The Alamo
The Alamo is in Texas. It was first used as a mission. Missionaries and Native Americans who became Christians lived in the mission for almost seventy years In the early 1800s, Spanish soldiers used the mission.
In Mexico, Santa Anna had become a dictator. Settlers in Texas were worried about what he would do. The settlers felt it was time to take action. They had the support of many Tejanos. These were Mexican people who had been born in Texas. The Tejanos didn't always care if Texas became free. They did want to get rid of Santa Anna.
In 1835, some people in Texas fought Mexican troops. Santa Anna was not happy. He marched north from Mexico with his army.
Texas volunteers worked to make the defenses stronger. They knew that Santa Anna would be coming to attack the city.
The Texans did not have a lot of equipment. They did not have a lot of ammunition. There was not a lot of food or water in the mission, either. If the Texans were trapped in the mission for a long time, they would run out of things to eat and die.
In February of 1836, Santa Anna's army got to the Alamo. There were 6,000 men in his army. There were about 150 men in the mission.
Santa Anna surrounded the Alamo and began a siege. This is where an army tries to capture a fort by attacking it over and over again. Santa Anna wanted the fighters in the Alamo to surrender. They would not.
On the twelfth day of the siege Santa Anna attacked. At first the Texans kept the Mexicans back, but they were badly outnumbered. Soon the Mexican army had made it inside the Alamo. They killed most of the people inside. The assault had only lasted about ninety minutes.
There were about seven men that survived the battle. These people were brought to Santa Anna. He ordered them executed. The women and children were allowed to live. Santa Anna wanted them to tell other Texans what had happened at the Alamo.
The Mexican victory came at a high cost. Almost 1,500 Mexicans were dead. The Texans lost 189 men.
The fall of the Alamo had Americans calling for revenge. New volunteers joined the Army. Santa Anna was defeated in 1836.
Today the Alamo is a historic site. Millions of people visit every year to witness the bravery of men who would not give up even though the odds were against them.
