The Alamo was a Franciscan mission, dating from the eighteenth century.
It was strongly built, and inclosed an area of about three acres, upon
which stood a roofless church and a few other crumbling buildings.
Its garrison consisted of 186 men, under Colonel Travis, and included
the famous frontiersmen, James Bowie and David Crockett. Sam Houston,
commander of the Texas forces, had ordered that the Alamo be blown up
and abandoned; but his orders had been disregarded, and the gallant
little garrison was now to pay the terrible price of its disobedience.
[Illustration: Copr. Archer’s Studios