on february twenty-third, in the year eighteen hundred and thirty-six, the arrival of general antonio lópez de santa anna's army outside san antonio nearly caught the alamo by suprise. undaunted, the Texans and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. the defenders held out for thirteen days against santa anna's army. william b. travis, the commander of the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. on the eighth day of the siege, a band of thirty-two volunteers from gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred.

legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, colonel travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over — all except one did. as the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to general santa anna. among the Alamo's garrison were jim bowie, renowned knife fighter, and david crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from tennessee.

the final assault came before daybreak on the morning of march sixth, as columns of mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls. cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. regrouping, the mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. once inside, they turned captured cannon on the long barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. the desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. by sunrise, the battle had ended and santa anna entered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory.

on april twenty-first at three thirty in the afternoon, sam houston and the Texian army caught up with the mexicans. they rode into battle with the cry "REMEMBER THE ALAMO." the angry Texians defeated the mexicans in under twenty minutes. texas soon after gained its independence.

twenty-five years later, during the civil war, the Texan soldiers were the most feared of any in the war, known as the texas screaming boys for their blood-chilling battle cries.

there has never been a prouded Texan than i.

and that is how this story ends.