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N0KFQ > TODAY 24.02.08 08:01l 51 Lines 2442 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Feb 24
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To : TODAY@ALLUS
February 24, 1836
Alamo defenders call for help
On this day in 1836, in San Antonio, Texas, Colonel William
Travis issues a call for help on behalf of the Texan troops
defending the Alamo, an old Spanish mission and fortress under
attack by the Mexican army.
A native of Alabama, Travis moved to the Mexican state of Texas
in 1831. He soon became a leader of the growing movement to
overthrow the Mexican government and establish an independent
Texan republic. When the Texas revolution began in 1835, Travis
became a lieutenant-colonel in the revolutionary army and was
given command of troops in the recently captured city of San
Antonio de Bexar (now San Antonio). On February 23, 1836, a large
Mexican force commanded by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana
arrived suddenly in San Antonio. Travis and his troops took
shelter in the Alamo, where they were soon joined by a volunteer
force led by Colonel James Bowie.
Though Santa Ana's 5,000 troops heavily outnumbered the several
hundred Texans, Travis and his men determined not to give up. On
February 24, they answered Santa Ana's call for surrender with a
bold shot from the Alamo's cannon. Furious, the Mexican general
ordered his forces to launch a siege. Travis immediately
recognized his disadvantage and sent out several messages via
couriers asking for reinforcements. Addressing one of the pleas
to "The People of Texas and All Americans in the World," Travis
signed off with the now-famous phrase "Victory or Death."
Only 32 men from the nearby town of Gonzales responded to Travis'
call for help, and beginning at 5:30 a.m. on March 6, Mexican
forces stormed the Alamo through a gap in the fort's outer wall,
killing Travis, Bowie and 190 of their men. Despite the loss of
the fort, the Texan troops managed to inflict huge losses on
their enemy, killing at least 600 of Santa Ana's men.
The brave defense of the Alamo became a powerful symbol for the
Texas revolution, helping the rebels turn the tide in their
favor. At the crucial Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 910
Texan soldiers commanded by Sam Houston defeated Santa Ana's army
of 1,250 men, spurred on by cries of "Remember the Alamo!" The
next day, after Texan forces captured Santa Ana himself, the
general issued orders for all Mexican troops to pull back behind
the Rio Grande River. On May 14, 1836, Texas officially became an
independent republic.
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