Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Fall of the Alamo: Can anyone comment on this account?

I received the following from a high school classmate (we had our 50th reunion last year). It is an account of the fall of the Alamo by the Acalde of San Antonio. Since it is at odds with some of the revisionist history of this event that I have run across in the last few years, I was wondering if any of our Texas historians can vouch for the accuracy of this account?


On this day in 1836...

...the Alamo garrison fell, and the fortress that had been a mission became a shrine.

Francisco Antonio Ruiz was the Acalde (mayor) of San Antonio. He was an eyewitness to the events of that day.

Twenty-four years later, in 1860, Don Poncho (as Ruiz was known), recounted what he had seen for the Texas Almanac.

Below is his account in full.

Remember the Alamo!
Mark Pusateri
Copano Bay Press

PS - Don Poncho's father, Don Francisco Ruiz, signed the Texas Declaration of Independence four days before the Alamo fell.


Fall of the Alamo, and Massacre of Travis and His Brave Associates
by Francisco Antonio Ruiz
Translated by J. A. Quintero

On the 6th of March at 3 a.m. General Santa Anna at the head of 4000 men, advanced against the Alamo. The infantry, artillery and cavalry had formed about 1000 varas from the walls of said fortress.

The Mexican army charged and were twice repulsed by the deadly fire of Travis' artillery, which resembled a constant thunder. At the third charge the Toluca battalion commenced to scale the walls and suffered severely. Out of 800 men, only 130 were left alive.

When the Mexican army had succeeded in entering the walls, I with Political Chief (Jefe Politico) Don Ramon Musquiz, and other members of the corporation, accompanied the curate Don Refugio de la Garza, who, by Santa Anna's orders had assembled during the night, at a temporary fortification erected in Potrero Street, with the object of attending the wounded.

As soon as the storming commenced, we crossed the bridge on Commerce Street with this object in view, and about 100 yards from the same a party of Mexican dragoons fired upon us and compelled us to fall back on the river to the place occupied before.

Half an hour had elapsed when Santa Anna sent one of his aides with an order for us to come before him. He directed me to call upon some of the neighbors to come with carts to carry the dead to the cemetery, and also to accompany him, as he was desirous to have Colonels Travis, Bowie and Crockett shown to him.

On the north battery of the fortress lay the lifeless body of Colonel Travis on the gun carriage shot only in the forehead.

Toward the west in a small fort opposite the city we found the body of Colonel Crockett.

Colonel Bowie was found dead in his bed in one of the rooms of the south side.

Santa Anna, after the Mexicans were taken out, ordered wood to be brought to burn the bodies of the Texans. He sent a company of dragoons with me to bring wood and dry branches from the neighboring forests.

About 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the next day they commenced laying wood and dry branches upon which a file of dead bodies were placed, more wood was piled on them and another file brought, and in this manner all were arranged in layers. Kindling wood was distributed through the pile and at 8 o'clock it was lighted.

The dead Mexicans of Santa Anna's army were taken to the graveyard, but not having sufficient room for them, I ordered some of them to be thrown in the river, which was done on the same day. Santa Anna's loss estimated at 1600 men. These were the flower of his army.

The gallantry of the few Texans who defended the Alamo were really wondered at by the Mexican army. Even the generals were astonished at their vigorous resistance, and how dearly the victory had been bought.

The generals who, under Santa Anna, participated in the storming of the Alamo were Juan Amador, Castrillion Ramirez and Asesma Andrade.

The men burned numbered 182. I was an eye witness, for as Alcalde of San Antonio, I was with some of the neighbors collecting the dead bodies and placing them on the funeral pyre.

(Signed) Francisco Antonio Ruiz

Walk around the exterior walls of the Alamo, and you will see tens of thousands of little round indentations. They are the impact marks of musket balls, and physical evidence of a hard fought battle.

Regardless of whether they fought to the last man, or fought a while & surrendered, they did fight a much larger force, and unquestionably died heroes. To heck with the revisionists

As I recall from the books on the Alamo I have read, the story you have copied is pretty much what I have read elsewhere. I do not remember the names of the fighters with the exception of Travis, Bowie, Crocket, and Santa Anna. I am curious however, what was your point in quoting the passage? You can find material easily on the Alamo and confirm what you have copied.

The only two things that are different from what I was taught at the college level is the location of Crockett's body (?) and the much larger number of Mexican casualties than originally reported. Then again that was over 50 years ago, so I may have some high school information mixed in. I thought Crockett was found in one of the cubicles in front and just across the yard, still on the mission property. Could have been that Don Pablo was playing both sides for favors, before and after the Alamo fell?

As an aside, the sheet music to Santa Anna's charge as played by his band(s) has been found. I listened to a rendition of it a while back. It was kind of erie. jack

Great post. They died to give us 150 years of freedom, until men and women with no Christian morals and ruled by jealousy and greed voted to take from those who worked to give it to themselves and others who wouldn't, usually under the guise of love and benevolence.

Yeah. The same guy that sent me this sent me the recording a while back. It was the deguello performed by an orchestra in Mexico City. It was very different from the various movie versions.

One of these days I am going to lay eyes on the Alamo.

Come on out and we'll go look at some of the other battle sites, too!

Ed

Born in Austin waaaay back when. Still proud of those who gave us that history and foundation.

My brother entered a contest when we moved up here to the PNW and won one of the musket balls (documented and one of several given away) from one of the Alamo's walls. This was around the late '50's or so. I don't suppose anymore of the Alamo's artifacts are given away so freely and/or easily.

Hope not, anyway. But it is quite an heirloom.......IMHO.

The Alamo is a stirring and special place to visit for anyone who loves freedom.You need not be a Texan to appreciate what happened there.

I'd like that Ed. Tide Jr, would enjoy it as well. We'll have to see what the year brings. When we get Trace retired this August, things should get freed up.

The Alamo isnt as big as most people think it is. A few years
ago I believe they found one of the cannons in the river.

It's not the size, it's the place where the legend actually happened. "Thermopoly had her messenger of defeat, but the Alamo had none"!

I'm no historian and can't verify it one way or another, but 1 account I've read said that a number of the Texans surrendered in the end. Then Santa Ana had them shot, just like he did the men at Goliad a few weeks later.

The current Alamo is just a small part of the original Alamo area and structures.
I almost never visit SA without making a "pilgrimage" to the Alamo.

Those brave souls are rolling over in their graves now just thinking about what is going on in the US today with the population giving up to the marxists. Such a shame they died needlessly against the mexicans that we now let run foot loose and fancy free and even bring in drugs. Dirty rotten shame that much is certain.

Santa Anna moved out from his capitol in Mexico City and made an extremely hard winter march up from the south to northern Mexico, of which Texas was at the time. Nobody thought he would do it as it was extremely hard on his men with the weather and Apaches harassing them every step of the way. They did not all arrive at once and did not all arrive at all. Santa Anna split them up and only a portion of his army, albeit the main force, attacked the Alamo.

There had been rumors all winter of Santa Anna's approach and though not totally unexpected, by the time his forces started to arrive and encircle the Alamo, it was still shocking. There was a siege of several days as Santa Anna's troops caught up and brought up artillery. On the last day, the Texans were probably outnumbered anywhere from 40 to 70 to their one. The battle commenced in total darkness with Santa Anna having successfully put the sneak on the Texans after a heavy artillery barrage the day and night before. The element of complete surprise was lost when one of the Mexicans raised a cheer to Santa Anna and alerted the sleeping garrison. They were overwhelmed and the battle was pretty much over by daylight. Some accounts have all dead, others have a handful of survivors surrendering and being tortured to death at Santa Anna's orders. I believe it was General Cos who begged the Emperor to spare them, but his orders had been specific that all were to be put to the sword. One account has Crockett being spared and taken to Mexico City as a captive. Crockett's son evidently put enough stock in the story to journey there years later in a vain search for his father. During the fight a few men broke out and attempted to flee but were cut down by Lancers. I have never read any account of a surrender en-masse by the defenders. Most of them died defending their posts.

Never mistake the Alamo for a monument - to Texas it is a shrine, and its heros are Saints.

A lovely older woman from TX made that very clear to me last year when I finally found a parking space at the Alamo.

Then why don't Texans honor the shrine instead of letting the mexicans come back in illegally?

I don't think they really think it is a shrine but instead a mistake to most Texans. They want the mexicans and it is obvious that the mexicans want to be there to.

My Mother is a Texan. I am an ex-Texan and I have been to the Alamo more than once. Everybody with any roots in Texas should visit it.