The Alamo

“ Night closed prematurely in with fitful gusts, mingling the moans and strife of nature with the roar of artillery. Still the fury of the onset abated not: the Alamo shook to its firm basis. Despairingly the noble band raised their eyes to the blackened sky. "God help us!" A howling blast swept by, lost in the deep muttering of the cannonade. Then a deep voice rung clearly out, high above the surrounding din: "Comrades, we are lost! let us die like brave men!"
The shriek of departing hope was echoed back by the sullen groan of despair. Travis fell, fighting at the entrance. ”

“ It is no more ancient history than love is an old story, for nothing is ancient and nothing is old which every new day teaches something that is fine and beautiful and brave. The Alamo is to the South-west what Independence Hall is to the United States, and Bunker Hill to the East; but the pride of it belongs to every American, whether he lives in Texas or in Maine. The battle of the Alamo was the event of greatest moment in the war between Mexico and the Texans, when Santa Anna was President, and the Texans were fighting for their independence. ”

“ In New Mexico, this land of sunshine, the season is now as kindly as in the early weeks of our Northern September.
To-day the sky is one cloudless arch of sapphire! The light breeze scarce ruffles a leaf of the tall alamo, the name tree of this ranch. Here any holding bigger than a kitchen garden is known as a ranch. The alamo, Spanish for poplar, lends here and there its scant, stiff shade to this roomy adobe dwelling, with its warm southern frontage and half-detached wings. ”

“ Here is the entrance to the corridor
That leads the way to Freedom's hallowed shore.
Father! forgive me, if I leave thee now,
My own defence absolves me from my vow.
My sole protection now lies,— where I go,—
With William Travis in the Alamo.
[Having raised the altar-cloth Elsie and James Travis disappear beneath it. Santa Anna, finding his efforts unavailing, resigns himself to his fate.]
Santa Anna.
Curse, curse on every mercy-tempered deed;
It carries in itself its failure's seed! ”

“ She remembered that even the servants had been excited, and that they stood in small groups, talking with suppressed passion and with much demonstrativeness. And the officers from the Alamo! How conscious they had been of their own importance! What airs of condescension and of an almost insufferable protection they had assumed! Now, that she recalled the faces of Judge Valdez, and other men of years and position, she understood that there had been in them something out of tone with the occasion. In the atmosphere of the festa she had only felt it. ”

“ Luis, bring your boy with you; he has intelligence and will remember the man he will see to-day, and may never see again.”
On the Plaza, close to the gates of the Alamo, a rostrum had been erected; and around it were a few stands, set apart for the carriages of the most illustrious of the families of San Antonio. The Senora, from the shaded depths of her own, watched their arrival. Nothing could be more characteristic than the approach of her daughters. Antonia and Lopez, stately and handsome, came slowly; their high-stepping horses chafing at the restraint. ”

“ To-day!—and not until to-day,—my Heart Has conquered, and from its joyful shrine, Comes up the shout of Victory and Triumph. Roused by the sight of genuine glorious manhood, Inspired by the thrill of heroism. Enchanted by the words of truth that came From the defenders of the Alamo, My heart arose, threw off its chains and fetters, And made me what I am—
[Striking his breast with noble pride.]
A Man—a Man—
A Man resolved to stand by Truth and Right,
A Man prepared for torture and for death,
A Man before whose open brow and eye ”

“ I die with my wounded, in the Alamo."
The Bowie gasped, "Lead me over that line!"
Then Crockett, one hand to the sick, one hand to his gun,
Crossed with him; then never a word or a sign
Till all, sick or well, all, all save but one,
One man. Then a woman stepped, praying, and slow
Across; to die at her post in the Alamo.
Then that one coward fled, in the night, in that night
When all men silently prayed and thought
Of home; of to-morrow; of God and the right,
Till dawn; and with dawn came Travis's cannon-shot,
In answer to insolent Mexico,
From the old bell-tower of the Alamo. ”

“ To southward, beyond prairies threaded by the crystal waters of the rivers San Marcos and Guadalupe, I see San Antonio, that old town filled with memories of heroic deeds. The Alamo, treasured by my people, still stands on the plaza once dyed by the blood of Travis and his men. But how the gallant St. Denis would stare if he could come riding up and look from the brow of his favorite hill into the valley he loved! The village has become a great city. The streets are alive with traffic, handsome houses line the river-banks almost to the old Missions of Concepcion and San José. ”

“ While singing the last two lines, the defenders of the Alamo, Travis ahead, with Santa Anna's sword raised high in the air, leap to the crest of the breach, where the front ranks of the enemy are just appearing. Before the onslaught of the Texans, the Mexicans fall back, followed by the former, so that they are wholly lost out of sight by the spectators. ”

“ San Antonio is no place for Americans now. Santa Anna has taken the Alamo; and every one of your people lie low. Not one was spared to carry the tale to Austin—no, not one!"
Dr. Bryant groaned in spirit, and his extended arm sunk to his side.
"Oh God! hast thou forsaken us? Surely thou wilt yet listen to the voice of justice and liberty," he murmured to himself, and there was a pause.
"How long since the ill-fated Alamo fell?" he inquired.
"Five days ago. Hintzilopotchli came down and held his bloody feast, and cut off many brave men."
"By what force was the fortress assaulted?" ”

“ The Alamo lies open to the foe:
The northern side has fallen, and the eastern gate
Is swaying more and more with every shot.
Our faithful walls, which long withstood, at last
Have bowed their heads and sunk as heroes sink.
To us is left to follow their example.
Travis.
Yes, valiant friend! that is what we shall do.
So soon I have addressed our men once more,
Thou, Crockett, wilt conduct them hence, while I
Confer a while with Bowie yet and Smith.
[Turning to the men, who fall into order, he addresses them:]
The hour has dawned on us, my faithful comrades. ”

“ James Travis I am called.
Santa Anna.
James Travis? what?
Art thou related to that demagogue
Who, Colonel now, commands the Alamo?
J. Travis.
My highest boast is that I am his brother,
Yea, brother to the best, the bravest man
That ever breathed the air. No human heart
Beats so for all that noble is and good.
Santa Anna.
Thou art his brother, hem! that pleases me.
Yea, pleases me more than a thousand captives.
[Abruptly.]
How many men defend the Alamo?
J. Travis.
How many men? Is that thy wish to know?
Santa Anna.
Yes, yes! no matter 'bout a man or two. ”

“ He showed himself to General Cos in a sheet of flame. Such men are not to be fought. General Cos was compelled to retire to the Alamo. The battle is over for to-day. On this earth the soul has but a mortal sword. The water in the river is red with blood. The Plaza is covered with the dead and the dying. I have the honor to tell you that these ‘miserables’ are being attended to by the noble, the charitable Senor Doctor Worth. As I write, he is kneeling among them. My soul adores his humanity. I humbly kiss your hands, Senora, and the hands of your exalted daughters. ”

“ You know Texas is quite a state—and you've seen mighty little of it, as yet."
"Oh, girls, we'll see the Alamo!" cried Genevieve. "Did you realize that?"
"Will we, truly?" chorused several rapturous voices.
"Yes."
"And what do you know about the Alamo, young ladies?" smiled Mr. Hartley.
"We know everything," answered Tilly, cheerfully. [202] "Mr. Jones's daughter, you know, was our Latin teacher, and she had the History class, too. Well, we couldn't even think Bunker Hill but what she'd pipe up about the Alamo. Now I think Bunker Hill is pretty good!" ”

“ Thou, Kimble, let him through the western gate
Safely depart as first with bandaged eyes,
But that the enemy may glean the sooner
Our answer to their ignominious threats,
Thou, Dickinson, have forthwith all the cannon
Upon the south-side fired against their lines,
So that their iron messengers proclaim
With thundering tone into the tyrant's ear:
Above their lives, o'er wealth and high estate,
Americans freedom and honor rate;
We are prepared for death; now storm, now rave.
The Alamo's debris shall be our grave!"
[All depart with the exception of Travis and Crockett.] ”

“ Will you now remain in San Antonio?”
“I have come with orders to Travis to blow up the Alamo, and fall back upon Houston, who is at Gonzales. But I do not think the men will permit him to do so.”
“You have too many leaders. ”

“ The Alamo had none.”
141-1 At this time San Antonio had a population of about seven thousand Mexicans, a small proportion of whom were favorable to the Texan cause. The majority had no particular leaning toward either side, but were willing to make the best terms they could. The San Antonio River separated the town from the Alamo village and fort, or mission, as it was originally called. The Alamo proper was a stone structure built during the first settlement of that locality by the Spaniards, who intended it as a refuge for the colonists in case of attacks by the hostile Indians. ”

“ His large, bright visage, serious but hopeful, seemed to sun the camp. “They live too long,” he cried, “who outlive freedom. And I promise you that you shall have a full cup of vengeance. For every man that fell fighting at the Alamo, for every one treacherously slaughtered at Goliad, you shall be satisfied. If I seem to be flying before the enemy now, it is for his destruction. Three Mexican armies united, we cannot fight. We can fight them singly. And every mile we make them follow us weakens them, separates them, confuses them. ”

“ The Alamo, then, is, or rather was, an old Spanish mission located in a cottonwood grove that gave it its name—for Alamo means cottonwood—near the San Antonio River in southwestern Texas. On an opposite bank of the stream stood the Mexican town of San Antonio, built of low flat-roofed adobe or stone houses, and containing at the time of my story very few Americans, though in other parts of Texas these already formed an important part of the population. Texas was then a Mexican state, and Mexico itself had but recently thrown off the yoke of Spain. ”

“ They do not know such a thing as the Alamo; to them it is “La Casa del Santa Anna” (Santa Anna’s house) , and they have many interesting stories of what “mi padre grande” said about this old landmark in Texas history and the remarkable things that have happened there.
A very interesting story that seems to be known and believed by nearly all the pupils is that of the old cave, or underground passage, that formerly connected the Alamo with the San Pedro Springs. The entrance to this cave was covered with a big round stone in the very middle of the Alamo. ”

“ Bradburn.
But, child, the Alamo
Will soon surrender to the Mexicans.
What were our fate, if they entrapped us there?
Elsie.
It will not, can not: Travis holds the fort,
And Texan patriots are its garrison.
Bradburn.
Unless they yield, their doom is certain death.
Elsie.
What if it is? So let us die with them!
Bradburn.
Heroic child!—But let us bide our time.
Ere we select this last of remedies.
I will fulfill my mission; if it fails,
Thy way proposed lies open still to us,
Elsie. ”

“ Among the public buildings are the city hall in Military Plaza, the court-house on Main Plaza, the Federal building on the N. side of Alamo Plaza, the Carnegie library and the convention hall and market house on Milam Square. The most interesting building is the historic Alamo (named from the grove of cottonwood—alamo, the Populus monilifera—in which it stands) on the E. side of the Alamo Plaza, E. of the San Antonio river; it was begun probably in 1744 and was the chapel of the Mission San Antonio de Valero (often called “the Alamo mission”) ”

“ He was absorbed in the great tomb of the Alamo. Here, despite the recent work of the cannon, all things looked familiar. He could mark the very spots where he had stood and talked with Crockett or Bowie. He knew how the story of the immortal defence would spread like fire throughout Texas and beyond. When he should tell how he had seen the faces of the heroes, every heart must leap.
He wandered back to the church, where the curious still crowded. Many people from the town, influential Mexicans, wished to see the terrible Texans, who yet lay as they had fallen. ”

“ A prudent man completes his task at once.
So, Generals, depart ye hence and go
To tell your gallant men, that Mexico
Expects to-day to hear the overthrow
And glorious conquest of the Alamo. [Exeunt]
Scene II.
The Chapel of the Alamo. Colonel Win. Travis and Chaplain Smith standing near the altar.
Travis.
One, one more word! my last, my last to thee!
Thy post, dear friend, is at this holy altar.
Not in the battle's van. Thou, thou alone,
If spares the foe thy life, respects thy garb,
Must outlive our destruction and become
The messenger of our Thermopylae!
Smith. ”

“ Santa Anna.
It is my wish, that under flag of truce
Thou instantly start for the Alamo,
And there arrived, demand the fort's surrender
With all its men and arms. But am I right?
The task appears not pleasant quite to thee.
Bradburn.
Make me the leader of the Forlorn Hope,
Place me where fiercest raves the battle's roar,
But bid me not in parley to confront
Those men, whose every eye-glance, every word
Mean scorn and sneers cast on my loyalty.
Santa Anna.
Is that thy whole objection? Why, meseems,
Thy own confession puts thee in the wrong.
Bradburn. ”