Remember the Alamo!

Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna recaptured the Alamo, an 18th century Franciscan Mission in San Antonio, Texas, on March 6, 1836. This ended a 13-day siege. No less than 183 of the 184 defenders of the structure were killed, as were an estimated 1,000 to 1,600 Mexican soldiers. Texans fighting for independence from Mexico had seized the Alamo and ousted Mexican troops from San Antonio the previous December.

The cost entailed in regaining San Antonio contributed to General Santa Anna's defeat less than two months later at the Battle of San Jacinto. On April 21, 1836, Sam Houston, commander of the Texas army, led 800 troops, inspired by the sacrifice of their comrades at the Alamo, in a surprise attack on Santa Anna's 1,600 men. Houston's decisive victory at San Jacinto secured Texas independence from Mexico.

Texas remained independent for nearly ten years. In 1845, its legislature voted for annexation to the U.S. The Mexican American War soon followed, a two-year conflict resolved by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Texas State Library and Library of Congress source materials were used for the Texas history information on this page. The photo of the Alamo is from the Robert Runyon Photograph Collection, 04140, courtesy of The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin. It was taken between 1900-1920.

Search for books and movies about the Alamo at Amazon.