March 6, 1836

[dickaye]

Since today is the anniversary (Mar 6th) of the Alamo battle. I will ask the question, "How many Texans died at the Alamo?" I don't think any died did they? They were all Mexican citizens on both side of the walls..................

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

Richard;

Actually, all of the men inside the Alamo walls should be considered Texans. On March 2, 1836, a committe of the Texas provisional government drafted their own version of a declariation of independence that was voted on and accepted the next day, March 3, 1836, three (3) days before the fall of the Alamo. So those men inside the Alamo were fighting for Texas independence and for what was later to be the Repubic of Texas, the day the Alamo fell.
Also, many of those inside the Alamo walls had been in Texas only a short time, a few weeks before March 6, 1836. Davy Crockett did not arrive in Texas until January of 1836. Those that were there a short time had not sworn allegiance to Mexico, particulary the Mexican Constitution of 1824 that most of the colonists had. When Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna became President (dictator) of Mexico, he threw out the 1824 Constitution that resulted in being a part of the cause for the uprising by those in Texas.
There were defenders of the Alamo from Ireland, England, Denmark, Wales, Germany and Scotland, as well as men representing most of the states in the United States in 1836.

[dickaye]

Gunrunner,

OK, so maybe I'm wrong on a technicality, but in those days weren't they all "Texicans" and then became "Texans" later on? Did you read about the unfortunate US volunteers who sailed to Texas and when they got off their ship planning to fight in the revolution, they were immediately arrested and marched off to the "wall" and shot? Bummer..............Yes, many country's representatives were present defending the Alamo and a few very respect Mexicans. In some ways the whole fight was a civil war as opposed to a revolution, though I don't think the Texicans ever had the intent after they won the fight to stay a part of Mexico.

[Regnier (gunrunner)]

Richard;

I had not heard of those that sailed to Texas to fight, but did know of the fate of colonel James Fannin and his 400 men in Goliad. When surrounded by Santa Anna's force, Fannin surrendered expecting to be treated properlyy as prisoners of war. Santa Anna ordered otherwise, the prisoners were divided in three groups and marched out of town in three different directions and were shot by their guards on March 27th, 1836, Palm Sunday. Fannin was wounded in the confilct and was not included with his men that were marched out of town. He was told he was to be shot, so he requested not to be shot in the head and have a decent burial. Well, that did not happen, Fannin was shot in the head, stripped and his body pitched into a pile of the other bodies. To think, if Fannin had made his way to San Antonio with his 400 men, how that could have helped reinforce the defenders of the Alamo. The problem with the Alamo was it was to large an area for only 189 men to defend. Another 400 men would have made quite a difference.
Of the defenders of the Alamo, only Gregorio Esparza, a Mexican citizen of Texas, received a Christian burial right after the battle on March 6th. The rest of the defenders bodies were burned and buried in three different places somewhere around the Alamo. One year after the battle, the remains were found and given a heroes burial on February 25, 1837