- Date:
- February 23, 1836 - March 6, 1836
- Location:
- San Antonio
- United States
- Context:
- Texas Revolution
- On the Web:
- PBS - American Experience - Remember the Alamo - Historical Events (Oct. 24, 2026)
Battle of the Alamo
News •
-
What was the Battle of the Alamo?
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution that took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836, in San Antonio, Texas. A small group of Texian volunteers, including notable figures like James Bowie, William B. Travis, and Davy Crockett, occupied the former Spanish mission known as the Alamo. They were besieged by a much larger Mexican army led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. Despite a fierce 13-day defense, the Texian forces were ultimately overwhelmed and annihilated. Although a defeat for the Texans, the battle became a powerful symbol of resistance and a rallying cry of "Remember the Alamo!" that fueled the Texan cause for independence.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where did the Battle of the Alamo take place?
The Battle of the Alamo took place in San Antonio, Texas, within the walls of the Alamo, which was originally the chapel of the Mission San Antonio de Valero. This historic site, established by Franciscans between 1716 and 1718, was occupied by Texan volunteers during the Texas Revolution in 1836. The battle occurred from February 23 to March 6, 1836, and resulted in a decisive victory for Mexican forces, though the defenders' stand became a powerful symbol of resistance for Texas.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why was the Battle of the Alamo fought?
The Battle of the Alamo, fought from February 23 to March 6, 1836, was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Texian volunteers occupied the Alamo mission in San Antonio, Texas, and were besieged by Mexican forces led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The defenders, including notable figures like James Bowie and Davy Crockett, held out for 13 days. Although the Mexican army ultimately won, annihilating the Texian defenders, the battle became a powerful symbol of resistance and a rallying cry for Texan independence. The cry "Remember the Alamo!" fueled the Texian forces, contributing to their eventual victory at the Battle of San Jacinto and the establishment of the Republic of Texas.
5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who were the main groups or people involved in the battle?
The Battle of the Alamo involved two main groups: the Texian volunteers and the Mexican forces. The Texian defenders, numbering around 183-189 men, were led by Colonels James Bowie and William B. Travis. This group included frontiersman Davy Crockett and many recent arrivals from the United States who were fighting for Texan independence.
The opposing force was the Mexican army, commanded by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. Estimates of Santa Anna's army vary widely, from 1,800 to as many as 6,000 soldiers. The Mexican forces ultimately overwhelmed the Texian defenders, resulting in a decisive victory for Mexico.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What happened during the battle?
The Battle of the Alamo, which took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836, in San Antonio, Texas, resulted in a decisive victory for Mexican forces over Texian volunteers. The siege began when General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican army arrived and demanded unconditional surrender, which was met with defiance. For 13 days, the Texian defenders, including notable figures like James Bowie, William B. Travis, and Davy Crockett, held out against a bombardment and repeated assaults.
Despite repelling initial attacks, the Mexican forces eventually breached the Alamo's walls. A fierce room-to-room battle ensued, leading to the annihilation of nearly all the Texian defenders. While the Texians suffered a defeat, their stand became a powerful symbol of resistance and a rallying cry for Texan independence.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the Battle of the Alamo impact Texas and American history?
The Battle of the Alamo, though a decisive victory for Mexican forces, became a powerful symbol of resistance for Texans. The annihilation of the Texian volunteers served as a rallying cry, famously encapsulated in the phrase "Remember the Alamo!". This cry fueled Texan morale and contributed to their eventual victory at the Battle of San Jacinto, securing Texas independence. The battle's legacy extended into American history, with the phrase being invoked by U.S. soldiers during the Mexican-American War.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Battle of the Alamo, battle during the Texas Revolution that occurred from February 23 to March 6, 1836, in San Antonio, Texas. It ended in a decisive victory for Mexican forces over “Texian” volunteers, who were annihilated. It also became a symbol of fierce resistance for the people of Texas and a rallying cry during the Mexican-American War.
The Texas Revolution began in October 1835 with a string of Texan victories that drove the Mexican federal forces south of the Rio Grande by December. This success was short-lived, however. A Mexican army under General Antonio López de Santa Anna advanced north to put down the rebels, and most of the victorious Texas volunteer rebel army went home. Small garrisons were left at several towns, including San Antonio de Béxar (San Antonio), where the Texans occupied a former Spanish mission called the Alamo, named for the tall cottonwood trees that surrounded it. It consisted of three one-story adobe buildings, with log palisades enclosing open plaza areas. Nineteen cannon lined the walls.
Sam Houston, the commanding general of the revolutionary army, had earlier left the mission with the main body of his troops, believing it could not be easily defended. A small militia force remained. The co-commanders, William Travis and James Bowie, did not credit warnings that Santa Anna was coming and did little to lay in food, supplies, or ammunition. They were surprised on February 23 when Santa Anna arrived with his advance detachment. (Estimates of the eventual size of Santa Anna’s army vary widely, from perhaps 1,800 men to as many as 6,000.) His demand for unconditional surrender was answered with a cannon shot. Angered, he gave orders that no quarter was to be given, and a 13-day siege began. The Mexican forces set up artillery opposite the south and east walls and began a steady bombardment, with their cannonballs being shot back by the Texan defenders until the order came to conserve powder. Santa Anna’s infantry maneuvered closer to the Alamo but were careful to stay outside the range of the Texans’ rifled muskets.
Cold winter weather made life difficult for both sides. Small skirmishes took place with few casualties. On two occasions, a small group of Texan reinforcements broke through the Mexican lines, raising the garrison to what is now believed to 257 men (though estimates vary, with 189 defenders on the official roll) plus families, but many more men joined Santa Anna. Occasionally Texan couriers managed to slip out of the surrounded Alamo with pleas from Travis for reinforcements, but the disorganized provisional Texas government was unable to put together any relief force. On March 3 the last element of Santa Anna’s army arrived, and he prepared his attack.
Before dawn on March 6, four columns of Mexican infantry attacked from different directions. There were no loopholes or firing ports at the Alamo, so the defenders had to expose themselves to fire over the walls. Texan cannon, loaded with nails, horseshoes, and old iron, fired into the Mexican forces and, together with the rifle fire, repulsed the first assault. Regrouping, the Mexican infantry tried again but were driven back. Travis died opposing a mass attack against the weak north wall that finally penetrated the compound. When a cannon covering the south was turned around to meet the attack, Mexican soldiers went over that wall and captured the gun.
When Texan defenders retreated to the adobe barracks buildings for cover, Mexican gunners rolled up cannon and blew down the heavy doors. Infantry then rushed in, and, for more than an hour, room-to-room fighting took place. Bowie died there. Two groups of Texans trying to escape were cut down outside the walls by the cavalry posted there. The last bastion to fall was the chapel, where a small Texan detachment controlled their last cannon. They fired once as Mexican infantry broke through the doors and were then killed in hand-to-hand fighting. The Texan families sheltered there were spared by the Mexicans, but any surviving fighters were executed. Nearly all of the Texan defenders were killed during the battle. Among the dead, famously, was the former Tennessee congressman David “Davy” Crockett. Estimates of the number of Mexican soldiers killed vary significantly, from 600 to 1,600; hundreds more were wounded.
The siege at the Alamo and the fate of its defenders prompted a mass exodus of Texian settlers from numerous towns, an event called the “Runaway Scrape.” Most of those settlers returned to their homes when news arrived of Houston’s victory over Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. The battle cry of Houston’s troops there was “Remember the Alamo!”
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
