Remember the Alamo? Did they all Die? Were there any Survivors of the Battle at the Alamo?

The famous quote attributed to Edward Burleson, “Thermopylae had her messenger of defeat; the Alamo had none,” only reinforces the misconception that there were no survivors from the defense of the Alamo.

The siege of the Alamo began on February 23, 1836, when the army of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna surrounded the San Antonio mission. It proved to be a key event in the Texas struggle for independence from Mexico. Fewer than 200 volunteers defended the Alamo for 13 days against Santa Anna’s estimated 6,100 troops. They were led by William B Travis and included such famous names as knife man Jim Bowie, and adventurer and former Congressman Davy Crockett. By sunrise on March 6th, 1836, though, the Alamo had fallen, and virtually all the Texans bearing arms lay dead or dying.

Although the exact number of survivors is not entirely clear, documents indicate that as many as 20 women, children, and slaves survived the famous battle. Some of the defenders had brought family members into the Alamo, and a number of them were spared by the conquering Mexican Army. For example, Susanna Dickinson, the 22 year-old wife of Almaron Dickinson, was spared along with her baby daughter. Santa Anna sent her to Gonzales to warn other Texans that they faced the same fate as the Alamo Defenders if they continued their pursuit of Independence.

Several defenders survived who had been sent out as couriers at various times during the seige to rally reinforcements at Gonzales. Several slaves owned by members of the volunteer army also survived the siege. One member of the Alamo Rebels, a former Mexican Soldier, survived the battle by claiming to have been a prisoner of the Texan volunteers.

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