Was the DEGUELLO! played at the Alamo?

Intriguing point, Rick, viz., that the DEGUELLO was a cavalry "tune." Some accounts place Santa Anna not at the north battery during the assault, but with the cavalry. Could the DEGUELLO have been played just to psyche-up the dragoons as they intercepted the fleeing defenders?

Like so much else here, speculation is often all that we're left with.

If you read Sesma's report: speaking of the breakouts Sesma said "It is in vain to show Your Excellency the desperate resistance of these men because you were in the middle of the risk, dictataing my orders and you were a witness who observed ...." It seems apparent that Santa Anna moved to join him - probably shortly after the North Wall was sucessively scaled.

This only makes sense, for by this time with his reserves committed, the only way Santa Anna could influence the battle was with the cavalry.

Plus, if you think about it, moving to the Main Gate to enter the Alamo it only makes sense that this is the route he would have taken.

I wouldn't make too much about the Deguello being a cavalry call. It's use would be more dependent on whether or not Santa Anna liked it or its message. Though, I do like Gary's idea.

This would be my hedge. Santa Anna was just vainglorious enough to use his favorite music, as per tradition. He could certainly have sent e-mails to all his staff saying it would be used and not to think of it as a cavalry bugle call. (sorry)

But, if it were as infamously his personal trademark as the legend makes it seem, then why did absolutely nobody in his army comment on it? De la Pena comes closest but still no cigar when he refers to "that terrible bugle call of death" because he describes it as "a bugle call to attention." He of all people would have made a big deal out of Santa Anna's cutthroat song -- if it had been used.

Wow! I never caught that! Cool. So.... maybe..................

I'll go look. Thanks, Glenn. Good catch.

Sanchez-Navarro does indeed write that Santa Anna ordered a bugle to begin the attack, from his position at "a battery between north and east," but no account tells us that he STAYED there. As commander-in-chief, it was his duty to keep track of what was happening all over the field, and to issue orders accordingly. Some of these were apparently orders issued by bugle.

So it's no surprise to learn that he, as Sesma wrote, was soon in the vicinity of the dragoons to witness, and even partly direct, their interception of the Alamo fugitives. Other accounts state that when he finally entered the conquered Alamo, he did so with "his music"----a vague term, but definitely implying at least once incontestable fact: his personal trumpeter had been by his side throughout the entire battle. The only question remains: where do we find confirmation of Potter's 1860 assertion that the deguello was played that morning?

One San Jacinto battle report noted that General Cos's papers had been taken, along with Almonte's and others. What happened to Cos's papers?!

This is just indicative of the fact that yes, there are probably a lot of first-hand Texas Revolution accounts that have been lost---but whether lost permanently or not is the question.

A large portion of the captured Mexican baggage was burnt on April 23 (see Moore page 390) what remained was auctioned off on April 26 (Moore, 394).

There can be little doubt that a large portion of valuable papers, and booty not just from the Mexican Army but the Alamo itself disappeared in these two events.

Of the major commanders that participated in the Alamo that should have submitted after action reports only Sesma and Morales were not captured at San Jacinto. Perhaps this is one reason only Sesma's report has been found (and even this is basically a "certified copy" and not the original - was the original with Santa Anna?).

Rereading some portions of Davis' Three Roads I came across the nugget that Travis's commision as the Texas Lieutentant Colonel of cavalry was in the Mexican archives, this with the missing Williamson letter implies to me that at least Travis's captured papers survived and are in Mexican Archives.

I wonder if its possible they've been overlooked by researchers simply because they were looking for Mexican records and not captured Texian ones?