MYTH: T HAT T EXANS WERE THE GOOD GUYS AN D M EXICANS THE BAD GUYS FACT: T HE M EXICANS WERE FIGHTIN G TO DEFEND THEIR COUNTRY AND TO HOLD IT INTACT . W HILE T EXANS WERE FIGHTING FOR CERT AIN FREEDOMS AND A MORE LIBERAL JUDICIA L SYSTEM . O NE OF THE FREEDOMS THEY WERE SEEKING WA S THE RIGHT TO OWN S LAVES . MYTH: FACT:
T HERE WERE NO SURVIVO RS OF THE A LAMO . A S MANY AS 17 PEOPLE WHO DID NOT T AKE PART IN THE FIGHTING S U R V I V E D T H E B A T TL E , INCLUDING S USANNAH D ICKENSON , HER DAUGHTER , A BLACK SLAVE AND ABOUT 14 PRO -T EXAN H IS PANICS . O THER ACCOUNTS OF SURVIVOR S AMONG THE FIGHTING MEN ALSO HAVE SURFACED A LTHOUGH THESE ARE IN DISPUTE .
MYTH:
D AVY C ROCKETT DIED FIGHTING , SWINGING HIS RIFLE , "O LD B ETSY ," WITH A HEAP OF DEAD M EXICAN SOLDIERS AT H IS FEET . FACT: T HERE ARE VARYING ACC OUNTS OF WHAT HAPPENED , INCLUDING SEVERAL TH AT SAY HE WAS CAPTURED ALONG WITH SIX OTHER A LAMO DEFENDERS AND EXECUTED .
MYTH:
T HAT W ILLIAM T RAVIS
DREW A LINE ACROSS THE COURTYARD AND TOLD THOS E WILLI NG TO STAY TO STEP ACROS S THE LINE . J IM B OWIE , TAKEN ILL , ASKED THAT HIS COT B E CARRIED ACROSS THE LINE TO SIGNAL HIS WILLINGNE SS TO STAY . FACT: T HIS STORY DIDN ' T SURFACE UNTIL 1873, WHEN W ILLIAM Z UBER CLAIMED TO HAVE HEARD IT FROM L OUIS R OSE , THE ONE WHO IS SUPPO SED TO HAVE REFUSED TO CROSS T HE LINE . B UT THERE IS NO OTHER RECORD TO SUPPORT TH E STORY .
MYTH: T HE T EXAS L ONE S T AR FLAG FLEW OVER THE A LAMO DURING THE 13- DAY SIEGE . FACT: I T DID NOT , ALTHOU GH DEBATE CONT INUES OVER WHICH FLAG DID FLY OVER THE MISSION FORTRESS . E ARLIER ACCOUNTS HAD THE DEFENDERS FLYING THE FLAG OF T HE L OUISIAN A G REYS WHILE OTHERS CLAIMED IT WA S A M E X I C A N F L A G B E A R I N G T H E D A T E 18 2 4 , THE YEAR M EXICO PASSED A LIBER AL CONSTITUTION FAVORAB LE TO T EXANS . M OST HISTORIANS NOW BELIE VE THE MOST LIKELY F LAG USED AT THE A LAMO WAS THE TRICOLO R T E J A S Y C O A H U I L A FLAG
.
MYTH:
T HE
ASHES OF THE A LAMO DEFENDERS RESIDE IN A MARBLE C OFFIN IN THE S AN F ERNANDO C ATHEDRAL . FACT: W HEN J UAN N. S EGUIN RETURNED TO S AN A NTONIO IN F EBRUARY OF 1837, HE COLLECTED WHAT ASHES REMAINED IN TO A SING LE COFFIN . A FTER A BRIEF RELIGIOUS SERVICE AT THE S AN F ERN ANDO C ATHEDRAL , THE A S H E S W E R E T A K E N B A C K A N D I N T E R R E D O N T H E S P O T WHERE THEY WERE FOUN D . T HE STONES THAT MARKED THE SPOT ARE GONE AN D THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE GRAVE IS NOW LOST .
S OURCE : D ALLAS T IMES H ERALD , M ONDAY , A PRIL 18, 1988 ILLUSTRATION "DECISION AT THE ALAMO" COPYRIGHT BY KENNETH R. TURNER.
R ELATED A RTICLE :
USED WITH PERMISSION .
MYTHOLOGIZING T HE ALAMO