An Alamo Connection

I always thought that in the Battle of the Alamo, there were no survivors. The myth of Davy Crockett, the Bowie knife guy, and the line in the sand (from the John Wayne movie) were pretty much all I knew. One side fact was the Mexican General, Santa Anna, gave orders that there were to be no survivors. But the General did make exceptions. 

The mythology of the Alamo was riveting and the cry, “Remember the Alamo” was a popular recruiting tool as Texas was struggling for independence. Another myth was created by Texas “historians” who painted the picture of Texas being s western state and not a southern one. However, slavery was a huge reason for immigration to Texas and that in the 1850s more than 25% of Texas families owned slaves and the enslaved population was more than 30% of the state’s population, For comparison, Texas and Virginia, the oldest slave state in the nation, had similar enslaved populations. 

So, what is the connection between William Wells Brown (subject of the previous blog) and the Alamo?

William Brown’s brother, Joe, was the only adult male survivor. Joe was the slave of the Alamo commander, William Travis. Some women and children were spared too, but the reason Santa Anna allowed Joe Brown to leave had nothing to do with compassion. Joe Brown was supposed to tell of the battle and the power of the Mexican Army. Santa Anna also thought that by showing mercy to a slave, that might inspire a slave revolt. If that happened, Texas would be forced into two battles: one with Mexico and another with a slave uprising. 

Unfortunately, the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t occur for another thirty years.