The Alamo and San Antonio Texas

The Alamo and San Antonio Texas

Being very young at the time, I can't remember a lot about my birth place, San Antonio, but I've spent some time since learning. During my school years and after, I always paid attention when The Alamo or Texas was mentioned. Pride in place of birth usually comes from having lived there for at least long enough to have studied local history in the early school years. But this was Texas, there must be something in the air, people seem to be born with that pride.

Photo courtesy PDPhoto.org

We all know about the stories, bigger, better, more grandiose, they all live in Texas, so do; harder, hotter, further, tougher, words Texans use describing their land and people every day, descriptions that apply to their state more than any other. I’ve lived in many places for much longer times than I ever lived in Texas, but I always feel a little taller a little larger than life when I say “I was born in Texas.”

Some say the birthplace of Texas. In San Antonio where I was born, The Alamo was the site of an historic battle between Mexico and Texan settlers for the freedom of that state. Originally a Spanish Mission, San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo was home to missionaries and their Indian converts for around seventy years. Built on its present site in 1724 from local stone, it took many years to finish; in fact it was never completed according to some.

The Spanish military stationed there in the early 1800s referred to the mission as The Alamo, Spanish for “cottonwood.” The first hospital in Texas was at The Alamo. San Antonio and The Alamo played a critical part in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Texan and Tejano or Tex-Mex volunteers fought against Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of fighting, they forced General Marín Perfecto de Cós and his soldiers to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo.

On February 23, 1836, General Antonio López de Santa Anna and his army arrived in San Antonio to take the mission and defeat the revolutionaries. The Texans and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The nearly 200 defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo and the defenders believed the Alamo was the key to the defence of Texas, and they would give up their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, a renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, a famous frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee. Many of us would have seen the movies made about that famous battle; Bowie, Travis and Crockett are names that scream “American West”.

The final assault came on March 6, 1836; columns of Mexican soldiers attacked the Alamo's walls. Cannon and rifle fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Finally, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The defenders were overwhelmed. Sunrise, the battle was over, defenders killed and Santa Anna entered the Alamo victorious, for a little while. A little serious history lesson, not my usual cup of tea.

 For more serious history, Texas History Sources

Today San Antonio’s a city of 1.4 million people, ethnically diverse, modern, fun, and with more restaurants than you can poke a stick at. Perhaps it's the first couple of years of my life spent there, that's given me a love of warm sunny places. I now live in Sydney Australia; it's about the same weather wise, but with an ocean breeze in the afternoons. My Dad and Mom spent a lot of their spare time visiting places of interest around the city while Dad was stationed there; of course The Alamo was one.

Visit the sights of San Antonio, click here.

When people think of San Antonio, one of the first things to pop into mind is, should be, The Spurs. Basketball is one of my favourite sports; I played while in high school, even made first string, well, maybe it was second string, at least for a while. I’ve found a good, personally I think, very good site to find out about the Spurs. Also about the Silver Dancers, we old guys call them cheerleaders, aren't they pretty important to the game? Look around while there, I mean, look at more than the dancers. I'm sure you'll also enjoy finding out about the team.

Click your Spurs.

Now this is more my style.

What's the difference between a Yankee Zoo and a Texas Zoo?

On the cage, a Yankee Zoo will have the name of the animal and then the scientific name in Latin.

Whereas, a Texas Zoo will have the name of the animal and the recipe.....!

Did GWB say that?
JAWhite
Sept. 2009


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