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When General Martin Perfecto de Cos surrendered the Alamo to Texan rebels on December 9, 1835, it became clear to Santa Anna that the time for negotiation was past and force was required to regain Mexican control of Texas. Unfortunately, he soon encountered some unexpected obstacles. Although his army had 30,000 men on paper, in reality it had a tenth of that. Worse, he quickly discovered that the treasury was empty, so he had to accept a loan with outrageous annual interest of 48% in order to raise the money needed to outfit an army. Even so, many of the 6,500 men that Santa Anna led to the Alamo were conscripts, basically whoever the press gangs could capture, so they were not the best quality. Despite this ill-favored beginning, Santa Anna and his generals were confident since he had crushed numerous rebellions in the past.

While it may seem as if Santa Anna was wasting too many resources to deal with one small rebellion, he knew that if he did not crush it and soon, there was a danger that the rebels would involve the US, which would a much more dangerous situation.

Santa Anna planned to emulate his idol Napoleon and launch a lightning strike across Texas. Unfortunately, like most of his senior officers, he knew little about Texas or its weather, so he was unaware that his lightning strike would have to cross barren land and he lacked Napoleon’s logistics staff. Mexico’s supply system was far from efficient, so the starving army was forced to strip the small towns in its path of food and mules, which destroyed what little support he had. However, he did have 21 cannon and the troops were all equipped with British Brown Bess muskets, although Santa Anna refused to allow them to be trained with the muskets because he viewed them as cannon fodder. His officers did not share his optimistic belief that the troops would learn during combat but they were well aware that he did not take constructive criticism well.

San Antonio de Bexar and Goliad controlled the two main invasion routes from Mexico, but the majority of Santa Anna’s officers felt that he should avoid the Alamo and Goliad, where the rebel troops were already dug in, and advance directly into the colonies. However, Santa Anna planned to repeat the victorious suppression of American filibusters in 1813, and he wanted to avenge the humiliation of Cos’ surrender, as well as use the rebels’ defeat as an example of his power. Furthermore, they advised transporting the troops by sea, not land but Santa Anna’s choice of a land route was not so foolish, since Mexico lacked a navy and the rebels actually had four ships. Unfortunately, William Travis and his men had already burned all of the prairie grass so there was no fodder for the horses. Also, Santa Anna had refused to accept the presidio troops who occupied the forts along the route and were the only Mexican troops who were familiar with the region. When the army encountered the 815 men of Cos’ retreating troops on December 26, Santa Anna ignored Cos’ parole and ordered him to join the army. This decision swelled the army’s size but not fighting ability since they were exhausted and few of them had had any training.

If Santa Anna seems to have been overconfident, that is because he was. In fact, he was so confident, his main concern was that the rebels would crumple when the vanguard appeared and another general would have the glory. One theory is that he had become dependent on opium, which caused him to be fixated on a visionary strategy that he refused to explain to his officers.

Santa Anna and his advance force of 1,500 men had reached the Medina River near San Antonio during the afternoon of February 21 but a heavy downpour caused the river to swell so they could not cross until the river calmed down. The next day was George Washington’s birthday and aside from ten men left to guard the Alamo, all of the rebels were in San Antonio getting drunk. When Santa Anna learned from local residents of the Anglos’ frequent drinking and lack of patrols, he sent sixty men under General Ramirez y Sesma to scout out the situation. Unfortunately, Ramirez lacked an aggressive nature and did not even try to penetrate the rebels’ defences. If had been bolder, the Alamo might have been captured that day and the rebels in San Antonio would have been forced to surrender. Instead, the commander of the Alamo, William Travis, noticed on February 23 that the residents of San Antonio were fleeing and Santa Anna’s army was only observed when it was a mile and a half from San Antonio. The rebels immediately fled inside the Alamo and the siege began.

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Related Movies:

The Alamo (1960)
Directed by John Wayne, starring John Wayne and Richard Widmark
As Santa Anna’s army advances deep into Texas to crush the young republic, General Sam Houston sends a small force under Colonel Travis to hold the Alamo long enough for him to organize a proper army. Joined by volunteers led by Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, the men face hopeless odds but refuse to surrender. (please click here to read the review)

The Alamo (2004)
Directed by John Lee Hancock, starring Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thorton
As Santa Anna’s army advances deep into Texas to crush the young republic, General Sam Houston sends a small force under Colonel Travis to hold the Alamo long enough for him to organize a proper army. Joined by volunteers led by Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, the men find themselves facing hopeless odds but refuse to surrender. Lacking enough troops, Houston refuses to relieve the Alamo and leads the Mexican army deeper into Texas where he wins a huge victory at San Jacinto. (please click here to read the review)

Further Reading:

Duel of Eagles: The Mexican and US Fight for the Alamo-Jeff Long, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1990.

It is simply an excellent book that covers the entire Texan War of Independence and punctures pretty much every myth about Texan independence. Brief yet insightful biographies introduce all of the major participants. The final chapter quickly covers the Republic’s short history and the Mexican War that followed the American annexation of Texas but focuses more on the tragic lives of Travis’ slave Joe and Susannah Dickinson, as well as the further misadventures of Santa Anna. Long’s writing is entertaining although occasionally a bit too melodramatic, which was probably the result of reading so many diaries filled with florid language. I imagine a great number of Texans must have been offended when his book came out.

Lone Star Rising: The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic-William C. Davis, New York: Free Press, 2004.

A surprisingly long section of the book is an in-depth look at the Mexican revolution and previous attempts by American filibusters and other foreign schemers, including the Lafitte syndicate, to seize control of Mexico that took place during the chaos of the revolution. The infighting among American filibusters, the Lafitte syndicate, former followers of Napoleon, and Mexican revolutionaries makes for fascinating reading. Another lengthy chapter is devoted to the story of Austin’s land grants and the development of legitimate colonies, where the colonists learned to depend on themselves. I am pleased that Davis does not just compare the Mexican Revolution to the American Revolution but also to the revolutions in Central and South America, which is a more valid comparison. However, no mention is made of the steady drinking that accompanied the majority of decisions during the Texan revolution and he fails to make the main actors come to life. Unfortunately, the detailed examination of the background and situation in Mexico means that the battle for the Alamo is covered in a single chapter. Davis also gives some credence to the hallowed myth that Bowie and Travis decided to hold the Alamo to buy time for Houston to build an army, believing that it is an important part of Texan history.

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