Post by bobster021 on Jan 2, 2021 14:23:06 GMT -5
I see it's been years since this was discussed.
While it's hard to accept that the additional 60 from Gonzales arrived at the Alamo due to the lack of any mention by Mrs Dickinson or Joe, it is also curious that there is no mention of that group if they were not killed. Not one single story from any of 60 men who would have had quite a story to tell about their attempt to answer Travis' call for help, their journey, possible close calls with Mexican patrols, how close they got and the circumstances of how it came to be that they did not reach the Alamo.
There doesn't seem to be a great deal of detailed information from Mrs Dickinson or Joe. Is it possible that in their accounts there was confusion or misunderstanding about reinforcements from Gonzalez? That is, one group vs more than one?
Gen Almonte mentioned chasing a group of Texians back into the fort when it was presumed they were attempting to conduct a raid at the sugar mill. Some have theorized this was a group of reinforcements headed into, not out of the fort. I don't know if Almonte estimated the number of those men. But surely, with a group of only about 180 defenders, Travis could not afford to risk sending a large group outside a surrounded fort on a raid. So if Almonte estimated a large group, it was more likely reinforcements than a raid.
Mexican estimate of Texian killed was about 250. That would be consistent with an arrival of about 60 more reinforcements.
The Mexicans also counted about 60 Texians killed outside the walls by lancers when trying to escape after the fort was overrun. In this instance, the number 60 would be coincidental. But it leads to another question. If the defenders only numbered about 180, would as many as a third make it out of the fort as it was being overrun? The most obvious area from which to escape would be the coral with the low wall on the east side. This was confirmed by Mexican witnesses. But with only 180 or so defenders, would nearly a third be defending or able to get to the east side of the fort? It's easier to understand a larger number of defenders there if the overall strength of the garrison had increased to about 240-250.
I've also seen a theory that the 60 killed by the lancers might have been the 2nd group of Gonzalez volunteers. But the lancers suffered very few casualties, presumably because the Texians they encountered were fleeing from the Alamo after firing their weapons with no time to reload. But a group of 60 fresh and armed/loaded volunteers could have done much more damage. Also, the Mexican lancers did not report any horses from those Texians. Would the group of 60 have abandoned their horses to try to fight their way thru the Mexican cavalry to try to enter a fort that was being overrun? Not likely. And the silence before Santa Anna's attack was broken by some of his soldados shouting. Not by a battle against 60 reinforcements outside the walls. So for this theory to be true, the 60 from Gonzalez would have to have arrived after the battle already began, and then abandoned their horses while trying to get through the cavalry and into the fort that was already being overrun while barely causing any casualties among the lancers. I can't buy that.
So while I find it very odd that there is no mention of the arrival of those 60 men, it seems equally odd that there was never any mention of those men afterwards if they in fact did not die at the Alamo and would have had an interesting story to tell about their attempt. Also, the Mexican count of about 250 bodies as well as what would have been a third of a garrison of 180 men making it outside the walls, most from an area of the fort that is unlikely to have heavily defended seems more likely if another 60 or so reinforcements had arrived.
While it's hard to accept that the additional 60 from Gonzales arrived at the Alamo due to the lack of any mention by Mrs Dickinson or Joe, it is also curious that there is no mention of that group if they were not killed. Not one single story from any of 60 men who would have had quite a story to tell about their attempt to answer Travis' call for help, their journey, possible close calls with Mexican patrols, how close they got and the circumstances of how it came to be that they did not reach the Alamo.
There doesn't seem to be a great deal of detailed information from Mrs Dickinson or Joe. Is it possible that in their accounts there was confusion or misunderstanding about reinforcements from Gonzalez? That is, one group vs more than one?
Gen Almonte mentioned chasing a group of Texians back into the fort when it was presumed they were attempting to conduct a raid at the sugar mill. Some have theorized this was a group of reinforcements headed into, not out of the fort. I don't know if Almonte estimated the number of those men. But surely, with a group of only about 180 defenders, Travis could not afford to risk sending a large group outside a surrounded fort on a raid. So if Almonte estimated a large group, it was more likely reinforcements than a raid.
Mexican estimate of Texian killed was about 250. That would be consistent with an arrival of about 60 more reinforcements.
The Mexicans also counted about 60 Texians killed outside the walls by lancers when trying to escape after the fort was overrun. In this instance, the number 60 would be coincidental. But it leads to another question. If the defenders only numbered about 180, would as many as a third make it out of the fort as it was being overrun? The most obvious area from which to escape would be the coral with the low wall on the east side. This was confirmed by Mexican witnesses. But with only 180 or so defenders, would nearly a third be defending or able to get to the east side of the fort? It's easier to understand a larger number of defenders there if the overall strength of the garrison had increased to about 240-250.
I've also seen a theory that the 60 killed by the lancers might have been the 2nd group of Gonzalez volunteers. But the lancers suffered very few casualties, presumably because the Texians they encountered were fleeing from the Alamo after firing their weapons with no time to reload. But a group of 60 fresh and armed/loaded volunteers could have done much more damage. Also, the Mexican lancers did not report any horses from those Texians. Would the group of 60 have abandoned their horses to try to fight their way thru the Mexican cavalry to try to enter a fort that was being overrun? Not likely. And the silence before Santa Anna's attack was broken by some of his soldados shouting. Not by a battle against 60 reinforcements outside the walls. So for this theory to be true, the 60 from Gonzalez would have to have arrived after the battle already began, and then abandoned their horses while trying to get through the cavalry and into the fort that was already being overrun while barely causing any casualties among the lancers. I can't buy that.
So while I find it very odd that there is no mention of the arrival of those 60 men, it seems equally odd that there was never any mention of those men afterwards if they in fact did not die at the Alamo and would have had an interesting story to tell about their attempt. Also, the Mexican count of about 250 bodies as well as what would have been a third of a garrison of 180 men making it outside the walls, most from an area of the fort that is unlikely to have heavily defended seems more likely if another 60 or so reinforcements had arrived.