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Post by cantador4u on Oct 16, 2009 21:13:10 GMT -5
As I look at maps of San Antonio from 1836 my thoughts are "How could such a dinky village hold all the soldiers that were there?"
Is there any record of where the various Mexican Army units made their camps and what they were like? Weren't the cavalry by the Alameda? And there were some at the Powder House too I think. Did they have tents or were they expected to fend for themselves? They must have eaten every edible item for 100 miles in all directions.
- Paul Meske, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
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Post by Herb on Oct 17, 2009 12:05:41 GMT -5
There was quite a lot of movement. Huffines' Blood of Noblemen provides probably the easiest means of tracking it all.
Basically, the first day the cavalry occupied the highground to the east and north of the Alamo (the old slaughterhouse and Powderhouse hill). About half of the Vanguard Bde moved on Concepcion and presumably spent the night there.
By the 25th fortified camps were erected vic of La Villita and the Alameda, the Alameda was initially occupied by the Matamoros Bn.
On the 26th the Matamoros Bn moved to join the Cavalry, the San Luis Potosi Bn was occuppying the La Villita Camp. It seems that an unknown Bn replaced the Matamoros Bn in the Alameda Camp. The Unknown Bn had to be either the Jimenez, or the BN of Cazadores or Grenadiers (if they had already been organized).
On the 29th the Jimenez Bn moved to the east of the Alamo and later it (or a portion of it) moved off with the cavalry to ambush Faninn's relief column (which of course had turned back to Goliad).
On March 1st the cavalry and Jimenez Bn returned. The cavalry to Powder House Hill and according to Almonte the Jimenez to the city. Though Huffines points out that they may have reoccupied their position on the east of the Alamo. We do know that when Santa Anna found the "covered road" on the 2d he posted the Jimenez Bn to "guard" it. The best guess of the location of this covered road is the Camina de los Noches (basically present Houston ST, east of the Alamo). Speculation of the Jimenez camp places it roughly east of the present day fire station (probably closer to the interstate).
On March 3rd the Aldama, Tolucca, and Zapadore Bns arrived in Bexar - I don't have any reports of where their camps were located.
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Post by Herb on Oct 17, 2009 12:28:44 GMT -5
A couple of points jump out. It appears that the Bn of Cazadores under Morales/Minon had already been formed based on the actions on the 23rd occupying Bexar and the "skirmish" that day reported by Col Minon, and then the skirmish/recon in force that attacked the South Wall on the 25th of Feb. There is no mention of a seperate Grenadier Bn or actions by the Grenadiers prior to the assault on the Alamo on March 6th. But, the probable exsistence of the Cazadore Bn and the similar organization at San Jacinto strongly implies that the Grenadier Bn, too. already exisited.
What this means is that once the whole Vanguard Bde was in Bexar that the Line Infantry was deployed east of the river on the Alamo side, south of the Alamo in fortified camps in La Villita, and the Alameda, on Powder House Hill and eventually East-Northeast of the Cattle Corral. The Cavalry for the most part occupied an area vic of Powderhouse Hill but patrolled the North and East sides of the Alamo. It would seem to me that the elite companies were already formed into seperate Bns and were probably the actual Bexar garrison during the first part of the siege.
While I have no documented locations where the March 3rd reinforcements camped - it would seem that at least on Bn was posted to the NW of the Alamo on the Bexar side of the river, due to the skirmish that night vic of the Mill. Though not mentioned, it would also seem that a Bn would have been posted vic of the new battery that went in north of the Alamo along the acequia. Given how the Bns attacked, I would further speculate that the Aldama Bn was stationed vic the Mill and the Toluca Bn vic the north battery. The Zapdores, were probably housed in Bexar.
The second thing that really stands out is exactly how "loose" the Mexican screen was around the Alamo prior to March 3rd. Except to the immediate south and along the Gonzales road, most of the area surrounding the Alamo was vacant except for the occasional cavalry patrol.
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Post by stuart on Oct 18, 2009 5:01:42 GMT -5
The second thing that really stands out is exactly how "loose" the Mexican screen was around the Alamo prior to March 3rd. Except to the immediate south and along the Gonzales road, most of the area surrounding the Alamo was vacant except for the occasional cavalry patrol. I think that underlines my argument on the other thread that so far as Santa Anna was concerned the Alamo was an irrelevance. He'd come all that way to recapture Bexar not to besiege the Alamo. He was going to deal with it when he was ready to move out but in the meantime there was no point in wearing out his men and using up ammunition in an intensive siege. The Alamo garrison was no threat to Bexar and if they did try to break out they weren't going to get far. |
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Post by Herb on Jul 22, 2010 10:05:46 GMT -5
Bumping this, and updating this due to some discussion under the Covered Road topic.
Basically, we know, the following:
Santa Anna arrived on 23 Feb with the Dolores Cavalry Regiment, Matamoros Infantry Battalion, Jimenez Inf Bn, San Luis Potosi Inf Bn, a Provisional Grenadier Bn under Col Romero, and a Provisional Cazadore Bn under Col Minion.
The Cavalry operated from what was probably a Base Camp on Powder House Hill, from 25 Feb until March 5th, except for the 29th and 1st when they and the Jimenez Bn searched for Fannin.
The San Luis Potosi Bn occupied a fortified camp in La Villita from the 25th - the 5th.
The Matamoros Bn occuipied two fortified camps in the Alameda from the 25th until the 5th, except for the 26-27 when they operated along the east side of the Alamo. According to Becerra they were replace those two day by Romero's bn, the greandiers.
An artillery battery was erected in the River Bend SW of the Alamo, on the 24th. Normal practice would have been to station an infantry battalion with them to secure the battery this was probably the Jimenez Bn.
The Grenadiers were probably retained as Santa Anna's reserve/guard and garrisoned the actual town of Bexar. The Cazadores were probably Santa Annas "fire brigade" and were employed on various missions throught out the siege, they too, were probably part of the town's garrison, when not being used on one of these missions.
On March 2d Santa Anna conducted a reconnassiance partly in preparation for the reinforcements he knew would arrive the next day. During this reconnassaince, he discovered a "covered road" previously undetected, made the decision to shift the artillery battery to a new position north of the Alamo, and directed (on March 1st) that works be prepared vicinity of the Zambrano Mill to the NW of the Alamo.
The Jimenez Bn is directed to take up a position to cover the newly discovered "covered road" probably to the East/Northeast of the Alamo. The Cazadore Bn probably occupied the Jimenez Bn's former positions in the river bend.
On March 3rd the Toluca Bn, the Aldama Bn, and the Zapadore Bn as well as a detachment of the San Luis Potosi arrived.
Based on Santa Anna's attack order for March 6th, and simplicity, Santa Anna probably posted the Aldama Bn, at the new works vicinity of the Zambrano Mill. The Zapadore Bn was probably stationed to the North of the Alamo to build the new battery positions and to helped erect fortified positions for the exposed Toluca Bn that was probably tasked as supports for the new battery position. Only the Grenadier Bn now expanded to 5 companies and Santa Anna and his staff actually remained in the town.
Whether these dispositions were made with the attack on March 6th in mind, or the attack order was issued based on these prior dispositions, doesn't really matter. But, if you notice, only four units had significant moves to make during the night of March 5th-6th, The grenadiers had to move from town to the North battery, the the Matamoros Bn form the Alameda to the east side, the cavalry from Powder House Hill to the Alameda, and the San Luis Potosi Bn which divided in half with half moving to join the Alamda Bn to the NW and the other half joining the Toluca BN to the North of the Alamo.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Jul 25, 2010 21:41:48 GMT -5
The best guess of the location of this covered road is the Camina de los Noches (basically present Houston ST, east of the Alamo). SIDE NOTE: The 1837 land ownership map [Nelson, p. 26 in first edition] lists this road as "Camino de los Mochos," not Noches. Noches means "night"; mochos is Mexican colloquial for hypocrites. Intriguing name for a road. I wonder if it is significant in some way. |
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Post by TRK on Jul 26, 2010 7:07:49 GMT -5
True, one meaning of mochos is hypocrite...or it can mean religious fanatic, or a dozen other things...but the Mexicans had a way of naming places and geographical features after ranching terms, and I'd sooner think Camino de los Mochos was a reference to dehorned livestock, mochos meaning dehorned, shorn, or clipped cattle, sheep, etc.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Jul 26, 2010 21:37:53 GMT -5
Aha! That makes much more sense than the only other definition I found in my Spanish/English Dictionary: "Cropped, shorn, lopped, cut off, maimed, mutilated" -- no mention of livestock. Oh yes, there was another definition too: "butt end."  I was trying to connect the name of the road with an activity and could not come up with one. |
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Post by greatbigmike on Jul 27, 2010 8:27:22 GMT -5
MÓCHO, CHA, a. 1. Dishorned, having the horns cut off. 2. Cropped, shorn. 3. Lopped, having the branches cut off; applied to trees. 4. Maimed, mutilated.
Neuman and Baretti's Dictionary of the Spanish and English Languages:
By Henry Neuman, Giuseppe Marco Antonio Baretti
Published by Hilliard, Gray, Little, and Wilkins, 1828
Page 476
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Post by Kevin Young on Aug 10, 2010 20:58:25 GMT -5
Nice job Herb on summerizing...
There is a order from Santa Anna to Sesma on 29 February, 1836
giving him permission to go in search of the enemy and to take the Jimenez Battalion with him. Probably down the Gonazles Road.
Also, I have seen a reference to the placement of the artillery park (probably the reserve ammunition and cassions) to an army near "The French Building" which woul be over by the present Bexar County Courthouse. Will try to track that down.
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Post by TRK on Aug 11, 2010 6:45:13 GMT -5
Kevin, the assertion that there was an artillery battery at the site where the French Building was later constructed was in the Juan Diaz interview in the SanAntonio Light, 1 Sept 1907. Diaz said that the Mexican "artillery was planted" at that site on 23 Feb 1836. The French Building was built prior to the Civil War and occupied the southeast corner of the intersection of present Main and Dolorosa Streets. There's a nice oval photo of the French Building, circa 1861, at the DRT Library, and reprinted in John L. Davis' San Antonio: A Historic Portrait, 58.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Aug 11, 2010 9:10:16 GMT -5
And, from what I can see from verious contemporary drawings and paintings (i.e. the paintings of the four sides of the plaza), the site of the future French Building had no buildings. You had a clear view of the river and the trees on the other side from the middle of Plaza de las Islas. Since maps of Bexar show this bend in the river to be much narrower than other places, I take this to mean the river was deeper and it was a cut-bank (across from Bowen's "Island") and slightly higher than its surroundings. All said, it appears to have been an ideal location for howitzers to fire on the Alamo over the jacales on the Potrero (spelled right) -- and an obvious first sight for the army arriving in the plaza. This is not evidence per se, but a lot of conjectures urging me to accept the site as an artillery park and first day battery.
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Post by marklemon on Aug 11, 2010 11:23:02 GMT -5
Rich,
This battery, and or the artillery park, may very well be an illustration in the upcoming book out late this year.
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Post by Kevin Young on Aug 11, 2010 14:25:06 GMT -5
Kevin, the assertion that there was an artillery battery at the site where the French Building was later constructed was in the Juan Diaz interview in the SanAntonio Light, 1 Sept 1907. Diaz said that the Mexican "artillery was planted" at that site on 23 Feb 1836. The French Building was built prior to the Civil War and occupied the southeast corner of the intersection of present Main and Market. There's a nice oval photo of the French Building, circa 1861, at the DRT Library, and reprinted in John L. Davis' San Antonio: A Historic Portrait, 58. Pulled my file out late last night and found the Diaz-French reference...we had a big thunderstorm this morning that knocked out the intert on the grain elevator until 2PM. So thanks for the confirmation. Thanks for the info on the French Building, which I am sure some folks are not familar with. Mark and Richard, I am somewhat familar with the layout of San Antonio during the 18th and 19th Century, and I have an original engraving of the French Building done for Harper's hanging on the wall in the family room. |
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Post by Rich Curilla on Aug 11, 2010 19:40:23 GMT -5
Rich, This battery, and or the artillery park, may very well be an illustration in the upcoming book out late this year. I hope you picked my favorite camera angle for this. lol. |
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