True Texans will stand and place their hands over their hearts as they are reminded that, on this fateful day in 1836, the 13-day Battle of the Alamo began.
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For almost 10 days, less than 100 Texan fighters held off 1,500 Mexican soldiers led by President General Antonio López de Santa Anna in what is now San Antonio.
Amidst the bloody battle and dangerously low resources, true Texan Colonel William Travis’s penned a desperate plea “To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World:”
“The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken – I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls – I shall never surrender or retreat.”
On March 6, the Mexican Army made their final march on the Alamo, and over 250 Texians were slaughtered, including Travis and folk hero Davy Crockett.
News of the defeat quickly inspired a new rush to join the Republic’s army, and on April 21, 1836, a surprise assault known as the Battle of San Jacinto on Santa Anna led to his capture and eventual retreat.
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Texan is a state of mind, and we should remember the countless lives given, then and now, to protect this precious identity.