The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 37, July 1933 - April, 1934 Page: 35
330 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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A Critical Study of the Siege of the Alamo
attack. The columns of the western and eastern attacks, meeting
with some difficulties in reaching the tops of the small houses which
formed the. walls of the fort, did, by a simultaneous movement to
the right and to left, swing northward till the three columns
formed one dense mass, which under the guidance of their officers,
endeavored to climb the parapet on that side.
This obstacle was at length overcome, the gallant General Juan
V. Amador being among the foremost. Meantime the column
attacking the southern front under Colonels Jos6 Vicente Mifion
and Jos6 Morales, availing themselves of a shelter, formed by some
stone houses near the western salient of that front, boldly took the
guns defending it, and penetrated through the embrasures into
the square formed by the barracks. There they assisted General
Amador, who having captured the enemy's pieces turned them
against the doors of the interior houses where the rebels had sought
shelter, and from which they fired upon our men in the act of
jumping down onto the square or court of the fort. At last they
were all destroyed by grape, musket shot and the bayonet.
Our loss was very heavy. Colonel Francisco Duque was mortally
wounded at the very beginning; as he lay dying on the ground
where he was being trampled down by his own men, he still ordered
them on to the slaughter. This attack was extremely injudicious
and in opposition to military rules, for our own men were exposed
not only to the fire of the enemy but also to that of our own columns
attacking the other fronts; and our soldiers being formed in close
columns, all shots that were aimed too low, struck the backs of our
foremost men. The greatest number of our casualties took place
in that manner; it may even be affirmed that not one-fourth of our
wounded were struck by the enemy's fire, because their cannon,
owing to their elevated position, could not be sufficiently lowered
to injure our troops after they had reached the foot of the walls.
Nor could the defenders use their muskets with accuracy, because
the wall having no inner banquette, they had, in order to deliver
their fire, to stand on top where they could not live one second.
The official list of casualties, made by General Juan de Andrade,
shows: officers 8 killed, 18 wounded; enlisted men 52 killed, 233
wounded. Total 311 killed and wounded.72 A great many of the
7The question of Mexican losses is discussed at length in Chapter IV,
but it seems appropriate to mention here a letter from a private Mexi-
can soldier to his brother, published by E Mosquito Mexicano, April 15,
1836. It was written on March 6, 1836, and is worthy of being quoted
in full, but its length forbids. After reciting the orders for the attack,
and the plan of the battle, very much as official accounts give them,
the letter goes on: "The attack was made in four columns, led by
General Cos, General Morales, Duque de Estrada, and Romero. I
marched under the immediate command of General Cos, and will tell
you what I .saw. After a long wait we took our places at 3 o'clock A.
M. on the south side, a distance of 300 feet from the fort of the enemy.
Here we remained flat on our stomachs until 5:30 (Whew! it was cold),
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Texas State Historical Association & Barker, Eugene C. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 37, July 1933 - April, 1934, periodical, 1934; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101094/m1/43/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.