[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6566-6567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
   DEFENDERS OF THE ALAMO THAT DIED MARCH 6, 1836 BY MARY ANN NOONON 
                           GUERRA--HISTORIAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, 163 years ago this night, on March the 
5th, 1836, would be the last night for a group of individuals who came 
from all over the United States. They were from most of the States. 
They were from numerous foreign countries. They were odd sorts of 
individuals. They were frontiersmen, landowners, lawyers, unemployed. 
They were of all races--black, white and brown--but they were all 
volunteers, and most of them knew that this would be their last night 
after spending 12 days defending an old, beat-up Spanish fort that had 
already been over 100 years old. It was now a mission but also a 
fortress, what we call the Alamo.
  You see, this odd bunch of individuals ended up there because all of 
them had ended up and had come to Texas from different parts of the 
country--from Mexico, from Europe--to seek a new life.
  Backing up in history a little bit, the country of Spain had claimed 
most of Central America and Mexico, which included Texas at the time. 
Mexico decided to revolt against Spain. That revolution was successful, 
and in 1824, the country of Mexico adopted a constitution drafted very 
similarly to ours, which gave civil liberties to all people in Mexico, 
which included Texas.
  But Mexico had a problem with a dictator. His name was Santa Anna, 
and when he became dictator of Mexico, he abolished the Constitution of 
1824. He eliminated civil rights. He abolished the right to be tried by 
a jury, and he imposed dictator powers on Mexico. That offended people 
who lived in what is now Texas. It offended people of all races. So, in 
1835, a revolution started in Texas.
  Then on March the 6th, 1836, which would be tomorrow morning, 13 days 
after defending the Alamo, these individuals were sieged by a force of 
military Mexican soldiers several times the size of the 187 defenders. 
Most of them knew that that would be their last night on Earth and that 
tomorrow they would see their fate because they were outnumbered.
  You have heard all of their names throughout history. Probably the 
most famous are a Tennessee Congressman by the name of Davy Crockett 
and Jim Bowie, famous from Louisiana, but there were others--Juan 
Sequin from Mexico, who was a scout, or William Barret Travis, the 
commander of the Alamo. Jim Bonham was a scout who was also a boyhood 
friend of William Barret Travis. In all, there were 187. William Barret 
Travis was a 27-year-old lawyer from South Carolina, then Alabama, and 
then he came to what is now Texas.
  All of these individuals called themselves, not Texans, but Texians. 
Even Hispanic defenders of the Alamo referred to themselves as Tehanos, 
or Texians.
  No one came to the help of the individuals who were at the Alamo, 
even though Travis had sent out numerous requests for aid, except for 
32 men from the small town of Gonzales. They marched their way into the 
Alamo walls, and when they arrived, Travis made the comment, ``These 
men came to die.''
  We all have heard about his famous letter that he has written, that 
is now in history, about how he had asked for aid and about how he was 
determined to sustain himself for as long as possible, which he did.
  Some historians say and tradition says that, before the last day took 
place on March the 5th, in the evening, William Barret Travis drew a 
line in the sand with his sword, and he told those individuals who 
wanted to fight, and yet die for the Republic of Texas, to cross the 
line.
  Historians say the first person to cross the line was a 26-year-old 
kid from Ohio. All walked over except an individual by the name of 
Moses Rose. Moses Rose was an individual from France, and he decided 
not to stay at the Alamo, and left over the Alamo wall. He later became 
one of the biggest sources for what took place at the Alamo.
  That next morning, Santa Anna assaulted the troops, assaulted the 
fort, and after several hours of fighting, the

[[Page 6567]]

fort was taken. What few defenders were captured after they surrendered 
were summarily executed, and the bodies were burned. William Barret 
Travis made the comment that victory would be more costly to the enemy 
than defeat. He was right. Ten times the number of Santa Anna's 
military and army were defeated and killed at that battle.
  Mr. Speaker, it's important that we remember the men of the Alamo who 
fought for victory in the Republic of Texas. It's important that we 
always remember anybody anywhere in the world who fights for liberty, 
and we honor those people tonight.
  And that's just the way it is.

  Defenders of the Alamo That Died March 6, 1836, by Mary Ann Noonon 
                           Guerra, historian

       Abamillo, Juan, San Antonio (Mexico); Allen, Robert, 
     Virginia; Andross, Miles Deforest, 21, Vermont; Autry, 
     Micajah, 42, North Carolina; Badillo, Juan Antonio, San 
     Antonio (Mexico); Bailey, Peter James III, Kentucky; Baker, 
     Isaac G., 22, Arkansas; Baker, William Charles M., Missouri; 
     Ballentine, John J., Pennsylvania; Ballentine, Richard W., 
     22, Scotland; Baugh, John J., 33, Virginia; Bayliss, Joseph, 
     28, Tennessee; Blair, John, Tennessee; Blair, Samuel C., 33, 
     Tennessee; Blazeby, William, 41, England; Bonham, James 
     Butler, 29, South Carolina; Bourne, Daniel, 26, England; 
     Bowie, James, 40, Kentucky; Bowman, Jesse B., 51, Tennessee; 
     Brown, George, 35, England; Brown, James Murry, 36, 
     Pennsylvania; Brown, Robert, 18, Unknown; Buchanan, James, 
     23, Alabama; Burns, Samuel E., 26, Ireland; Butler, George 
     D., 23, Missouri; Cain (Cane), John, 34, Pennsylvania; 
     Campbell, James (Robert), 26, Tennessee; Carey, William R., 
     30, Virginia; Clark, Charles Henry, Missouri; Clark, M.B., 
     Mississippi; Cloud, Daniel William, 24, Kentucky; Cochran, 
     Robert E., 26, New Hampshire; Cottle, George Washington, 27, 
     Missouri; Courtman, Henry, 28, Germany; Crawford, Lemuel, 22, 
     South Carolina; Crockett, David, 50, Tennessee; Crossman, 
     Robert, 26, Pennsylvania; Cummings, David P., 29, 
     Pennsylvania; Cunningham, Robert W., 34, New York; Darst, 
     Jacob C., Kentucky; Davis, John, Kentucky; Day, Freeman H.K., 
     Unknown; Day, Jerry C., Missouri; Daymon, Squire, Tennessee; 
     Dearduff, William, Tennessee; Dennison, Stephen (or Ireland), 
     England; Despallier, Charles, Louisiana; Dickerson 
     (Dickinson), Almeron, 36, Tennessee; Dimpkins, James R., 
     England; Duvalt, Andrew, Ireland; Espalier, Carlos, San 
     Antonio (Mexico); Esparza, Gregorio (Jose Maria), San Antonio 
     (Mexico); Evans, Robert, Ireland; Evans, Samuel B., New York; 
     Ewing, James L., Tennessee; Fishbaugh, William, Alabama; 
     Flanders, John, Massachusetts; Floyd, Dolphin Ward, North 
     Carolina; Forsyth, John Hubbard, 39, New York; Fuentes, 
     Antonio, San Antonio (Mexico); Fuqua, Galba, Alabama; 
     Garnett, William, Virginia; Garrand, James W., Louisiana; 
     Garrett, James Girard, Tennessee; Garvin, John E., Unknown; 
     Gaston, John E., 17, Kentucky; George, James, Unknown; 
     Goodrich, John Camp, Virginia; Grimes, Albert (Alfred) 
     Calvin, Georgia; Gwynne, James C., England; Hannum, James, 
     Pennsylvania; Harris, John, Kentucky; Harrison, Andrew 
     Jackson, Tennessee; Harrison, William B., Ohio; Haskell, 
     Charles M., Tennessee; Hawkins, Joseph M., Ireland; Hays, 
     John M., Tennessee; Herndon, Patrick Henry, Virginia; Hersee, 
     William Daniel, England; Holland, Tapely, 26, Ohio; Holloway, 
     Samuel, Pennsylvania; Howell, William D., Massachusetts; 
     Jackson, Thomas, Ireland; Jackson, William Daniel, Kentucky; 
     Jameson, Green B., Kentucky; Jennings, Gordon C., 
     Connecticut; Jimenez, Damacio, San Antonio (Mexico);
       Johnson, Lewis, Wales; Jones, John, New York; Kellogg, John 
     Benjamin, Kentucky; Kenny, James, Virginia; Kent, Andrew, 
     Kentucky; Kerr, Joseph, Louisiana; Kimble (Kimbell), George 
     C., Pennsylvania; King, William Phillip, 15, San Antonio 
     (Mexico); Lewis, William Irvine, San Antonio (Mexico); 
     Lightfoot, William J., San Antonio (Mexico); Lindley, 
     Jonathan L., Illinois; Linn, William, Massachusetts; Losoya, 
     Jose Toribio, San Antonio (Mexico); Main, George Washington, 
     Virginia; Malone, William T., Virginia; Marshall, William, 
     Tennessee; Martin, Albert, Rhode Island; McCafferty, Edward, 
     Unknown; McCoy, Jesse, Tennessee; McDowell, William, 
     Pennsylvania; McGee, James, Ireland; McGregor, John, 
     Scotland;
       McKinney, Robert, Tennessee; Melton, Elice (Eliel), 38, 
     Georgia; Miller, Thomas R., Tennessee; Millsaps, Isaac, 41, 
     Mississippi; Mills, William, Tennessee; Mitchasson, Edward 
     F., Virginia; Mitchell, Napoleon B., Unknown; Moore, Robert 
     B., Virginia; Moore, Willis A., Mississippi; Musselman, 
     Robert, 31, Ohio; Nava, Andres, San Antonio (Mexico); Neggan, 
     George, South Carolina; Nelson, Andrew M., Tennessee; Nelson, 
     Edward, South Carolina; Nelson, George, South Carolina; 
     Northcross, James, Virginia; Nowlan, James, England, Pagan, 
     George, Mississippi; Parker, Christopher Adams, Mississippi; 
     Parks, William, North Carolina; Perry, Richardson, San 
     Antonio (Mexico); Pollard, Amos, 33, Massachusetts;
       Reynolds, John Purdy, Pennsylvania; Robertson, James 
     Waters, Tennessee; Roberts, Thomas H., Unknown; Robinson, 
     Isaac, Scotland; Rose, James M., Ohio; Rusk, Jackson J., 
     Ireland; Rutherford, Joseph, Kentucky; Ryan, Isaac, 
     Louisiana; Scurlock, Mial; North Carolina; Sewell, Marcus L., 
     England; Shied, Manson, Georgia; Simmons, Cleveland Kinloch, 
     21, South Carolina; Smith, Andrew H., Tennessee; Smith, 
     Charles S., Maryland; Smith, Joshua G., North Carolina; 
     Smith, William H., Unknown; Starr, Richard, England; Stewart 
     James E., England; Stockton, Richard Lucius, New Jersey; 
     Summerlin, A. Spain, Tennessee; Summers, William E., 
     Tennessee; Sutherland, William Depriest, 18, Alabama;
       Taylor, Edward, Tennessee; Taylor, George, Tennessee; 
     Taylor, James, Tennessee; Taylor, William, Tennessee; Thomas, 
     B. Archer M., Kentucky; Thomas, Henry, Germany; Thompson, 
     Jesse G., Arkansas; Thomson, John W., North Carolina; 
     Thurston, John M., Pennsylvania; Trammel Burke, Ireland; 
     Travis, William Barret, 27, South Carolina; Tumlinson, George 
     W., Missouri; Tylee, James, New York; Walker, Asa, Tennessee; 
     Walker, Jacob, 37, Tennessee; Ward, William B., 30, Ireland; 
     Warnell, Henry, 24, Arkansas; Washington, Joseph G., 
     Kentucky; Waters, Thomas, England; Wells, William, Georgia; 
     White, Isaac, Alabama; White, Robert, Unknown;
       Williamson, Hiram James, Pennsylvania; Wills, William, 
     Georgia; Wilson, David L., Scotland; Wilson, John, 32, 
     Pennsylvania; Wolfe, Anthony (Avram), England; Wright, 
     Claiborne, North Carolina; Zanco, Charles, Denmark; and John 
     (last name unknown), Unknown.

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