The Alamo Falls
Fri, March 6, 2026
Repeat yearly
The Alamo Falls
March 6, 1836
History is filled with doomed last stands that inspire future victories, and one of the most famous occurred on this day 186 years ago, on a dusty stretch of land known as Texas. The battle began in late February 1836, when famous frontiersman and folk hero Davy Crockett, and his co-commanders, James Bowie and William Travis, led a garrison of 200 soldiers in defense of the Alamo, a Spanish mission and makeshift fortress near San Antonio. For 13 days, soldiers fighting for Texas’ independence traded gunfire with Mexican troops led by general Antonio López de Santa Anna, president of the Mexican Republic. The Texans and Tejanos (Mexican inhabitants of Texas) were vastly outnumbered, but even with death close at hand, they decided to keep fighting right up to the end.
In the early morning hours of March 6, 1836, Mexican forces broke through the Alamo’s north wall, and after a bloody 90 minutes, Santa Anna emerged victorious, killing nearly all the resistance fighters, including Crockett, Bowie, and Travis. But the Alamo didn’t fall without a fight, as Santa Anna lost more than three times as many soldiers. Although Mexico had recaptured the Alamo, the victory was short-lived. Little more than a month later, commander Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, securing Texas’ independence. During this decisive fight, a rallying cry echoed across the battlefield: “Remember the Alamo.”
March 6, 1836
History is filled with doomed last stands that inspire future victories, and one of the most famous occurred on this day 186 years ago, on a dusty stretch of land known as Texas. The battle began in late February 1836, when famous frontiersman and folk hero Davy Crockett, and his co-commanders, James Bowie and William Travis, led a garrison of 200 soldiers in defense of the Alamo, a Spanish mission and makeshift fortress near San Antonio. For 13 days, soldiers fighting for Texas’ independence traded gunfire with Mexican troops led by general Antonio López de Santa Anna, president of the Mexican Republic. The Texans and Tejanos (Mexican inhabitants of Texas) were vastly outnumbered, but even with death close at hand, they decided to keep fighting right up to the end.
In the early morning hours of March 6, 1836, Mexican forces broke through the Alamo’s north wall, and after a bloody 90 minutes, Santa Anna emerged victorious, killing nearly all the resistance fighters, including Crockett, Bowie, and Travis. But the Alamo didn’t fall without a fight, as Santa Anna lost more than three times as many soldiers. Although Mexico had recaptured the Alamo, the victory was short-lived. Little more than a month later, commander Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, securing Texas’ independence. During this decisive fight, a rallying cry echoed across the battlefield: “Remember the Alamo.”
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