Exodus from the Alamo

The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth

De: Phillip Thomas Tucker

Narrado por: Matt Godfrey

Contrary to movie and legend, we now know that the defenders of the Alamo in the war for Texan independence—including Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William B. Travis—did not die under brilliant sunlight, defending their positions against hordes of Mexican infantry. Instead, the Mexicans launched a predawn attack, surmounting the walls in darkness, forcing a wild melee inside the fort before many of its defenders had even awoken.

In this book, Dr. Tucker, after deep research into recently discovered Mexican accounts and forensic evidence, informs us that the traditional myth of the Alamo is even more off-base: most of the Alamo’s defenders died in breakouts from the fort, cut down by Santa Anna’s cavalry that was positioned to intercept the escapees. A number of the Alamo’s defenders did hang on inside the fort, fighting back every way they could, but most of the Texans, in two groups, broke out of the fort after the enemy had broken in, and the primary fights took place on the plain outside.

Still fighting desperately, the Texans’ retreat was halted by cavalry, and afterward, Mexican lancers plied their trade with charges into the midst of the remaining resisters. Notoriously, Santa Anna burned the bodies of the Texans who had dared stand against him. But as this book proves in thorough detail, the funeral pyres were well outside the fort—where the two separate groups of escapees fell on the plain, rather than in the Alamo itself.

©2010 Phillip Thomas Tucker (P)2022 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Incompetence behind white supremacist myth-making

The author sets out an apt analogy right from the start. Namely, questioning why, like the Battle of Little Bighorn, the history of the Alamo should be left to the suspicious accounts of sketchy provenance of the vanquished, none of whom with first-hand accounts would have survived the skirmish. All the while, there are numerous reliable and verifiable accounts from the (conspicuously non-white) victors, whether they be Mexican, Lakota, Arapaho, etc. The answer is self evident.

The book provides a thorough chronicle of the folly of defending a structure never meant, and ill-equipped to be a military fortress. There is no shortage of culprits, from Capt. Neill's oversight, to Travis's incompetent leadership and the fancifully fabricated legacies of Bowie and Crockett. The author does take pains, while promoting the "flight over fight" truth in contrast to the fiction of the Last Stand, to not paint the men who died as cowards. That may be true of the rank and file soldiers who had no say, but the mythology has puffed up Travis, Bowie and Crockett to an extent, that it wouldn't be unfair to tag their memories with that sobriquet. Beyond that, being incompetents, drunkards and racists, none can hardly be considered heroic. To his credit, he also paints an enigmatic picture of Santa Anna. Portrayed as neither completely heroic nor barbarian, as other histories may suggest, he is the most compelling character among the main players. A biography from his perspective would be considerably more interesting than any of the Alamo's faux heroes.

The only nitpick I have with the book is the author's incessant use of the term Anglo-Celt or Anglo-Celtic, becomes distracting. (No less than a hundred instances, and very likely much more). I can understand the intent, to distinguish English from Scots-Irish, particularly from Tennessee. By doing so, he, tries to create a parallel struggle of Celtic ancestry against the English, and presumed oppression of Mexico. But not being a contemporaneous term, and only being slightly more historically accurate than the overly misused "Anglo-Saxon', the retro-fitting of the term repeated so often, falls flat and suggests a deeper motivation. No other racial, ethnic or national identity is mentioned 1/10th as often, even as there are Mexicans, Texians, Tejanos, amongst others. It's just off-putting. But not enough to ruin the book, thankfully.

One Third of the way through and it is a struggle

I never ever knew that the Alamo was targeted by the humanitarian Santa Anna because he wanted to stop the evil white men from spreading slavery. It is a damned shame that he got beat by another group of vile racist white men at San Jacinto or he could have continued on with his mercy mission of stopping slavery and implementing his country's caste system where people were basically indentured for life, barred from advancing, and held back from obtaining a good life, a chance at happiness, and freedom.

Heck I'm so motivated that I would like to find the graves of the Alamo Defenders, dig them up and give them a good scolding.

Why only if they had known Santa Anna like Phillip Thomas Tucker knows him they would not have fought to the death or allowed to be executed by the fair and just Santa Anna. Thankfully Santa Anna and his disciples of humanity turned the other cheek so to speak and let these evil slavery dream whites walk away from the Alamo and Goliad instead of slaughter them.

Ohh wait, you mean the compassionate, friend to everyone, level headed, not-a-dictator who killed his rivals, Santa Anna did slaughter them? It must have been a mistake or he was such a visionary that he actually saved thousands of lives executing and slaughtering the 150 or so evil white pro-slavery goons in the Alamo and the other couple of hundred along the way. It takes a true hero to line men up and execute them in the name of peace.

Slavery was part of the economy and way of life back then and yes, it is wrong, it was still a part of life. I doubt that the average Alamo defender had the vision of having a Mississippi Delta plantation complete with hundreds of slaves. I think they dreamed of owning land where they could carve out a living on land that they earned. Boy I'm glad Tucker set me straight.

I really hope the rest of this book actually addresses the bone fide myths of the Alamo like if there is a basement. P.S. I hope it wasn't dug with slaves or Tucker may have had an aneurism.

I have always thought that Santa Ana was misrepresented in history and thanks to Phillip Tucker I now know that he was only acting out in the name of peace and harmony. I mean his legacy and the country of Mexico that he helped form is such a peacful, loving, first world country that gives across the globe and never takes. He saved Mexico from the rabid southern whites who wanted to mess the place up with democracy, freedom, and a stable economy.

Make up your mind!

I was really looking forward to this book because I’ve heard great things about it. I was terribly disappointed and have waisted time and money that I cannot get back. It is widely known that Texas was pro slavery and that the battle for Texas independence was for the freedom. Those freedoms at that time included unfortunately the right to purchase and own another human being. It was common all the US so putting the Alamo into this pot is just trying to stir up frustrations. I do not nor have I ever believed that what took place at the Alamo was 100% accurate but I do know as does every other true history buff, that the Alamo was the scene of a slaughter of free men in defense of their dreams. The author just contradicts himself throughout the book with statements like Sant Anna could care less about the Alamo then 2 chapters later states that Santa Anna was going to use the Alamo as a statement that he would kill every white settler and anyone who supports them. When he stated that Travis committed suicide was when I was done. He states that there were no injuries to Travis but a single bullet wound to the head then states that Travis being wounded knew his fate and took his own life. I’m out!
Be honest with history. It’s generally written by the victor so is never truly accurate but at least stop trying to destroy reputations of people who died for what they believed in. America was formed through bloodshed and a lot of that blood was shed needlessly and shamefully at times. It is who we are and we should be proud that our ancestors believed in something so strongly that they gave everything to make it happen and provide us with the greatest republic on earth.