Settlers Army In San Antonio Santa Anna example essay topic

The events that began on February 23, 1836 have roots that span as far back as 1808. # This exploration into the events and carnage that took place before, during and after the Alamo will only go back to the events immediately leading up to the Alamo. Mainly the frame of mind the Mexican government had regarding the Texas settlers and the reasons leading to the confrontation at the Alamo. In times before the confrontation at the Alamo, the Mexican government welcomed settlers into Texas. The motive behind Mexico's act was to create a buffer zone between Mexican settlements and the Indians. # Settlers were able to come to Texas as long as they promised to convert to Catholicism and become Mexican citizens among other stipulations.

Moreover, Mexico had further problems, the most noticeable was Mexico's financial standing. The independence movement that freed Mexico from Spain also left Mexico "dead broke"; furthermore, they had no real way of watching or parenting the fledgling Texas. Hence, Texas became accustom to doing things without Mexico interfering. # Soon after Mexico opened the door to Texas the population of settlers grew to make up 75 per cent of the whole population.

# This could be seen as a bad thing to the Mexican government because if Texas became entirely made up of settlers what was to stop Texas from breaking away from Mexico for good. To add to the pressure pot the settlers were illegally trading, and engaging in illegal slavery, among other illegal acts. According to Walter Lord the American Settlers refused to pay any form of tax, in fact according to Lord's figures only 1,665 pesos where collected from Texas in Two years. # These factors and many more including America herself showing interest in Texas, led Mexico to institute a restriction of the number of settlers allowed into Texas. In addition, "Mexico suspended all unfilled colonization contracts, and required passports issued by Mexican Consulate at their place of residence", # these policies alone angered the settlers who have been accustomed to a laze fair approach.

In addition troops were now being used to see that the laws were enforced and obeyed. As Myers points out: The North Americans had reason to protest. They had gone through the bad years when fields had to be chopped out of the woods and when an Indian raid was commoner that a square meal. And now when the country was ripe for development they were denied the prosperity which could only be achieved through the growth of their communities. #So in light of both sides having grievances it was only a matter of time before someone snapped. And snapped they did, in a string of firecracker events the seeds of revolution and the battle of the Alamo ensued.

The Alamo first saw action when General Cos landed at Copa no, and headed to San Antonio to meet up with Colonel Ugartechea. By now war was on everyone's mind and many events prior to Cos marching toward San Antonio set the playing field for war, but not everyone really was for it, ... at least not yet. Meanwhile, in Gonzales the revolution had started over a cannon that the settlers would not give up. This is also were the phrase "come and take it!" was born. What had happen was Ugartechea sent a lieutenant with some men to unarm a group of colonist who had a cannon at their disposal in Gonzales. What the Mexican's did not count on was that in the end they would be sent running off to San Antonio after being repulsed by the colonists.

# Now the colonists formed a small army to March on Cos and his men, which the settlers wanted out of Texas for good. As Lord points out Cos would be ready for the settlers in San Antonio. Lord also points out how the mission in San Antonio got its name, Lord states that the mission once held a colonial company from the Alamo de Parr as in Mexico, and that the named carried over and was shortened to just being called the Alamo. # After surrounding Cos in San Antonio the settlers had no clue of what to do next. # After a few days of waiting for someone to take a leadership roll, a man by the name of Milam stepped up and finally got the men all fired up to fight. # The fighting erupted and a few days later after fierce house to house fire fights Cos threw up his hands and agreed to a surrender.

Cos left with the promise, "not in any way oppose the re-establishment of the Federal Constitution on 1824". # These men who fought this battle in San Antonio would soon see another... the battle of the Alamo. The men who took San Antonio from Cos now had to face the decision whether to stay or not. Many men wanted to leave and go after loot in Matamoras, this greedy expedition was led by Dr. James Grant who really wanted to liberate his holding in Mexico. He used the men's greed to lure them into going with him on his expedition. When all was said and done the San Antonio garrison was left with nothing and more nothing.

To be exact Lord wrote, the men who stayed were left with 30 useless muskets, 2 trumpets, 1 large clarion, and 15 carbines. What does this data equate about the status of the soon to be participants of the battle of the Alamo? This suggests that the men were in a rut to begin with and the situation was not going to get better anytime soon. Not only had the men been abandoned by their fellow patriots for booty in Matamoras, but also they were not going to get paid because the pay never came. The pay situation dropped the number of men to somewhere around 80, and this number did not reflect the experience level most lacked any training at all. # The Alamo was now in the sights of General Santa Anna, in broader term it was really San Antonio that Santa Anna wish to capture.

Upon learning Cos had surrendered to the settlers army in San Antonio Santa Anna changed his plans to accommodate a surprise attack from the North. # Before the particulars of the march to the Alamo and the battle that resulted afterward are explored the means Santa Anna used to fund his campaign are very interesting and must be brought forth. The Mexican economic institution had been kicked to shards thanks to the civil war, quite simply the Mexican government was broke and could not pay out right for the campaign. This dilemma gave Santa Anna the task of finding an alternative means of positive cash flow. Santa Anna resorted to hitting up the church for cash to fund his little Crusade against the settlers. In Addition, Santa Anna went to loan sharks, of all the place for a President to go, he was then supplied with 400,000 pesos# at an astounding interest rate.

Moreover, the loan sharks made the government sign over a magnitude of stipulations that were unheard of, but Santa Anna had to get the money at any cost. # Next was building the army to march on Texas. The army that was put together by Mexico was poor to say the least. For a clear example of how poor the army was, one battalion consisted of helpless Mayan Indians. # Once ready, the conditioning of the men who would fight the settlers in the Alamo began in Saltillo.

The men drilled and learn to march and understand military orders in Saltillo, until Santa Anna was satisfied to march onward to San Antonio. The men in the Mexican army that headed to the Alamo bolstered not only poor training and disciple, but their weapons were out dated and had poor range this would prove to be an advantage for the settlers who were better armed with newer weapons. Santa Anna may have headed out a little to soon, for he felt that time was against him and that he need to movie regardless of his lack of certain units like engineers and medics. # Needless to say the eventual number of dead on the Mexican side might have been lower if the proper time was taken to raise an appropriate army consisting of trained troops and all the necessary units to accompany them, and not to mention giving these men guns that could hit a barn at 50 feet. Santa Anna's plan did not go as planned on the way to San Antonio.

Initially the force was to be a surprise to the settlers. But due to horrible weather slowing the Mexicans down and reports of their approach on Alamo, their ploy was a foiled. Back to the Alamo prior to the Mexican arrival. The men at the Alamo were left with little manpower and even fewer supplies to fend off a Mexican on slot thanks to the group of men who left for booty.

As for the men who left them for booty and glory in Matamoras, well they met a quick end when Mexican troops ran into them and kill Grant along with most of the others. After a little time passed, Sam Houston ordered Colonel Jim Bowie and 25 other men to go to the Alamo and get the men out and blow the place up. # But due to many factors that Bowie played with in his head, many factors the world will never really know Bowie decided to stay and shape things up at the Alamo. Using his contacts and lifting the spirits at the Alamo the garrison started looking more defendable. With supplies coming in, and fortifications taking place the Alamo really seemed like it could be more than just a death sentence to those inside its walls. Soon Travis arrived with a small group of men, which increased the Alamo's manpower.

In addition, Crockett and the Tennessee Mounted Volunteers came to aid the cause. With all these big names in the Alamo, the current commander Neill found that he was only in the way so he opted to left on a supposed sick leave. # This left Travis in command. After Neill gave command to Travis problems erupted between Bowie and Travis. Travis was 26 years old and new to the game; Bowie was a salty veteran and the men knew it too.

# This dilemma only lasted awhile until an agreement was met between the two men. On February 23rd, the Mexican army reached to Alamo. After waiting for a multitude of different reasons the Mexican army headed into town. Upon arriving the first thing Santa Anna did was raise the flag on the tower of a church which was to let the people inside the Alamo know no mercy shall be given. # Upon inspection Santa Anna decided the best attack would not be a frontal assault on the Alamo led by his forces alone. So he sent word to a General by the name of Gaona to force march his way to San Antonio immediately.

# These men would be forced to march over many miles with no rest and through harsh weather conditions, and then expected to fight. During the time it took for Gaona's men to arrive Santa Anna worked out his attack. After the Mexican's drew up the red flag at the church a short while pasted, and the settlers answered it with a cannon shot. #Shortly after, the settlers sent a letter to open up negotiations, this was to be answered by a scornful Santa Anna, which demanded an unconditional surrender. # For days and nights to come minor incidents took place and shots were fired. Santa Anna tried his hand at psychological war fair pounding the Alamo day and night with cannon fire and rifle blast.

The idea was to keep the men from sleeping, ironically it proved to work on his men as well. The last brush of luck the Alamo embraced was the relief force form Gonzales, the men infiltrated the fort by the cover of night, thus bringing the count of defenders to about 180. Sadly this would be the last of the men to come, Colonel Fannin who was attempting to initiate a relief force with his 400 men would never make it to the battle. On March 4th the tired troops that had been forced to march to San Antonio arrived much to Santa Anna's joy. This was all Santa Anna needed to begin his assault on the Alamo. The night of the 5th Santa Anna's troops finished digging the trenches and scooting the artillery in closer for the attack on the 6th.

# That dawn at 5 a. m., the sound of thousands of Mexican troops yelling outside the walls was enough warning that the attack was imminent. The plan was set and Cos set out on the north wall with the first and second columns, with the third columns hitting the east wall. The advance was steady thanks to a fog that had set in, but that soon changed as well. # The third column took so much punishment that the east wall was not being attacked. # The columns ended up merging in a unmanageable mess of men, as Lord states, it was more like a "mob"#. The result was a mess of men at the walls of the Alamo, but the wild shooting gave way to many losses due to friendly fire.

# Soon the Mexicans scaled the walls and entered the Alamo, the rest is but details. One or two deaths at the battle are note worthy. There was incidents in the battle were the true horror of war can be seen. A young boy that was with a couple of other young boys stood up in a moment of excitement as the troops stormed the place they were hiding and offered not resistance only to meet his end on the end of a blood stained bayonets. # A young Mexican lady by the name of Madam Candelaria tells about her experience where Bowie dies in her arms and the graphic aftermath. She describes the scene when troops burst into Bowie's room where he laid sickened.

Bowie fires all he has into the troops killing a couple, and Madam Candelaria begs the men to have mercy for the sick man only to be herself run through by the bayonets of the men. Candelaria goes on to note that when she stepped outside the floor of the Alamo was covered with blood that ran into her shoes. # The end left 183 defenders dead or die ing and some 600 dead or die ing Mexicans. One General noted that the lack of care for their own Mexican solders was outrageous; furthermore, the General noted men were die ing from wounds that would otherwise not be deadly with proper medical care. # Santa Anna of course came up with figures of his own, not unlike most dictators who have had battles go south. The Alamo in the end was a loss for the Texas cause or was it?

The Alamo enraged many Americans as well as many settlers that were not sure of the cause before. Santa Anna manages to earn the respectable names of Tyrant, butcher and bloody tiger to name a few. Many Americans had been opposed to the Texas cause, but no longer were they thinking about that, now they were thinking about revenge. Mexicans had slain American citizens and this had to be avenged in the mind of most Americans.

The call to arms had now been rung, "Remember the Alamo". The Alamo had been a total loss on the field of physical war fair, but on the playing ground of the mind the Alamo had seized the minds and hearts of every American and sympathizer alike, to rally to its call. So in the end I believe the Alamo was a total victory for the settlers cause.

Bibliography

General Antonio Lopez De Santa-Anna, D. Ramon Martinez Caro, General Vicente Fili sola, General Jose Urea, and General Jose Maria Torn el; Translated by Carlos Castaneda. The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution. Dallas. : P.L. Turner Company, 1956 General Miguel Sanchez Lame go;
Translated by Consuelo Velasco. The Siege and Taking of The Alamo. New Mexico. : Sunstone Press, 1968.
Lord, Walter. A Time to Stand. Lincoln. : University of Nebraska Press. : 1978.
Mato vina, Timothy. The Alamo Remembered. Austin. : University of Texas Press. : 1995.