Dr. James Barnard, a Texan transported from Goliad to treat the Mexican wounded, recalled seeing remnants of a pyre about a hundred rods, or 550 yards, from the Alamo church. Historians Jack Jackson and John Wheat attributed that high figure to Santa Anna's playing to his political base. About 3 oclock in the afternoon of the next day they commenced laying wood and dry branches upon which a file of dead bodies were placed, more wood was piled on them and another file brought, and in this manner all were arranged in layers. As new research comes to light, this list and the history of each Defender might change. Everetts renderings of the Alamo ruins support eyewitness accounts of the battle and its aftermath. The date of March 6, 1836, is forever ensconced in the annals of history. At least four sources, including William Bollaert, an Englishman who wrote about his travels in the 1840s, reported the defenders grave being in a peach orchard not far from the Alamo. More by Sarah Reveley. I turned my head aside and left the place in shame.. Some were recent immigrants from the United States, or even from Europe, and had joined the cause to defend Texas liberty. Nearly 350 rebels were executed in the Goliad Massacre, almost twice as many as were killed at the siege of the Alamo. (1998), p. 126; Moore (2004), p. 39. Lining up St. Josephs Church on that map with an aerial from Google Earth indicates the River Center parking garage at 849 E. Commerce St. and the Marriott Rivercenter hotel parking garage are on the sites. Magazines, Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth, Or create a free account to access more articles, We've Been Telling the Alamo Story Wrong for Nearly 200 Years. [3] When the Texian volunteer soldiers gained control of the fortress at the Siege of Bxar, compelling Cos to surrender on December 9, many saw his expulsion to the other side of the Rio Grande as the end of Mexican forces in Texas. His definitive cry, "Victory or Death," ensured that Texans remembered the Alamo. Until March 4, Houston's authority did not extend to volunteers and local militias, which were the majority of the fighting force inside the Alamo. [1] President Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna and the government in Mexico City believed the United States had instigated the insurrection with a goal of annexing Texas. 7475; Groneman (1990), pp. Alamo historians and curators continue their research to ensure that all men who died at the Alamo are honored. Groneman (1990), p. 71; Moore (2007), p. 100. Some researchers believe they were placed somewhere in what now is Alamo Plaza. Arnold continued his support of the Texas Revolution as a member of Deaf Smith's spy company in the Battle of San Jacinto. Spoffordwrote, For myself, on the last anniversary of the event, standing by the site of the funeral pyre of the Texans the victims of the Alamo, for their ashes blown to the four winds, have extended their fame throughout the world, wherever the martyred brave are honored, wherever there is a recompense in human gratitude for heroic deeds.. The monument was erected in grey Georgia marble and pink Texas granite. The way I explain it, says Andres Tijerina, a retired history professor in Austin, is Mexican-Americans [in Texas] are brought up, even in the first grade, singing the national anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance and all that, and its not until the seventh grade that they single us out as Mexicans. [Note 3] Others who had left intending to return were unable to re-enter. In December 1835, he helped guide the Texans through the streets during the Battle of Bxar. Ashes of the Alamo Dead Address: 115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, TX Directions: In the left vestibule of the San Fernando Cathedral, just inside the front door. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region North America USA Texas Bexar County San Antonio The Alamo Defenders of the Alamo Memorial Maintained by: Find a Grave Added: 22 Aug 2000 18, 135, 182; Lindley (2003), pp. Lacking a completed claim, proof of service would appear only on a muster list.[25]. Legend claims that Seguin collected the ashes and placed them in a casket covered with black. [2], In an effort to tamp down on the unrest, martial law was declared and military governor General Martn Perfecto de Cos established headquarters in San Antonio de Bxar, stationing his troops at the Alamo. Meanwhile, further evidence strongly suggests other Alamo defenders may have escaped Santa Annas funeral pyres. [18] In an 1860 statement for the Texas Almanac, former San Antonio alcalde (mayor) Francisco Antonio Ruiz set the number at 182. The 115names were supplied by couriers John Smith and Gerald Navan,[17] whom historian Thomas Ricks Lindley believed likely drew from their own memories, as well as from interviews with those who might have left or tried to enter. A natural leader, James Bowie played an important role in the Texas Revolution. Partial scan of the March 24, 1836 Telegraph and Texas Register with the first Texian list of defenders killed at the Battle of the Alamo. Last entry is 15 minutes prior to closing. Poyo (1996), pp. It was Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna, not Jose Lopez de Santa Anna. The defenders of the Alamo thus included both Anglo and Hispanic Texans who fought side by side under a banner that was the flag of Mexico with the numerals "1824" superimposed. In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne, while wearing his future wife's dress because she had hidden his clothes, drunkenly urinated on the Alamo Cenotaph. Dr. E.F. Mitchusson, Dispatched on a personal errand for Segun February 23, Assumed to be a courier, who left with John William Smith, Chief surgeon of the garrison, created a hospital in the fortress, Left February 25 to recruit reinforcements, The final courier sent to Washington-on-the-Brazos, unable to return, Left for Gonzales as a courier on February 23; relayed the Travis letter from Albert Martin to the provisional government at, Sent to Gonzales for reinforcements on February 23, Namesake of Taylor County, brother of Edward and James, entered March 1 or 4, Namesake of Taylor County, Texas, brother of George and Edward, entered March 1 or 4, Per historian Lindley, no first name on the muster rolls, Slave of William B. Travis, fought beside him in the battle; accompanied Susanna Dickinson to Gonzales. POTUS landmarks, oddities. The ceremony has been long forgottenand the land covered over by buildings, severing our historical connection with these sacred sites. 4548; Lindley (2003), p. 87. The discovery of various skeletons, skulls and bone fragments over the intervening 185 years indicate the disposal of the Texian dead wasnt as neat and tidy as history books generally portray. Groneman (1990), pp. Trip Planning Caution: RoadsideAmerica.com offers maps, directions and attraction details as a convenience, providing all information as is. Five others had resided in the State before making their way to the Texas frontier. Excavations in 1985 unearthed 847 recovered specimens and 245 bone fragments. When the government tries to collect taxes, they shoot and kill American soldiers. William Luther / San Antonio Express-News. Bernard, a surgeon of Fannins command who visited the Alamo ruins a few weeks after the battle, wrote in his diary of May 25, 1836, after looking at the spot where it is said that Travis fell and Crockett closed his immortal career, we went to visit the ashes of those brave defenders of our country, a hundred rods from the fort or church where they were burned. A marble sarcophagus in the entry of San Fernando Cathedral has markers nearby, saying it contains the remains of Alamo defenders. Purported to hold the ashes of Travis, Bowie and Crockett, some have doubted it can be proven whose remains are entombed there. Kindling wood was distributed through the pile and about 5 oclock in the evening it was lighted., Dr. J.H. Segun became the first Tejano to serve in the new Republic's Senate. Deep down in the debris, Corner wrote, were found two or three skeletons that had evidently been hastily covered with rubbish after the fall, for with them were found fur caps and buckskin trappings, undoubted relics of the ever memorable last stand. He dates the discovery to the 184954 tenure of Major Edwin Burr Babbitt of the Quartermaster Corps, who oversaw the construction of a wooden roof on the chapel, as well as a second floor and the iconic hump atop the Alamo facade. Illustration of the Battle of the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas, March 6, 1836. In truth, the fate of the cremated remains is far sadder. Groneman (2001), p. 1; Lindley (2003), pp. If thats not the version of history youre familiar with, youre not alone. Lindley (2003), p. 143; Groneman (1990), p. 111. Samuel H. Walker. On April 16, 1836, the Mexican Army captured West and other New Washington, TX residents. The lifeless bodies of David Crockett, James Bowie, William Barret Travis and the other Alamo defenders were stacked between layers of wood before being set ablaze. And while the hallowed grounds of the Alamo may continue to yield archaeological clues, the fates of many who died in its defense 185 years ago will assuredly remain a mystery. Six Alamo defenders are listed officially as being from New York. This, by and large, is not the Texas history many of us learned in school; instead, we learned a tale written by Anglo historians beginning in the 19th century. Groneman (1990), p. 30; Moore (2007), p. 100. The Mexicans originally controlled the Alamo from the Spaniards and Mexican President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led a massive army of 6000 men to storm the gates of the Alamo and reclaim the territory after the people of Texas declared themselves independent from Mexico. 4.Texians formed a square in the middle of the prairie and attempted to defend their position. Samuel H. Walker. 500,000+ HD Backgrounds & The Alamo Background 100% Free to Use High Quality Backgrounds Personalise for all Screen & Devices. The Alamo Mission in San Antonia, often referred to simply as The Alamo, is a former Spanish mission built in San Antonio, Texas. And Mexican-American history isnt the only piece of the past thats distorted by the Alamo myth. Whats the harm in Texans simply embracing a myth? One of the great mysteries of the Alamo one that lingers today as a critical issue in how the historic site is interpreted is the location of funeral pyres where bodies of some 200 men were burned after the morning battle on March 6, 1836. By Ned Huthmacher / For the Express-News Show More Show Less 23 of 42 Some Alamo historians believe Juan Segun, a leader in the Texas revolution, took the defenders' ashes from two of three . 2023 TIME USA, LLC. His correspondence shows conclusively that Stephen F. Austin, the so-called Father of Texas, spent years jousting with the Mexico City bureaucracy over the necessity of enslaved labor to the Texas economy. During the Battle of the Alamo, Susanna and Angelina took shelter in the sacristy of the church. A follow-up email from the archaeologist, dated Jan. 23, 2020, revealed her team had unearthed a concentration of human bones during a separate exploratory dig inside the chapel. First to cross over the line in the sand. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. We killed Davy Crockett., Its a lesson many Latinos in the state dont learn until mandatory Texas history classes taught in seventh grade. Further complicating the search for answers is the fact that some of the remains unearthed on the battleground date from the earlier Spanish mission period. Amid the ruins local guides would point out the spot where Crockett supposedly fell or the room where Mexican soldiers slew Bowie in his sickbed. [16], Research into the battle, and exactly who was inside the fortress, began when the Alamo fell and has continued with no signs of abatement. Todish (1998), p. 82; Moore (2007), p. 100. A volunteer force under the joint command of William Barrett Travis, newly arrived in Texas, and James Bowie, and including Davy Crockett and his company of Tennesseans, and Juan Seguin's company of Hispanic Texan volunteers occupied and fortified the deserted mission and determined to hold San Antonio against all opposition. Groneman (1990), p. 33; Moore (2007), p. 100. Terry Scott Bertling / San Antonio Express-News. 9293; Groneman (2001), pp. All rights reserved. On March 28, 1837, an official public ceremony was conducted to give a Christian burial to the ashes. [19], When the Alamo Cenotaph was created by Pompeo Coppini in 1939, the 187 defender names on the monument came from the research of Amelia Williams,[20] considered the leading Alamo authority of her day. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. In February 1837 Colonel Juan N. Segun of the Army of the Republic of Texas, whod left the Alamo amid the siege as a courier, led the procession to inter the ashes of his comrades. The other pyre was in what is now the yard of Dr. Ferdinand Herff Sr.s old Post, or Springfield House. Lindley (2003), pp. On March 6, 1918, a woman named Adina De Zavala unveiled two marble tablets marking the location of the funeral pyres for the men who died at the Alamo. These include muster roles from the Alamo prior to the Battle, newspaper reports, first-hand accounts of people who were at the Alamo before and during the Battle, land grant claims by descendants of the Alamo Defenders, and other historical evidence. In the pursuit of uncovering every infinitesimal piece of evidence about what happened during the battle, more thorough research methods continue to evolve and Tejanos have begun to add their voices. We may have uncovered remnants of a possible coffin, Nichols wrote. Lindley (2003), p. 144; Groneman (1990), p. 32. Deep down in the debris, author William Corner wrote, were found two or three skeletons that had evidently been hastily covered with rubbish after the fall, for with them were found fur caps and buckskin trappings, undoubted relics of the ever memorable last stand. 6061, 66; Todish (1998), p. 89; Lindley (2003), p. 133. As for the Alamo defenders, history shows that Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna ordered the bodies of dead Texians to be burned. Key Players/Participants: Santa Anna (president of Mexico), William Travis, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie Event Date: March 6, 1836 At one point the Ludlow House was the home of the Salvation Army chapel, and an old photo shows the plaque on the building then. Start with the Alamo. Susannah later remarried and ran a boarding house until her death in 1883. . Lindley (2003), p. 144; Groneman (1990), p. 111. When the U.S. insists they follow American laws and pay American taxes, they refuse. The Ashes of the Alamo Defenders San Fernando Cathedral, 115 Main Plaza, sfcathedral.org After the Battle of the Alamo, the remains of the dead Texians were burned in three funeral pyres on the . At the Southwest corner of the Alamo, you are welcomed by Alamo Defender, Jos Toribio Losoya at the location of his family's home. That belief was advanced by Archbishop Arthur J. Drossaerts, based on late recollections of Juan Seguin. Invariably, visitors asked about the final resting place of the Alamo dead, and locals would motion toward a peach orchard a few hundred yards from the mission fort. beauty and history of the Alamo by supporting us with your donations. San Antonio mayor Maury Maverick held a dedication ceremony on November 11, 1940. p. 236; Todish (1998), p. 85. In his diary, Mexican Lt. Col. Jos Enrique de la Pea wrote that within a few hours a funeral pyre rendered into ashes those men who had met their ends in combat.. [14] Remains thought to be those of the Alamo defenders were discovered at the Cathedral of San Fernando during the Texas 1936 centennial, and re-interred in a marble sarcophagus. 94, 134. Groneman (1990), pp. Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. They began stacking bodies, dry branches and wood about 3 p.m., and ignited the pyre about two hours later. Lindley (2003), p. 90; Groneman (1990), pp. If so, were they buried inside the chapel where found? Several are labeled as severely wounded, while defender James Nowlan is listed as dangerously wounded. Whether any of these men survived until the March 6, 1836, final assault is unknown. The event is free and open to the public. Magazines, Digital The Alamo is the property of the State of Texas, and Even the notion they fought to the last man turns out to be untrue. The fire consumed all but the exterior masonry walls, burying any Texian dead beneath a blanket of blackened debris. The total number of Alamo defenders now stood at between 180 and 190. Although there had been previous plans for Alamo monuments, starting in the late 1800s, the Alamo Cenotaph was the first such erected in San Antonio. It was entitled The Spirit of Sacrifice and incorporates images of the Alamo garrison leaders and 187 names of known Alamo defenders, derived from the research of historian Amelia Williams. Lindley (2003), p. 144; Groneman (1990), p. 25; Moore (2007), p. 100. Another source of curiosity: reports that charred remains of some defenders may have been interred at San Fernando Cathedral or one of the citys historic East Side cemeteries. Alamo researcher Sarah Reveley, a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas who has studied information on the pyres and historic maps, believes the two most credible pyre sites are both in downtown parking garages the Ludlow site on the western end of the Shops at Rivercenter garage, and the Springfield site in the area the citys Convention Center garage at 850 E. Commerce St. As for possible burial sites of defenders remains, the location of the oft-cited peach orchard has not been identified. So why does any of this matter? The wind had dispersed the remaining ashes. This is too sad for comment.. In an internal email dated Dec. 4, 2019, archaeologist Kristi Miller Nichols noted the discovery of the remains of three people during excavation work within the Alamo chapel. Sarah Reveley is a sixth generation German-Texan and native San Antonian with a love for Texas history. Groneman (1990), pp. The 1930s Alamo Cenotaph, a work by artist Pompeo Coppini titled "The Spirit of Sacrifice," includes sculpted images of flames and text referencing fire that burned their bodies. But a 1999 report by UTSA archaeologists said the Cenotaph's location is likely "the only place that can safely be eliminated from contention" as a site of a funeral pyre after the 1836 battle. Angered and inspired, Texians vowed to remember. Todish et al. The Cathedral is about a mile west of the Alamo, facing Main Plaza (the heart of the city), just west of the river, between W. Market and W. Commerce Sts. Lindley (2003), p. 144; Groneman (1990), p. 8; Todish (1998), p. 76. The Alamo Cenotaph, also known as The Spirit of Sacrifice, is a monument in San Antonio, Texas, United States, commemorating the Battle of the Alamo of the Texas Revolution, which was fought at the adjacent Alamo Mission.The monument was erected in celebration of the centenary of the battle, and bears the names of those known to have fought there on the Texas side.