Texas troops attempt to reach an acequia outside the fortress 4 - Feb... · 2018. 2. 23. · Texas...
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By Robert Kolarik Staff Writer S AN ANTONIO de BÉXAR, México, Feb. 26, 1836 — On this day rendered most foul by continuous winds howl- ing about the ramparts of Fortress Alamo, the chill- ing temperature was not the only thing causing dis- comfort and consternation among the assembled forces of Liberty. The water well within the walls of the old mission sim- ply is not up to the task of supplying scores of people, let alone the livestock, that have been assembled. Like humans, horses and beeves cannot long endure the ab- sence of the life-sustaining liquid. A pair of acequias bracket the Alamo — they are chan- nels designed to carry water to farm fields, where its in- tended purpose is to nourish the thirsty crops. Seeking to enhance the supply within the walls, a small expedi- tion exited the fortress, in- tent upon drawing water from one of the acequias and perhaps gathering some wood for the fires needed to fight the bitter weather. They were, of course, immediately spotted by the ever-present forces of Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, and, as Col. Juan Al- monte — an aide-de-camp to His Excellency, the Presi- dent and Dictator of Mexico — put it, “were opposed by our marksmen.” ————————— A SKIRMISH C ol. Almonte reported that the clash over access to the Alamo’s acequias was not the only firing done to-day by Gen. Santa Anna’s forces. “At daylight there was a slight skirmish between the enemy and a small party of the division of the east, under command of (Gen. Joaquín Ramírez y) Sesma,” he noted. “During the day the firing from our cannon was continued. The enemy did not reply, except now and then.” The dictator’s underling was unable to note any losses among the Alamo defenders and remained silent on the subject of casualties outside the old mission. ————————— STORIED HISTORY T hat the Alamo began its life as a Catholic missionary outpost — a site intended to welcome anyone, be they good, bad or even the most horren- dously ugly — is but one element underscoring the biblical nature of the struggle here. It is indeed a confron- tation remarkably similar to David’s epic battle against the mighty Philistine cham- pion Goliath. The Mission San Antonio de Valero was established in 1718 as part of the efforts to colonize the vast area that then was referred to as New Spain. The building known as the Long Barrack was com- pleted in 1727, and 17 years later, construction work was commenced on a stone church in a southeasterly di- rection from that structure. That house of worship col- lapsed in 1756, and two years later, work was begun on a replacement. Apparently intended to eventually have twin bel- fries and a domed roof, the chapel was never completed and today is a mere skel- eton that sits open to the elements. Back in ’93, the complex was legally dissolved as a mission and surrendered into the hands of civil authorities. A Spanish cavalry unit from Alamo de Parras was posted at the old mission and the site became known as Pueblo del Alamo. (In the Spanish tongue, alamo is the word for cottonwood.) The troops posted there- in changed from Spanish to Mexican in 1821, but their duty remained the same: control of the San Antonio de Béxar vicinity. Last year, before his defeat during the Siege of Béxar, Mexican Gen. Martín Perfecto de Cós began fortifying the compound, and that work was continued under Texas landlordship. ————————— A CRAFTSMAN I n their ranks, the Alamo defenders are lucky to have the services of Green B. Jameson, late of Kentucky and a lawyer by trade who is committed to the cause of Liberty. He noted that “when I left home it was with a determination to see Texas free and independent, sink or swim.” Put in charge of the forti- fications of the Alamo, quick was Jameson to comprehend that the combination of the compound’s high walls and the artillery left by the re- cently departed Gen. Cós made for an excellent de- fensive strategy. He implemented repairs on a crumbling section of the north wall by bracing it on the exterior with a scaffolding made of timber, and sealed off an open area on the south by erecting a palisade of timbers running southwest from the unfin- ished chapel to the south- most wall of the compound. On the exterior of this palisade is a ditch that has been filled with odds and ends of sharp pieces of lumber and the branches of thorny trees — a manufactured briar patch, if you will. Also, the clever barrister carefully positioned the artillery pieces to ensure the utmost damage could be inflicted on the enemy. ————————— LITTLE TO SEE D espite the fortifica- tion work done un- der the direction of Mr. Jameson, the truth must be told that from the exte- rior, the Alamo offers little that would catch the eye of a visitor to San Antonio de Béxar. Seeing it, in fact, would be about as notewor- thy as the sights one would encounter during a walk along the San Antonio River. Yet, the compound presents a challenge most formidable to its would-be conqueror, Gen. Santa Anna. Texas troops attempt to reach an acequia outside the fortress DAY 4 FEB. 26, 1836 The acequias were intended to conduct the flow of water to nearby residents’ thirsty crops. Mike Fisher, a xylographer from the Staff.
Transcript of Texas troops attempt to reach an acequia outside the fortress 4 - Feb... · 2018. 2. 23. · Texas...
By Robert KolarikStaff Writer
SAN ANTONIO de BÉXAR, México, Feb. 26, 1836 — On this
day rendered most foul by continuous winds howl-ing about the ramparts of Fortress Alamo, the chill-ing temperature was not the only thing causing dis-comfort and consternation among the assembled forces of Liberty.
The water well within the walls of the old mission sim-ply is not up to the task of supplying scores of people, let alone the livestock, that have been assembled. Like humans, horses and beeves cannot long endure the ab-sence of the life-sustaining liquid.
A pair of acequias bracket the Alamo — they are chan-nels designed to carry water to farm fields, where its in-tended purpose is to nourish the thirsty crops. Seeking to enhance the supply within the walls, a small expedi-tion exited the fortress, in-tent upon drawing water from one of the acequias and perhaps gathering some wood for the fires needed to fight the bitter weather.
They were, of course, immediately spotted by the ever-present forces of Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, and, as Col. Juan Al-monte — an aide-de-camp to His Excellency, the Presi-
dent and Dictator of Mexico — put it, “were opposed by our marksmen.”
—————————A SKIRMISH
Col. Almonte reported that the clash over access to the Alamo’s
acequias was not the only firing done to-day by Gen. Santa Anna’s forces.
“At daylight there was a slight skirmish between the enemy and a small party of the division of the east, under command of (Gen. Joaquín Ramírez y) Sesma,” he noted. “During the day the firing from our cannon was continued. The enemy did not reply, except now and then.”
The dictator’s underling was unable to note any losses among the Alamo defenders and remained silent on the subject of casualties outside the old mission.
—————————STORIED HISTORY
That the Alamo began its life as a Catholic missionary outpost —
a site intended to welcome anyone, be they good, bad or even the most horren-dously ugly — is but one element underscoring the biblical nature of the struggle here. It is indeed a confron-tation remarkably similar to David’s epic battle against the mighty Philistine cham-pion Goliath.
The Mission San Antonio de Valero was established in
1718 as part of the efforts to colonize the vast area that then was referred to as New Spain.
The building known as the Long Barrack was com-pleted in 1727, and 17 years later, construction work was commenced on a stone church in a southeasterly di-rection from that structure. That house of worship col-lapsed in 1756, and two years later, work was begun on a replacement.
Apparently intended to eventually have twin bel-fries and a domed roof, the chapel was never completed and today is a mere skel-eton that sits open to the elements.
Back in ’93, the complex was legally dissolved as a mission and surrendered into the hands of civil authorities. A Spanish cavalry unit from Alamo de Parras was posted at the old mission and the site became known as Pueblo del Alamo. (In the Spanish tongue, alamo is the word for cottonwood.)
The troops posted there-in changed from Spanish to Mexican in 1821, but their duty remained the same: control of the San Antonio de Béxar vicinity. Last year, before his defeat during the Siege of Béxar, Mexican Gen. Martín Perfecto de Cós began fortifying the compound, and that work was continued under Texas landlordship.
—————————A CRAFTSMAN
In their ranks, the Alamo defenders are lucky to have the services of Green
B. Jameson, late of Kentucky and a lawyer by trade who is committed to the cause of Liberty. He noted that “when I left home it was with a determination to see Texas free and independent, sink or swim.”
Put in charge of the forti-fications of the Alamo, quick was Jameson to comprehend that the combination of the compound’s high walls and the artillery left by the re-cently departed Gen. Cós made for an excellent de-fensive strategy.
He implemented repairs on a crumbling section of the north wall by bracing it on the exterior with a scaffolding made of timber, and sealed off an open area on the south by erecting a palisade of timbers running southwest from the unfin-ished chapel to the south-most wall of the compound. On the exterior of this
palisade is a ditch that has been filled with odds and ends of sharp pieces of lumber and the branches of thorny trees — a manufactured briar patch, if you will.
Also, the clever barrister carefully positioned the artillery pieces to ensure the utmost damage could be inflicted on the enemy.
—————————LITTLE TO SEE
Despite the fortifica-tion work done un-der the direction of
Mr. Jameson, the truth must be told that from the exte-rior, the Alamo offers little that would catch the eye of a visitor to San Antonio de Béxar. Seeing it, in fact, would be about as notewor-thy as the sights one would encounter during a walk along the San Antonio River. Yet, the compound presents a challenge most formidable to its would-be conqueror, Gen. Santa Anna.
Texas troops attempt to reach an acequia outside the fortress
DAY 4FEB. 26,
1836
The acequias were intended to conduct the flow of water to nearby residents’ thirsty crops. Mike Fisher, a xylographer from the Staff.
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