Bill Text: TX HR759 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the Battle of the Alamo.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-03-21 - Reported enrolled [HR759 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR759-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 759 | ||
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| WHEREAS, March 6, 2011, marks the 175th anniversary of the | ||
| fall of the Alamo, one of the most famous episodes in Texas history; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, On December 9, 1835, an army of Texas volunteers | ||
| captured San Antonio de Bexar from a force of Mexican soldiers under | ||
| the command of General Martin Perfecto de Cos; Lieutenant Colonel | ||
| James Clinton Neill was then placed in command of the Alamo, which | ||
| enjoyed a strategic position because of its location on one of the | ||
| two main roads stretching from Mexico into Texas; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Notwithstanding the small number of men in his | ||
| command and a lack of provisions, Colonel Neill was determined to | ||
| hold the Alamo; his troops were augmented slightly over the | ||
| following weeks: Colonel James Bowie arrived with a detachment of | ||
| 30 men on January 19, 1836; Lieutenant Colonel William Barret | ||
| Travis rode in at the head of 30 cavalrymen on February 3, and David | ||
| Crockett and 12 other volunteers entered the fort on about February | ||
| 8; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Colonel Neill left the Alamo in mid-February to help | ||
| his family, which had been struck by illness, and command of the | ||
| regular soldiers fell to Colonel Travis, while Colonel Bowie | ||
| assumed command of the volunteers; and | ||
| WHEREAS, On February 23, a Mexican army of about 6,000 men | ||
| under the command of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna reached San | ||
| Antonio; after a demand for the fort's surrender was rejected with a | ||
| cannon shot, the Mexican artillery began an assault on the Alamo's | ||
| perimeter walls; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The following day, February 24, Colonel Bowie fell | ||
| seriously ill and command of the volunteers passed to Colonel | ||
| Travis; facing terrible odds but committed to the mission before | ||
| him, Travis penned a desperate plea for reinforcements; his letter, | ||
| addressed "To the People of Texas and all Americans in the world," | ||
| pledged that he would "never surrender or retreat" and concluded | ||
| with the defiant words "Victory or Death"; and | ||
| WHEREAS, On March 1, while the siege continued, Lieutenant | ||
| George Kimbell and a company of 32 soldiers slipped through the | ||
| Mexican lines and joined the Alamo garrison; the large number of men | ||
| that Travis hoped for, however, never arrived; finally, about 5 | ||
| a.m. on March 6, General Santa Anna sent some 1,800 assault troops | ||
| surging toward the fort; within 90 minutes the battle was over, and | ||
| the few surviving defenders were quickly executed; while the | ||
| official list of Alamo soldiers who died numbers 189, the actual | ||
| number may be as high as 257; the number of Mexican troops wounded | ||
| or killed is estimated to have been about 600; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The 13 days that General Santa Anna devoted to | ||
| capturing the fort cost Mexico dearly; while he delayed his | ||
| advance, the convention of Texas delegates meeting in | ||
| Washington-on-the-Brazos had time to adopt a declaration of | ||
| independence, draft a constitution, and form an interim government; | ||
| moreover, news of the garrison's destruction fired the Texas army | ||
| with a fierce resolve, and on April 21, 1836, the battlefield at San | ||
| Jacinto echoed with cries of "Remember the Alamo"; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Since those fateful days in 1836, the story of the | ||
| Alamo has reached audiences around the world; the Alamo remains one | ||
| of the state's most important historical landmarks, and the Alamo | ||
| defenders who gave their lives within its walls will forever be | ||
| honored for their gallantry and courageous sacrifice in the cause | ||
| of freedom; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby pay tribute to the fallen heroes of the Battle of | ||
| the Alamo, whose immeasurable selflessness and bravery helped give | ||
| rise to an independent Texas. | ||
| Branch | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 759 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on March 17, 2011. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
