From: mshaw@panix.com   
      
   David Carson  wrote:   
   > On this day 189 years ago, the Mexican army commanded by Generalissimo   
   > Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna attacked a garrison of fewer than 200 Texian   
   > defenders who had taken up a position inside a former Spanish mission in   
   > San Antonio called the Alamo. The attack came at the end of a 13-day   
   > siege, during which time the Texian commander, Lt. Colonel William Barret   
   > Travis, sent out multiple appeals for aid. All of the defenders were   
   > killed, but Santa Anna lost up to a thousand men in the battle.  News of   
   > the defenders' bravery and valor spread, along with Travis's posthumous   
   > appeals, inspiring men to come to the aid of the Texian cause.   
      
   > Six weeks later, the Texian army led by General Sam Houston defeated   
   > Santa Anna in a surprise attack at San Jacinto, near present-day   
   > Houston.  Their battle cry: "Remember the Alamo!"   
      
   I have been a student of early Texas history since I arrived here   
   in 1993. I endorse this summary of the events as, albeit a bit   
   shallow, [1] historically and conceptually accurate.   
      
   [1] "shallow" should not be taken as a criticism. This is USENET,   
   and we are expected to be brief.   
      
   A further note for those who have not taken a deep dive into the   
   story of The Alamo: that "line in the sand" legend is bullshit.   
   The story that nobody tried to escape is also bullshit. I mean,   
   really. Why would you not?   
      
   Finally: the Battle of San Jacinto was a cruel massacre. It was   
   justified per the rules of war at the time, but that did not make   
   it any less cruel. It was also mounted contrary to Houston's orders,   
   but having seen the reality of it in real time, he "led from beind,"   
   as it were.   
      
   The rest is history, as they say.   
      
   --   
   Mark Shaw                                        moc TOD liamg TA wahsnm   
   ========================================================================   
                        "Anyway, we delivered the bomb."   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)