Texas History- A Clash of Armies

Texas History- Chapter 11 Lesson 1

A Clash of Armies

Multiple Choice

True or False: The Texans had been successful at defeating the Mexicans at Gonzales, Goliad, and San Antonio.

• True

• False

Two Armies

• The loss of San Antonio in December of 1835 greatly angered Santa Anna making him more determined to defeat the Texan rebels and gain control of the area.

• Santa Anna knew it would take weeks to form an army and arrive in Texas. This gave the Texans time to prepare, but most of this time was lost. Many of the Texan volunteers returned home for the winter.

• There were still many volunteers that arrived from the U.S to fight for Texas. Two of these volunteers included former Tennessee Congressman David Crockett and frontier fighter James Bowie.

Multiple Choice

What were Santa Anna’s ultimate goals?

• to capture the Tejanos and repeal the Constitution of 1824

• to defeat the rebels in Texas and regain the territory

• to hold talks with the rebels to reach a peaceful settlement

• to recruit Texas frontiersmen to his army and rebuild the Alamo

Problems in the Texas Army

• Several problems came about at this time. The Consultation of 1835 was doing their best to recruit soldiers, but had no luck doing so.

• The volunteers wanted to choose their commander, and although Sam Houston was the commander, many refused to accept his authority.

• The soldiers were undisciplined and untrained. There was no training system and the government had no way to feed the soldiers either.

• Many volunteers left after battle and those from other places grew tired of waiting to fight.

Problems With the Provisional Government

• Many problems with leaders in the government lead to additional confusion. Some leaders wanted to follow the Federalist government. Others wanted to declare independence from Mexico.

• Different commanders gave different orders which created much confusion during military operations, particularly Matamoros, a port at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande was the river that separated Mexico and Texas.

• Many of the Texan forces were scattered and did not coordinate their actions.

• There were men in San Patricio, Goliad, Gonzales, and San Antonio, therefore, the different commanders did not coordinate their actions.

Multiple Select

Check all that apply: Which of the following were problems the Texans faced?

• few soldiers or volunteers

• government had many disagreements

• commanders didn't coordinate their actions

• soldiers were well trained and ready to fight

The Mexican Army Heads North

• While the Texans struggled with disorganization and poor command, Santa Anna was preparing to march north.

• Santa Anna prepared two forces: 6,000 men to march toward San Antonio, while he gave another 1,000 men to General José de Urrea to lead to Goliad.

• They were not without problems either. Despite protests, Santa Anna chose to march the armies during the winter.

• Because of this, the horses and mules had little grass to eat. Many soldiers and animals fell behind.

• Worst of all, it was hard to pull canons and heavy artillery because of the mud, so they also fell behind.

Multiple Choice

Where was General Urrea leading

• it was too cold

• their canons kept getting stuck in the mud

• the horses and mules had no food

• they were used to warmer climates

Reinforcements Arrive

• Colonel James C. Neill had 104 men and 21 pieces of artillery at the Alamo, the abandoned mission being used as a fortress, was located in San Antonio, but when requesting more, Sam Houston denied his request because he believed it should be abandoned.

• Houston ordered Colonel James Bowie and about 30 fighters in Goliad to go to the Alamo. He was there to inspect the situation and decide if the Alamo could be defended.

• Bowie was famous as a frontier fighter and known for carrying a large knife known as a Bowie Knife.

• Bowie felt Neill had a good defense and that the Alamo could withstand a fight. He wrote governor Henry Smith to tell him the news so Smith dismissed Houston's advice.

Multiple Choice

Whose advice did Governor Henry Smith take?

• Colonel James Bowie

• Colonel James C. Neill

• Sam Houston

More Volunteers

• Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis arrived later with 30 horsemen. Several days later, David Crockett, a Tennessee frontiersman, arrived with 12 more men.

• Nine Tejanos also arrived. They felt they had more to lose than any of the Anglo Americans. The Tejanos fought for freedom at the price of their lands, their homes, and their families.

• Many Tejanos considered Santa Anna a dictator because of his objection of the Constitution of 1824.

• These Tejanos were led by Captain Juan Seguín, however, he was sent to gather more volunteers and did not fight.

New Commanders in Place

• In February 1836, Neill had to go home to his ill family. By the time he was returning to San Antonio to the abandoned Alamo mission, the battle was already over.

• Neill left William Travis in charge. Many of the volunteers did not like this and wanted to vote, which Travis agreed.

• After the vote, Bowie won. However, they came to a compromise. Travis led the soldiers and Bowie the volunteers.

• Not long after, Mexican soldiers started to arrive. Bowie soon got very sick and gave his command of the volunteers over to Travis.

• The volunteers accepted because now the Alamo was now being surrounded by Mexican forces.

Multiple Choice

In the end, who commanded the army at the Alamo?

• Davy Crockett

• William Travis

• James Bowie

• Juan Seguin

***Points to Remember***

-Santa Anna's main goal after losing San Antonio to the Texas was to defeat them and regain control of the territory, so he began marching north towards San Antonio, crossing the Rio Grande, the river that separated Texas and Mexico.

-There was a political division among the Texans as some wanted to support the Mexican Federalists while others wanted complete independence. They continued to argue over whether they should attack the city of Matamoros, which was located at the mouth of the Rio Grande.

-The Texans should have prepared for the incoming attack, however, many of the volunteers had returned for the winter after they helped capture San Antonio.

-The Mexican forces also struggled because soldiers, horses, and heavy canons were unable to keep up the pace due to the winter conditions.

-There were approximately 100 volunteers located at the Alamo in San Antonio, which was an abandoned mission used as a fortress for the soldiers. Among these volunteers were James Bowie and Davy Crockett.

-Sam Houston ordered the volunteers abandon the Alamo, but the commanders asked Governor Henry Smith to allow them to stay after James Bowie claimed the Alamo was well protected. By February, Mexican troops were beginning to surround San Antonio.