February 23, 1836. Colonel William Barret Travis, in charge of the regular army in San Antonio de Bexar, ordered a lookout up into the bell tower of San Fernando cathedral. Almost immediately the man began ringing the big church bell. The enemy had been sighted.
Travis had reports that Mexican General Santa Anna was on the move, but he didn’t know exactly where that army was. Tejano scouts had report advance units had already crossed the Rio Grande into Texas. The Texicans had heard so many rumors, false ones, that they didn’t know what to believe. Travis did not trust the Tejano scouts. He should have been suspicious anyway. Three days before, February 20th, many of San Antonio’s inhabitants had begun packing their belongings and deserting the town.
Santa Anna had crossed the Rio on the old Camino Real, not at Laredo as Travis had presumed. So the Mexican army approached from the west instead of the south, two weeks sooner than expected.
Surprised, Travis ordered his troops into the Alamo compound with all the food and water they could manage. A courier was dispatched to Gonzales: “The enemy in large force is in sight. We want men and provisions. Send them to us. We have 150 men and are determined to defend the Alamo to the last.”
The landmark struggle was about to commence.
Dac Crossley
February 23, 2016 – One hundred and eighty days later.
“I have learned that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” - Rosa Parks.
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