The blood of heroes : the 13-day struggle for the Alamo -- and the sacrifice that forged a nation

On February 23, 1836, A Large Mexican Army Led By Dictator Santa Anna Reached San Antonio And Laid Siege To About 175 Texas Rebels Holed Up In The Alamo. The Texans Refused To Surrender For Nearly Two Weeks Until Almost 2,000 Mexican Troops Unleashed A Final Assault. The Defenders Fought Valiantly-for Their Lives And For A Free And Independent Texas-but In The End, They Were All Slaughtered. Their Ultimate Sacrifice Inspired The Rallying Cry Remember The Alamo! And Eventual Triumph. Exhaustively Researched, And Drawing Upon Fresh Primary Sources In U.s. And Mexican Archives, The Blood Of Heroes Is The Definitive Account Of This Epic Battle. Populated By Larger-than-life Characters--including Davy Crockett, James Bowie, William Barret Travis--this Is A Stirring Story Of Audacity, Valor, And Redemption. Prologue -- The Hotspur -- O! He Has Gone To Texas -- The Celebrated Desperado -- The Burly Is Begun -- The Army Of The People -- The Battle Of Béxar -- A Mere Corral And Nothing More -- The Napoleon Of The West -- The Backwoodsman -- The Road To Béxar -- Circunvalado -- I Am Besieged -- This Time You May See Some Blood -- Devlish Dark -- His Excellency Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty -- That Terrible Bugle Call Of Death -- The Bleeding Country -- The Marrow Bone Of Texas -- Last Rites -- Moses Rose And The Line -- Appendix 1. Mexican Army Of Operations Principal Officers -- Appendix 2. Alamo Defenders. James Donovan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [467]-488) And Index. The gripping and definitive chronicle of the iconic battle that inspired a nation--a sweeping saga of 200 brave Americans who stood tall against an overwhelmingly superior Mexican force. On February 23, 1836, a Mexican army thousands of soldiers strong attacked a group of roughly 200 Americans holed up in an abandoned mission just east of San Antonio, Texas. For nearly two weeks, the massive force lay siege to the makeshift fort, spraying its occupants with unremitting waves of musket and cannon fire. Then, on March 6th, at 5:30 am, the Mexican troops unleashed a final devastating assault: divided into four columns, they rushed into the Alamo and commenced a deadly hand-to-hand fight. The Americans, despite being hugely outnumbered, fought valiantly--for themselves and for a division of an independent Texas. In the end, they were all slaughtered. Drawing upon newly available primary sources, THE BLOOD OF HEROES is the definitive account of this epic battle. Populated by larger-than-life characters--including Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis--it is a dynamic story of courage, sacrifice, and redemption. On February 23, 1836, a large Mexican army led by dictator Santa Anna reached San Antonio and laid siege to about 175 Texas rebels holed up in the Alamo. The Texans refused to surrender for nearly two weeks until almost 2,000 Mexican troops unleashed a final assault. The defenders fought valiantly-for their lives and for a free and independent Texas-but in the end, they were all slaughtered. Their ultimate sacrifice inspired the rallying cry "Remember the Alamo!" and eventual triumph. Exhaustively researched, and drawing upon fresh primary sources in U.S. and Mexican archives, The Blood of Heros is the definitive account of this epic battle. Populated by larger-than-life characters -- including Davy Crockett, James Bowie, William Barret Travis -- this is a stirring story of audacity, valor, and redemption. Prologue The Hotspur "O! He Has Gone to Texas" "The Celebrated Desperado" "The Burly Is Begun" The Army of the People The Battle of Béxar "A Mere Corral and Nothing More" The Napoleon of the West The Backwoodsman The Road to Béxar "Circunvalado" "I Am Besieged" "This Time You May See Some Blood" "Devlish Dark" "His Excellency Expects Every Man to Do His Duty" "That Terrible Bugle Call of Death" The Bleeding Country "The Marrow Bone of Texas" Last Rites Afterword: Moses Rose and the Line. Details the history of the siege on the Alamo in 1836, using new primary sources from American and Mexican archives