H.R. No. 759

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, March 6, 2011, marks the 175th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, one of the most famous episodes in Texas history; and

WHEREAS, On December 9, 1835, an army of Texas volunteers captured San Antonio de Bexar from a force of Mexican soldiers under the command of General Martin Perfecto de Cos; Lieutenant Colonel James Clinton Neill was then placed in command of the Alamo, which enjoyed a strategic position because of its location on one of the two main roads stretching from Mexico into Texas; and

WHEREAS, Notwithstanding the small number of men in his command and a lack of provisions, Colonel Neill was determined to hold the Alamo; his troops were augmented slightly over the following weeks: Colonel James Bowie arrived with a detachment of 30 men on January 19, 1836; Lieutenant Colonel William Barret Travis rode in at the head of 30 cavalrymen on February 3, and David Crockett and 12 other volunteers entered the fort on about February 8; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Neill left the Alamo in mid-February to help his family, which had been struck by illness, and command of the regular soldiers fell to Colonel Travis, while Colonel Bowie assumed command of the volunteers; and

WHEREAS, On February 23, a Mexican army of about 6,000 men under the command of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna reached San Antonio; after a demand for the fort's surrender was rejected with a cannon shot, the Mexican artillery began an assault on the Alamo's perimeter walls; and

WHEREAS, The following day, February 24, Colonel Bowie fell seriously ill and command of the volunteers passed to Colonel Travis; facing terrible odds but committed to the mission before him, Travis penned a desperate plea for reinforcements; his letter, addressed "To the People of Texas and all Americans in the world," pledged that he would "never surrender or retreat" and concluded with the defiant words "Victory or Death"; and

WHEREAS, On March 1, while the siege continued, Lieutenant George Kimbell and a company of 32 soldiers slipped through the Mexican lines and joined the Alamo garrison; the large number of men that Travis hoped for, however, never arrived; finally, about 5 a.m. on March 6, General Santa Anna sent some 1,800 assault troops surging toward the fort; within 90 minutes the battle was over, and the few surviving defenders were quickly executed; while the official list of Alamo soldiers who died numbers 189, the actual number may be as high as 257; the number of Mexican troops wounded or killed is estimated to have been about 600; and

WHEREAS, The 13 days that General Santa Anna devoted to capturing the fort cost Mexico dearly; while he delayed his advance, the convention of Texas delegates meeting in Washington-on-the-Brazos had time to adopt a declaration of independence, draft a constitution, and form an interim government; moreover, news of the garrison's destruction fired the Texas army with a fierce resolve, and on April 21, 1836, the battlefield at San Jacinto echoed with cries of "Remember the Alamo"; and

WHEREAS, Since those fateful days in 1836, the story of the Alamo has reached audiences around the world; the Alamo remains one of the state's most important historical landmarks, and the Alamo defenders who gave their lives within its walls will forever be honored for their gallantry and courageous sacrifice in the cause of freedom; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the fallen heroes of the Battle of the Alamo, whose immeasurable selflessness and bravery helped give rise to an independent Texas.

Branch

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 759 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on March 17, 2011.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House