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183 Years After Battle Of The Alamo, Visitors Reflect On Texas Sacrifice

Re-enactors interact with visitors.
Brian Kirkpatrick
/
Texas Public Radio
Re-enactors interact with visitors.

The series of special events marking 183 years since the Mexican Army's siege of the Alamo and the struggle to defend it ends on Wednesday.

At 6 a.m. there is Dawn at the Alamo, featuring members of the San Antonio Living History Association who will describe events leading up to the battle. The Sons of the Republic of Texas will appear at 10 a.m. for a commemoration ceremony. At 2 p.m., the Alamo Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas will read aloud the names of the fighters who died defending the mission.

Finally, the event Remember the Defenders is at 6 p.m. Living historians will read a letter William B. Travis wrote asking for allies to come help defend the Alamo.

The Alamo's Director of Education, Sherri Driscoll, said this is the time of the year where the most dedicated Alamo history buffs visit.

"When we have ... this special programming," she said, "it definitely pulls in a different audience."

Many of the events feature re-enactors dressed in clothing just like that worn in the Alamo era. Re-enactor Jameson Moore, decked out in a top hat and long coat, described the look.

"You're gonna get a much better idea of what these guys looked if you really kind of imagine Jane Austen or, you know, Charles Dickens with a little Wild West thrown in. That's kind of the more of what you want to think about."

Moore said the clothing breathed well and was not as hot or itchy as it looked.

He said the most frequent question from visitors from all over the world was a simple one: What happened here?

According to the Texas State Historical Association, 189 Alamo defenders died. Mexican forces numbered around 1800 troops, and they suffered 600 casualties.

Brian Kirkpatrick can be reached at Brian@TPR.org and on Twitter at @TPRBrian.

Copyright 2020 Texas Public Radio. To see more, visit Texas Public Radio.

Brian Kirkpatrick has been a journalist in Texas most of his life, covering San Antonio news since 1993, including the deadly October 1998 flooding, the arrival of the Toyota plant in 2003, and the base closure and realignments in 2005.