Texas History Tales

"Origin And Fall of the Alamo, March 6, 1836" by John S. Ford is a look at one of the most famous battles in U. S. Military history; the fall of the Alamo in the Texas War for independence. John Salmon Ford 1815-97 was a member of the Republic of Texas Congress; the Texas State Senate; mayor of Brownsville, Texas; a Texas Ranger; a Confederate Colonel and a Texas journalist. Ford, known to contemporaries as "Rip" Ford for always including the words "Rest In Peace" after the names of battle causalities in battle reports, was an early settler of Texas arriving in 1836. He spent his later years writing reminiscences and historical articles and promoting an interest in Texas history. This was written in 1896 to help raise money for the Alamo Monument. It gives a history of the fateful battle of the Alamo, during which 190 Texans withstood the siege of 4,000 Mexican troops until finally overwhelmed. The cry, "Remember The Alamo" became a watchword in the Texas struggle for independence and has remained so throughout U. S. Military history. In the "Historical Remarks" section at the end of the book, some little known interesting facts are give about San Antonio history both before and after the battle of the Alamo. A great battle history of the struggle for the Alamo using the historic records of the time. Very scarce in the original binding, it is presented in an inexpensive e-book for those interested is this pivotal battle. There are approximately 14,750+ words and approximately 49+ pages at 300 words per page in this short e-book.

"The War For Texas Independence: James W. Fannin, Jr., In The Texas Revolution." by Ruby Cumby Smith is a short biography of a largely unsung Texas Revolution commander. James Walker Fannin, Jr. (1804-1836) was a 19th-century Texas Army leader during the Texas Revolution of 1835-1836. After being outnumbered and surrendering to Mexican forces at the Battle of Coleto Creek, Colonel Fannin and nearly all his 344 men, were massacred several days after they surrendered under Santa Anna's orders that all Texan rebels be executed. Fannin's force was massacred near Goliad, Texas where they were being held as prisoners. Ironically his command had been dispatched by the Texas authorities, to attempt to relieve the Texans surrounded in the Alamo. The Alamo Massacre is well remembered, probably due to the presence of Travis, Crockett, & Bowie, while the Goliad Massacre is largely forgotten. At the time though, the slogans "Remember the Alamo" & "Remember Goliad "did much to galvanize Texas resistance & led to their ultimate victory. Ruby Smith's brief, stirring account of Fannin's short, glorious career in the Texas War for Independence sheds much interesting light on a nearly forgotten episode of Texas military history.