HOW THE VICTIMS OF THE ALAMO WERE REVENGED
I HAVE told you the story of more than one war. I shall have to tell you
now about still another in which the Americans fought the Mexicans in
Texas.
I suppose you know that Texas is one of our states, and the largest of
them all. That is, it is largest in square miles; not in number of
people. In former times it was part of Mexico, and was a portion of what
is called Spanish America. But there came to be more Americans in it
than Spaniards. People kept going there from the United States until it
was much more of an American than a Spanish country.
General Santa Anna, who was at the head of the Mexican government at the
time I speak of, was somewhat of a tyrant, and he tried to rule the
people of Texas in a way they would not submit to. Then he ordered them
to give up all their guns to his soldiers, but instead of that they took
their guns and drove the Mexican soldiers away. After that there was
war, as you might well suppose, for a Mexican army was sent to punish
the Texans.
I wish now to tell you about what happened to some very brave Americans.
There were only one hundred and seventy-five of them, and they were
attacked by General Santa Anna with an army of several thousand men. But
they were commanded by Colonel Travis, a brave young Texan, and among
them was the famous David Crockett, a great hunter, and Colonel James
Bowie, who invented the terrible "bowie-knife," and other bold and
daring men who had settled in Texas. They had made a fort of an old
Spanish building called the Alamo.
The kind of men I have named do not easily give up. The Mexicans poured
bomb-shells and cannon balls into their fort, battering down the walls
and killing many of them, but they fought on like tigers, determined to
die rather than surrender. At length so many of them were dead that
there were not enough left to defend the walls, and the Mexican soldiers
captured the Alamo. The valiant Crockett kept on fighting, and when he
fell, the ground before him was covered with Mexican dead. Then Santa
Anna ordered his soldiers to shoot down all that were left. That is what
is called the "Massacre of the Alamo."
It was not long before the Americans had their revenge. Their principal
leader was a bold and able man named Samuel Houston. He had less than
eight hundred men under him, but he marched on the Mexicans, who had
then about eighteen hundred men.
"Men, there is the enemy," said brave General Houston. "Do you wish to
fight?"
"We do," they all shouted.
"Charge on them, then, for liberty or death! Remember the Alamo!"
"Remember the Alamo!" they cried, as they rushed onward with the courage
of lions.
In a little time the Mexicans were running like frightened deer, and the
daring Texans were like deer hounds on their tracks. Of the eighteen
hundred Mexicans all but four hundred were killed, wounded, or taken
prisoners, while the Americans lost only thirty men. They had well
avenged the gallant Travis and the martyrs of the Alamo.
The cruel Santa Anna was taken prisoner. He had only one sound leg, and
the story was that he was caught with his wooden leg stuck fast in the
mud. Many of the Texans wanted to hang him for his murders at the Alamo,
but in the end he was set free.
All this took place in 1835. Texas was made an independent country, the
"Lone Star Republic," with General Houston for President. But its people
did not want to stand alone. They were American born and wished to
belong to the United States. So this country was asked to accept Texas
as a state of the Union. Nine years after it was accepted as one of the
American states.
Perhaps some of my readers may think that this story has much more to do
with the history of Mexico than that of the United States. But the
taking of Texas as a state was United States history, and so was what
followed. You know how one thing leads to another. Mexico did not feel
like giving up Texas so easily, and her rulers said that the United
States had no right to take it. It was not long before the soldiers of
the two countries met on the border lands and blood was shed. There was
a sharp fight at a place called Palo Alto, and a sharper one at a place
called Resaca de la Palma. In both of them the Mexicans were defeated.
Congress then declared war against Mexico, and very soon there was hard
fighting going on elsewhere. General Zachary Taylor, a brave officer,
who had fought the Seminole Indians in Florida, led the American troops
across the Rio Grande River into Mexico, and some time afterwards
marched to a place called Buena Vista. He had only five thousand men,
while Santa Anna was marching against him with twenty thousand--four to
one. General Taylor's army was in great danger. Santa Anna sent him a
message, asking him to surrender if he did not want his army cut to
pieces; but Rough and Ready, as Taylor's men called him, sent word back
that he was there to fight, not to surrender.
The battle that followed was a desperate one. It took place on February
23, 1847. The Mexican lancers rode bravely against the American lines
and were driven back at the cannon's mouth. For ten long hours the
fighting went on. The Mexicans gained the high ground above the pass and
put the American troops in danger. Charge after charge was made, but
like bulldogs the Yankee soldiers held their ground. On came the dashing
Mexican lancers, shouting their war-cry of "God and Liberty," and
charging a battery commanded by Captain Bragg. The lancers captured some
of the guns and drove the soldiers back. Captain Bragg sent a messenger
in haste to General Taylor, saying that he must have more men or he
could not hold his ground.
"I have no more men to send you," said Rough and Ready. "Give them a
little more grape, Captain Bragg."
The cannon were loaded with grape-shot and fired into the ranks of the
enemy, cutting great gaps through them. Again and again they were loaded
and fired, and then the fine Mexican cavalry turned and fled. They could
not stand any more of Captain Bragg's grape.
That night both armies went to sleep on the field of battle. But when
the next day dawned the Mexicans were gone. Santa Anna had led them
away during the night and General Taylor had won the greatest victory of
the war. He received a noble reward for it, for the following year he
was elected President of the United States.
The next thing done in this war was an attempt to capture the city of
Mexico, the capital of the country. The easiest way to get there was by
sea, for it was a long journey by land, so a fleet was got ready and an
army sent south on the Gulf of Mexico. This army was led by General
Winfield Scott, who had fought against the British in the War of 1812.
Onward they sailed till they came before the seaport city of Vera Cruz.
This had a strong fort, which was battered for four days by the American
cannon, when its walls were so shattered that the Mexicans gave it up.
In this way a good starting-point was gained.
But I would have you all know that the Americans had no easy road before
them. The city of Mexico lies in the center of the country on land that
is as high as many mountains, and the way to it from the coast goes
steadily upward, and has many difficult passes and rough places, where a
small force might stop an army.
[Illustration: THE STORMING OF CHAPULTEPEC.]
If the Mexicans had known their business and had possessed good generals
I am afraid the Americans might never have gotten up this rugged
road. The Mexicans had men enough but they wanted able leaders. At one
of the passes, named Cerro Gordo, Santa Anna waited with 15,000 men. The
Americans had only 9,000. It looked as if they might have to turn back.
What did they do? Why, they managed to drag a battery to the top of a
steep hill that overlooked the pass. And while these guns poured their
shot down on the astonished Mexicans the army attacked them in front. In
a few hours they were in full flight. Five generals, and 3,000 men were
taken prisoners, and Santa Anna himself came so near being taken that he
left his cork leg behind. Do you not think a general ought to have two
good legs when he has to run as often as Santa Anna had?
Onward they marched until not very far away lay the beautiful city of
Mexico. But here and there along the road were strong forts, and Santa
Anna had collected a large army, three times as large as that of the
Americans. You may see that General Scott had a very hard task before
him. But there is one way to get past forts without fighting; which is,
to go around them. This is what General Scott did. He marched to the
south, and soon he was within ten miles of the capital without a battle.
August 20th was a great day for the American army. That day our brave
troops fought like heroes, and before night they had won five
victories. One of these was on a steep hill called Churubusco, which
they charged up in the face of the Mexican guns. Then on they went, and
in a short time the old city, the most ancient in America, was in their
hands. That ended the war. When peace was made the United States claimed
the provinces of New Mexico and California, which had been captured by
our soldiers, but for which Mexico was paid a large sum. No one then
dreamed how rich the provinces were in silver and gold. Not long after
the gold of California was discovered, and that country, which had been
feebly held by a few Mexicans, was quickly filled by an army of
gold-seekers. Since then it has proved one of the richest parts of the
earth.