H.R. No. 759
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, March 6, 2011, marks the 175th anniversary of the
fall of the Alamo, one of the most famous episodes in Texas history;
and
WHEREAS, On December 9, 1835, an army of Texas volunteers
captured San Antonio de Bexar from a force of Mexican soldiers under
the command of General Martin Perfecto de Cos; Lieutenant Colonel
James Clinton Neill was then placed in command of the Alamo, which
enjoyed a strategic position because of its location on one of the
two main roads stretching from Mexico into Texas; and
WHEREAS, Notwithstanding the small number of men in his
command and a lack of provisions, Colonel Neill was determined to
hold the Alamo; his troops were augmented slightly over the
following weeks: Colonel James Bowie arrived with a detachment of
30 men on January 19, 1836; Lieutenant Colonel William Barret
Travis rode in at the head of 30 cavalrymen on February 3, and David
Crockett and 12 other volunteers entered the fort on about February
8; and
WHEREAS, Colonel Neill left the Alamo in mid-February to help
his family, which had been struck by illness, and command of the
regular soldiers fell to Colonel Travis, while Colonel Bowie
assumed command of the volunteers; and
WHEREAS, On February 23, a Mexican army of about 6,000 men
under the command of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna reached San
Antonio; after a demand for the fort's surrender was rejected with a
cannon shot, the Mexican artillery began an assault on the Alamo's
perimeter walls; and
WHEREAS, The following day, February 24, Colonel Bowie fell
seriously ill and command of the volunteers passed to Colonel
Travis; facing terrible odds but committed to the mission before
him, Travis penned a desperate plea for reinforcements; his letter,
addressed "To the People of Texas and all Americans in the world,"
pledged that he would "never surrender or retreat" and concluded
with the defiant words "Victory or Death"; and
WHEREAS, On March 1, while the siege continued, Lieutenant
George Kimbell and a company of 32 soldiers slipped through the
Mexican lines and joined the Alamo garrison; the large number of men
that Travis hoped for, however, never arrived; finally, about 5
a.m. on March 6, General Santa Anna sent some 1,800 assault troops
surging toward the fort; within 90 minutes the battle was over, and
the few surviving defenders were quickly executed; while the
official list of Alamo soldiers who died numbers 189, the actual
number may be as high as 257; the number of Mexican troops wounded
or killed is estimated to have been about 600; and
WHEREAS, The 13 days that General Santa Anna devoted to
capturing the fort cost Mexico dearly; while he delayed his
advance, the convention of Texas delegates meeting in
Washington-on-the-Brazos had time to adopt a declaration of
independence, draft a constitution, and form an interim government;
moreover, news of the garrison's destruction fired the Texas army
with a fierce resolve, and on April 21, 1836, the battlefield at San
Jacinto echoed with cries of "Remember the Alamo"; and
WHEREAS, Since those fateful days in 1836, the story of the
Alamo has reached audiences around the world; the Alamo remains one
of the state's most important historical landmarks, and the Alamo
defenders who gave their lives within its walls will forever be
honored for their gallantry and courageous sacrifice in the cause
of freedom; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the fallen heroes of the Battle of
the Alamo, whose immeasurable selflessness and bravery helped give
rise to an independent Texas.
Branch
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 759 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on March 17, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House