Battle of the Alamo

Battle of the Alamo. . By 1835, tensions between those in Mexico who supported republican ideals and the centralist Mexican government had escalated into all-out war. Seeking their independence, Texan revolutionaries won the town of San Antonio de Béxar from Mexican General Cos' forces in the Battle of Béxar. Texan forces remained at the Alamo until Mexican forces came to retake the town on February 23, 1836. The now legendary Battle of the Alamo occurred on March 6th, 1836 after a 12 day siege. The entire garrison of approximately 189 men were killed. , Defy or Negotiate , Travis' shot of defiance is remembered for its bravery, but the full history of that day is even more intriguing. Letters show us that the Alamo's co-commander James Bowie thought Travis had been hasty and sent Alamo engineer Green B. Jameson to parley - or negotiate. , Captions , Left Photo: Lieutenant Colonel William Travis , Painting of William B. Travis, 1936 , Hugo D. Pohl , The Alamo Collection , C2020-0135, Right Photo: Colonel James Bowie , Portrait of James Bowie, undated , John Squire Adams , The Alamo Collection , C-2020-1937, Center: William B. Travis - Letter from the Alamo, February 24, 1836 , Courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission , Santa Anna's Refusal , Colonel Juan Almonte carried Santa Anna's reply to Jameson stating that "he did not negotiate with bandits, [and] that they had no means to escape, other than to surrender at discretion." This was supported by the red flag of no quarter raised above San Fernando Cathedral., Caption , Left Photo: Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, ca 1996 , Gary Zaboly , The Alamo Collection , C2020-0179, The 18-Pounder Cannon , The Alamo 18-pounder cannon was brought to the Alamo in early December 1835 to aid in the fight for Texan Independence. The 18-pounder was used by the Texans during the siege and Battle of the Alamo, and after the battle it was disabled by the Mexican Army and buried in a nearby trench. , Above: Photograph of the Alamo, ca. 1858. The 18-pounder cannon can be seen in the foreground. Reproduced with the permission of the DRY Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio., Research and Reproduction , The Cannon was discovered in 1858 and moved to a nearby park where it was put on a stone pedestal. Sometime around 1917, the cannon disappeared. Through archival research and computer modeling, the 18-pounder has returned to the Alamo in the form of the reproduction you see before you today. , Captions , Lower Left: Photograph of Fernando Raven with the 18-pounder cannon in the 1910s. The photograph was provided by Geenie Reetz, the great-great granddaughter of Fernando Raven., Middle Right: Research, rendering, and fabrication by SRO Associates