Post by Riley Gardner on Dec 26, 2013 17:55:45 GMT -5
Hey all,
Just wondering if any members on here have any insight when it comes to slaves within the Alamo - notably Joe, Bettie and Charlie. I was reading Hansen's Reader this afternoon and was overlooking Joe's accounts, and a few things struck me that I hadn't come across before.
- First of all, Joe is claimed by a Travis family historian (no name given, however) that Joe ended up back in Conecuh County, Alabama (I'm assuming Sparta) where the rest of Travis's family remained, and he told them of the fall of the Alamo for the first time. He remained in Southern Alabama for the rest of his life, and he is buried in an unmarked grave near Brewton, Alabama. My question is, what exactly is the source of it, and can we claim any validity behind it? The rumors of him appearing around Austin around 1875 are rather curious as well.
- What is known of Bettie? Did she live or die? Most accounts have her dead between two guns, but I believe it was Juana Alsbury who claimed a female slave accompanied them back to town after the siege (though I may be wrong about this).
- Charlie... what's the status on him? It's all the same account (him grabbing a Mexican soldado and forcing them to let him live - some accounts even claim this allowed him and Bettie to live, I believe) but nothing else is stated.
Most accounts just feature Joe as the sole survivor, though it doesn't seem impossible that these people just faded out in history, especially as Joe was the slave of Travis. Any ideas, friends?
Thanks!
P.S. If anyone has interesting commentary on Sam as well I'd be happy to read it. I just usually don't include Sam as most evidence seems to point away from him being there at all.
Just wondering if any members on here have any insight when it comes to slaves within the Alamo - notably Joe, Bettie and Charlie. I was reading Hansen's Reader this afternoon and was overlooking Joe's accounts, and a few things struck me that I hadn't come across before.
- First of all, Joe is claimed by a Travis family historian (no name given, however) that Joe ended up back in Conecuh County, Alabama (I'm assuming Sparta) where the rest of Travis's family remained, and he told them of the fall of the Alamo for the first time. He remained in Southern Alabama for the rest of his life, and he is buried in an unmarked grave near Brewton, Alabama. My question is, what exactly is the source of it, and can we claim any validity behind it? The rumors of him appearing around Austin around 1875 are rather curious as well.
- What is known of Bettie? Did she live or die? Most accounts have her dead between two guns, but I believe it was Juana Alsbury who claimed a female slave accompanied them back to town after the siege (though I may be wrong about this).
- Charlie... what's the status on him? It's all the same account (him grabbing a Mexican soldado and forcing them to let him live - some accounts even claim this allowed him and Bettie to live, I believe) but nothing else is stated.
Most accounts just feature Joe as the sole survivor, though it doesn't seem impossible that these people just faded out in history, especially as Joe was the slave of Travis. Any ideas, friends?
Thanks!
P.S. If anyone has interesting commentary on Sam as well I'd be happy to read it. I just usually don't include Sam as most evidence seems to point away from him being there at all.
