The Siege of the Alamo (February 23--March 6, 1836)

[Draggingtree]

The Siege of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836)

 

 

February 23 (Day 1)

 

 

In the early hours of February 23, residents began fleeing Béxar, fearing the Mexican army's imminent arrival. Although unconvinced by the reports, Travis stationed a soldier in the San Fernando church bell tower—the highest location in town—to watch for signs of an approaching force.^[22] Travis then sent Captain Philip Dimitt and Lieutenant Benjamin Noble to scout for the Mexican Army's location.^[24] At approximately 2:30 that afternoon^[24] the church bell began to ring; the soldier stationed in the tower claimed to have seen flashes in the distance.^[22] Dimitt and Noble had not returned, so Travis sent Dr. James Sutherland^{[Note 3]} and John W. Smith on horseback to scout the area.^[22][24] Smith and Sutherland spotted members of the Mexican cavalry within 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the town and returned to Béxar at a run.^[22]

 

According to later reports from Santa Anna, the cavalry, under General Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma, were supposed to execute a surprise attack on the morning of February 23.^[25] Historian Thomas Ricks Lindley concluded that Sesma's troops had captured a Texian spy, Trinidad Coy, who lied about a Texian ambush further ahead, prompting Sesma to halt at 7 a.m. and wait for reinforcements.^[26] Historian Lon Tinkle speculated that the combination of the church bell ringing and the sight of the two Texian scouts led Sesma to believe that the Texians were planning an assault on the cavalry.^[25]

 

At this point there were approximately 156 effective Texian soldiers in the Alamo, with another 14 in the hospital.^{[24] [Note 4]} The men were completely unprepared for the arrival of the Mexican army, and had no food in the mission.^[23] The men quickly herded cattle in the Alamo and scrounged for food in nearby houses.^[27] They were able to gather enough beef and corn into the Alamo to last a month. The Alamo garrison also had a large supply of captured Mexican muskets, with over 19,000 paper cartridges, but only a limited supply of powder for the artillery.^[28] Several members of the garrison dismantled the blacksmith shop of Antonio Saez and moved much of the material into the Alamo.^[24] A few members of the garrison brought their families into the Alamo to keep them safe. Among these was Alamaron Dickinson, who fetched his wife Susanna and their daughter Angelina, and Bowie, who brought his deceased wife's cousins, Gertrudis Navarro and Juana Navarro Alsbury and Alsbury's young son into the fort.^[29] It is likely that Navarro and Alsbury also brought their family's servants, Sam and Bettie.^{[30][Note 5]}

 

While the bulk of the garrison prepared for the attack,

 

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