Cotton Wood

It's English for Alamo. It's that time of year when I remember the events of 173 years ago. The Texas War for Independence is one of my favorite pieces if American History.

Memory and history literally surround me. I'm sitting here, in a house that was built in 1814. I could imagine the original owners receiving word about the Alamo's fall. Were they sad? Did they care? Only they know, now gone.

Their time was no different than ours. Human nature is the same. Only technology changes. We face the same decisions they did. We have essentially the same daily cares and needs. Just now, we can go to the mall, see a movie, watch tv, take a trip far afield. We simply have more means to forget, to put our minds on hold. Plenty more junk to clog our minds. So, in spite of that, will we remember?

Our ancestors had the 'luxury' of being there, at least alive at the time of the Alamo and the other events of 1836. Yet, there was, no doubt, the gamut of reactions we experience these days. And don't forget, that during our War for Independence, our population was roughly divided into thirds.

There were those who stayed 'neutral', just let events carry them. There were the 'Tories', loyal to the Crown, quite a few actively fighting US. And the other third, those who were 'for' the Revolution. Within that third, about 20% said they supported Independence, though did little or nothing in actuality. Another 10% actively supported the Revolution. And, of course, there is the 3% who actually fought ie, shouldered arms against the English Army. I'm reminded of this fact every time I go to Mike Vanderboegh's Sipsey Street Irregulars. You will see a link to his site just to the right of this missive. Please check it out.

The Texas Revolution was no different, in that it is always a minority that fights for Freedom. I recommend timeline of the Texas Revolution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Texas_Revolution.
It gives you a detailed overlay of events before , during and after. Don't stop there, if you are of a mind to learn. Keep studying. History is in the details (Not just the devil -s-).

The Texas Revolution was a heck of a lot more than the Alamo. However, the Alamo remains the outstanding example of this historical chain of events.

My kids and I watch the movies, Last Command, 13 Days to Glory, John Wayne's version, the 2004 version as well as a silent film called 'Martyrs of the Alamo: The Birth of Texas'. The latter is currently on YouTube. We discuss them, and put them into historical perspective (Also recommended).

We further analyze by talking about what is now happening re our Constitutional Republic being destroyed. We agree that we face a crisis no less than those in Texas in 1836, nor in the Thirteen Colonies ca 1776.

We also agree that these flicks capture, in the midst of any Hollywoodizing, a portion of the Spirit of the times. I still say movies can be a springboard to learning about Freedom and can initially inspire us to go further.

We all know the outcome of the battle. The defenders died. They decided to stay, knowing they would (With the exception apparently of Louis Rose. Check out the details and see.). I've talked about reasons before. Check out The Alamo here at the blog: http://whatmcauliffesaid.blogspot.com/2008/03/alamo.html. There are as many reasons as there are people.What remains is what they did. And an interesting note.

Santa Anna ordered the connonade, which was fairly constant most of the siege, to cease around 10pm March 5. He hoped to lull the defenders into an exhausted, silent sleep.

When his army attacked before dawn on the 6th, any surprise they hoped would contribute to defeat was quickly dashed. The fighting was fierce and resulted in massive losses for the Mexicans. The price paid by the Alamo defenders was a price well paid. The Mexicans were soon defeated. However, the problem of tyranny remained, as it does for US.

The parallel analogy is obvious. Will we be lulled further asleep by our enemies now? When the fight comes will we give our all, in spite of the price?

I believe the price will be well paid again. We will defeat and demoralize our enemy. We can and will not just survive, but rebuild.