The Alamo 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Alamo 1877 - Essay Example The Alamo became a battlefield between the Texan volunteer forces and the Mexican army troops in 1836. Before that in 1835 the Mexican army after taking over the church, changed it into a fort but was defeated by immigrant settlers and natives of Texas. This historical war for independence was fought with exemplary bravery against odds of limited number of soldiers sacrificing their lives, fighting against a powerful Mexican army. William Barett Travis – the leading hero of the war fought a heroic battle against Santa Anna’s powerful Mexican army – made an appeal to his people in one of his letters from the Alamo in 1836 for support. â€Å"I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with all dispatch. ...† proclaiming â€Å"VICTORY OR DEATH† (Page 2 William Barrett Travis Letter from the Alamo, 1836). As no support reached at the site of battle, Santa Anna’s army attacked resulting in the death of the saviors of the Alamo. This historic fight took place on February 20, 1835. About 150 Texas fighters, under the command of William B. Travis got ready to save San Antonio fort – the Alamo – opposing Mexican General Santa Anna’s largely over-competitive army. Background: Since 1835, the Texans had been on a winning spree. Most of the Mexican army had left with the elimination of their garrison. As most of the volunteers of the war had returned back home thinking that war was over, the fight on the Alamo was still not over. There was lack of unity in the provisional government; as a result no fast supplies could be rushed to the Alamo. In this context, the message of the letter written by William B. Travis was important. There were only 100 fighters in January under the command of James C. Neil; about twenty five volunteers led by James Bowie joined later. William B. Travis reached the Alamo on February 3