some
years since. He was also the autnor
of the Hymn of the Alamo, as We,
as a vigorous and painstaking writer
upon topics OF Texas history. During
the celebration of the se,;.i-centennia!
OF the hattie of San Jacinto by ,hc
Texas Netrraps' Associate at Dai
las, in April, 1886, Capt Potter wrote
the chairman Of the committee on
invitations letter, in which he re-
GREETED his inability to be present in
consequence of the infirmities of age
and the pressure of occupation, but
he wrote at some length concerning
the fall of the Alamo. and his re-
marks in this age of seeming historic
inaccuracy and eXaggeration are con-
sidered as worthy of reproduction in
this connection.
The True Story.
80 remarkable a victory as San
Jacinto," wrote Capt. Potter, "was
liable to create legendary exaggera-
tion, yet the published narrative Is
remarkably free from it. There is
less dispute about incident and per-
sonality In the history Of San ia
cinto than that Of Bunker Hill,
though the latter was fought under
the eyes of city's population, most
of whose families had a member or
k1nsman In the combat. 1t hap
pens, however, that one other Of the
two most remarkable events in the
history Of Texas has not been SO his
torically fortunate. This, indeed was
to be expected. OF those who fought
at San Jacinto nearly all outlived the
campaign. or those who fought at
the Alamo not one survived, and the
beautiful eXaggeration to which this
nation Is so much addicted had con-
sequentfy full play. The result has
been an amount of absurd fabrica-
tion which might lead an incredulous
and ill-informed person to doubt If
such an event as the fall Of the Ala
mo ever occurred. 1t behooves all
who respect patriotic history to dis
countenance such fictions, lest heroic
fact should be rejected for being in
such company. The fabrications T
refer to. which 1 think have mostly
originated outside Of Texas, have
been specially injurious to the fame
of David Crockett, which they threat
en- to Munchausen into oblivion. In
articles published in two respectable
monthlies in New York, Crockett is
represented as the last defender who
fell after incredible exploits. In such
fight, where all knew they had to
die, the bravest die first, and the last
who Is reached is almost certain to
be a sneak. SO it was at the Alamo.
Travis and Crockett fell early. Bowie
would have done the same had he not
been on his death bed. The last who
died was soldier dragged from his
hiding place, along with three Or four
others, who were all shot
All Fell Fighting.
"The walled inclosure OF the Ala
mo was too large to be long held by
so feeble a garrison. 1t was soon en-
tered by two columns of attack, and
the men On the Outworks mostly took