Why did General Houston send Colonel Bowie to the Alamo?
On January 17, 1836, Sam Houston, the commander of the revolutionary troops, sent Colonel Jim Bowie and 25 men to San Antonio with orders to destroy the Alamo fortifications and retire eastward with the artillery. Bowie also had a keen eye for logistics, terrain, and avenues of assault.
Why did people go to the Alamo?
The battle of the Alamo was fought over issues like Federalism, slavery, immigration rights, the cotton industry, and above all, money. General Santa Anna arrived at San Antonio; his Mexican army with some justification regarded the Texans as murderers.
Why did Bowie and his men go to the Alamo?
Colonel Bowie and his men were only sent to the Alamo to remove the artillery and ammunition from the fort. When this was prevented by a local lack of draught animals, Bowie and the garrison commander Colonel Neil decided to defend the fort, and San Antonio de Bexar, and requested reinforcements and supplies from the rebel government.
What was the Texan army like at the Alamo?
When he arrived, he found that the Texan army consisted of 374 poorly dressed and ill-equipped men. Most had no guns or military experience, and they had only two days of rations. Houston had little time to dwell on the situation, because he learned that the Mexican general Santa Anna was staging a siege of the Alamo in San Antonio.
What was the letter Houston wrote to Smith about blowing up the Alamo?
Houston’s “blow up the Alamo” supporters point to this letter as proof that Houston did issue those orders, but on reading closely one can see that he was asking permission not informing Smith of any orders he had issued. In the same letter he also tells G OV.
When did Houston order the Alamo blown up?
While most Houston supporters will almost immediately jump on the bandwagon that yes, Houston did order the Alamo blown up, when the evidence is examined from an objective viewpoint an entirely different conclusion can be drawn. On January 17th, 1836 Houston wrote a letter to G OV .