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In History of the United States
What is the Alamo?
The Alamo is a Spanish mission, built in 1718 in what became thecity of San Antonio. In 1836, the citizens of the then Mexicanstate of Coahuila y Tejas tired of the dictatoria…l rule of Mexicanpresident Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and began a fight forindependence, known as the Texas Revolution. In March of that year, battle between an estimated 180-200 membersof a ragtag militia (known as "Texians") and 4,000 Mexican troopstook place at the Alamo site. The result of the battle was aMexican rout; all Texian defenders were killed. However, it isconsidered a turning point in the Texas Revolution in that it tiedup Mexican forces long enough to allow the supreme commander of theTexian army, General Sam Houston, sufficient time to organize hisforces; Santa Anna was defeated the following month and Texasgained its independence. More Information: What is commonly referred to as "The Alamo," at the time of thefamous battle for Texas Independence which was fought there, was acrumbling, abandoned mission which had been built by CatholicMissionaries about a hundred years earlier, while Spain wasexploring and colonizing what is now the southern US and Mexico. At the time of its construction, the mission consisted of thesanctuary, which is the familiar structure we see in mostphotographs today, quarters for the monks and "friendly,""converted" Indians, grain storage facilities, water access,barracks for quartering soldiers there for security, and a stoneperimeter wall to prevent or reduce the devastating results ofattacks by "hostile" Indians. By 1836, due to the long departed threat from hostile Indians, themission had been long since abandoned, and without the requiredcontinuous Maintenance, the mortar holding the stone masonrytogether was failing, allowing many structures to collapse or atleast partially collapse. The "Texian" rebels, under command ofCol. William B. Travis made hasty makeshift repairs by simply"stacking" the collapsed stone sections of the perimeter walls, andbarricading those sections where the stone had, over the years,been "salvaged" for reuse by neighbors in the surrounding area. Thus, Travis' command converted the crumbling, long abandonedmission complex into a crude makeshift fortress, which as we allknow from history, was totally inadequate to withstand the assaultsof more than five thousand troops with heavy artillery, under thecommand of General Santa Anna, Emperor of Mexico. The significance of the Alamo and the battle fought there is thatTravis' troops managed to delay Santa Anna and his troops longenough for Texian General Sam Houston to gather and prepare forfuture battle with the Mexican Army. (MORE)