The Alamo, San Antonio Texas
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The Alamo, San Antonio
Texas
The
Alamo is in San Antonio, Texas. It was
originally known as the Mission San Antonio
de Valero,
which used to be a Roman
Catholic mission and fortress complex.
Presently, it functions as a museum.
The compound composed of a sanctuary and a
handful of other structures were built in
the 18th century by the Spanish Empire. It
was built for the education of locals after
their religious conversion to Christianity.
The
mission was secularized and later abandoned
in 1793. It then became a fortress for the
Mexican army group called the Second Flying
Company of San Carlos de Parras ten years
later. The Mexican group gave the mission
its current name, the “Alamo”. The group
held the mission until General
Martin Perfecto de Cos
surrendered it to the Texan army after the
siege of Bexar in December 1835.
General Sam Houston ordered Colonel Jamie
Bowie to destroy the fort because he did not
think that there were enough men to hold it.
Bowie disregarded Houston’s orders, and,
instead, worked with Colonel James Neill to
fortify the Alamo.
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna of the
Mexican army led an attack against San
Antonio de
Bexar on February 23, 1836. The
siege saw its conclusion on March 6 when the
Mexicans attacked the Alamo. After the Battle of the
Alamo, the defenders were wiped out.
After the Texas Revolution, which drove the
Mexicans to retreat, the Alamo was torn down
and
the surrounding buildings
were set afire. The Alamo was also the title
of an American war movie,
made in the year 1960
starring John Wayne as Col. Davy Crockett
reliving this historical battle.