tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70896352158466446452024-03-05T15:55:00.498-08:00View From The AlamoPeople Experiencing The Alamo Adventure, Past and PresentDean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-42587636323757160122012-04-23T13:15:00.000-07:002012-04-23T13:15:49.979-07:00What Happened to Jim Bowie’s Knife?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I’m working with a young man named Devin Costlow who aspires
to become an Alamo historian and writer (see February 1, 2012, blog post).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Devin located an excellent article about the development
and disposition of several weapons that claim to be a “Bowie Knife”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">According to this article some historians claim that Jim
Bowie and his older brother, Rezin P., sponsored the production of many knives
by as many as eight cutlers and blacksmiths.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Others claim there was only one, the “big butcher knife” that Jim
received from Rezin P. and used in the famous “sandbar fight”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Several of the documented knives exist today in museum
collections, including at least three at the Alamo. All are single edged, and range in length
from six to ten and one quarter inches.
Some have the famous clip point and some do not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two owners claim that their knife was taken from the Alamo
after the 1836 battle, one by a Mexican soldier, the other by a woman who
claimed that she nursed Jim Bowie.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If “The Bowie Knife” exists, the former of these two is
probably it. Now called the “Bart Moore
knife” it was made by Arkansas blacksmith, James Black, and is on display in
the Alamo Gift Museum. This knife is
eight and one quarter inches long and has a clip point. The article reports that the blade has
"J. Bowie" scratched on one side and the initials J.B. on the other.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thanks Devin for this
enlightening article.</span>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-50426811715506473152012-04-17T03:18:00.000-07:002012-04-17T03:18:32.654-07:00Why Didn’t They Just Retreat?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the very least, Santa Anna arrived at the Alamo
twenty-two days before he was expected.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why didn’t Travis lead a retreat?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Question - Was Travis afraid that the men who were loyal to
Bowie would not follow an order to abandon the Alamo?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Answer - The men would probably have obeyed Travis because on
the second day of the siege Bowie had ordered them to.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Question – Were the Alamo and the heavy artillery located
there strategically important?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Answer – The Texicans had proved in December, 1835, that
they could take the Alamo from the Mexican army and they could probably have
done it again. Most of the artillery in
the Alamo was probably too heavy to be removed and used in the field.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Question – Was there a place for them to retreat to and
still delay Santa Anna?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Answer – They could probably have withdrawn to Goliad where
Fannin and three-hundred men were waiting in the <span lang="EN">Presidio La Bahia, which
was an actual Spanish fort, not a mission like the Alamo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Question – Would they have been able to escape through the Mexican lines?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Answer – As late as the eighth day of the thirteen day siege it was
proven that the Mexican army lines were permeable when thirty-two men from
Gonzales rode through the lines and into the Alamo without being detected. </span></span></div>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-39700711440860468572012-04-09T19:42:00.000-07:002012-04-09T19:42:23.645-07:00For Texans Too<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the Alamo I meet almost as many people from Texas as from
elsewhere. At first I was puzzled, as I
would be should I meet a significant number of New York residents at the Statue of
Liberty. Then I began to notice that, many
times, I was meeting the whole family.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, the mystery was solved when someone explained that
Texas public school students get a heavy dose of Texas history in the fourth
grade and again in the seventh.
Obviously, a by-product of this instruction is a trip to the Alamo for
mom, dad, and all the siblings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the San Antonio River bubbles forth from the Blue Hole on
the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word, year after year a steady
stream of visitors to the Alamo is flowing from the Texas public education
system.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The future of the Alamo as a tourist destination now seems
bright, as we end a period of over one-hundred years of ownership by the
Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) and begin a period of ownership by the
State of Texas.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fortunately, the Alamo will still be managed by the DRT,
whose caring and knowledgeable members provide a broad range of services to the
people of Texas, free of charge, and often without public recognition.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Therefore, may I say thank you from all of us to our fourth
and seventh grade teachers who include a word or two about the fine work of the
DRT, in their Texas history lesson plan. </span></div>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-17263740793739023802012-04-01T15:46:00.000-07:002012-04-01T15:46:00.191-07:00Signed at the Alamo<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When I’m signing books in the Alamo Gift Museum I get
requests for all kinds of inscriptions, for example; “Keep the Alamo spirit”, “To
a true lover of history”, “Thanks for supporting the Alamo”, and of course, “Remember
the Alamo”. But the most popular, by
far, is “Signed at the Alamo”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I believe, if a single word can describe what makes the
Alamo important to people, that word is honor, and people seem to feel that written
evidence of their visit there is a badge of honor, like honor is contagious and
they can take some home with them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Before I began spending time at the Alamo, like many members
of my generation, I was beginning to wonder how honorable Americans are today,
in terms of their willingness to defend the country with their lives. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was raised during the time of the military draft, when
most American men served. Although most
of us complained, we were secretly proud of our service then and we are openly
proud of it now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">But today I hear others speculate about our ability to raise
an adequate fighting force, should we ever become involved in another world
war.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I wish those people could experience the seemingly endless
parade of patriots coming through the Alamo, as I do regularly, so they would
know not to worry. They would
understand, as I do now, that honor is still important to Americans and may yet
be the foundation of our character.</span></div>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-22131041990420191142012-03-26T18:40:00.000-07:002012-03-26T18:40:54.812-07:00Shameful Roots?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Historians write that the American Civil War was fought over
states’ rights, not slavery. But, if owning
slaves was the defining state right, is this position accurate, or simply an attempt
to disguise a shameful root.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Similarly, was Mexico’s prohibition of slavery a precipitating
factor in the Texicans’ rebellion. It is
true that most of the major players, including Austin, Houston, Travis, Bowie,
and many others, were raised in southern states and taught to advocate slavery.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Conversely, it was well known that Austin was personally opposed
to the institution of slavery, even though he was responsible for disguising it
as indentured servitude so it could be practiced in Coahuila-Tejas. Equally puzzling were the facts that Bowie
and his family made a living working and trading slaves, but Jim Bowie himself abandoned
both when he moved from Louisiana.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most published historians
who specialize in the Texas Revolution do little more than mention slavery as
an issue. That Texas joined the
Confederacy is ample evidence that its citizens favored slavery. Would the prestige of Texas’ founding fathers
be diminished if it were widely acknowledged that they fought to own slaves? Has such knowledge effected how we feel about
Washington and Jefferson?</span><br />Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-61331117229310314022012-03-19T09:46:00.000-07:002012-03-19T09:46:32.170-07:00Did Santa Anna have a personal vendetta against Jim Bowie?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Two affronts that were committed by Santa Anna on the first
day of the Alamo siege were probably aimed directly at Jim Bowie. First Santa Anna hung his blood-red, death-flag from the top of the San Fernando Cathedral bell tower, then he placed his
first battery of cannon in the backyard of the Veramendi Palace. Better sites were available for both.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The death flag was located over a mile from the Alamo and
could barely be seen from the walls, while the
cannon could have been placed closer to the Alamo, with better cover, and still
across the river from, and beyond the range of the Alamo sharpshooters. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The sites Santa Anna did choose were both significant in the
life of Jim Bowie. In the San Fernando
Cathedral, on April 25, 1831, Bowie had married Maria-Ursula-Fructuosa
Veramendi-Navarro, the beautiful daughter of the Vice-Governor of the Mexican
state of Coahuila-Tejas. In September,
1833, as the senior male member of the Veramendi family, Bowie had gained
control of the Veramendi Palace, when his wife and children, and her parents, all
died from Cholera.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">After joining the Catholic Church and swearing allegiance to
Mexico in 1830, Bowie had given every indication that he intended to become an exemplary,
Mexican citizen. But, following the
death of his Texas family, Bowie became an instigator and leader in acts of
rebellion against Santa Anna and his government.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Without a doubt these acts would have caused Santa Anna to
consider Bowie a turncoat.</span></div>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-28837400687548304122012-03-12T08:45:00.000-07:002012-03-12T08:45:36.662-07:00Why Were They Spared?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">According to Susanna Dickinson, the wife of Captain Almeron
Dickinson, the last Texan to die in the Alamo battle was Major Robert Evans, a
thirty-six year old Irishman who came to Texas from New York.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Evans was Master of Ordnance and he had orders to detonate
the Alamo gun-powder supply, rather than allow the enemy to capture it. Had he succeeded, the names of as many as
nine women and ten children might appear on the Alamo Cenotaph beside the one-hundred-eighty
names of their husbands and fathers, there now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Evans did not fail for lack of effort. His body was found on the chapel floor outside
the sacristy, where he had been speared by enemy bayonets. He had poured a trail of black powder into
the powder magazine, two rooms to his left, and was preparing to ignite it with
a torch found in his dead hand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just how much powder was in the magazine is not known, but
it is more than probable that, had it exploded, it would have killed Mrs.
Dickinson, her daughter, and all of the other women and children huddled in the
sacristy, and might even have destroyed the iconic chapel that is our focus
today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What prevented this disaster? Did Evans look into the eyes of one of the terrified
women or hear the cry of a child, and hesitate a moment too long, until the
enemy was upon him? We will never know.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I think we can consider
Robert Evans a hero of the Alamo, both for what he did and for what he did not
do. </span>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-28020395019830351062012-03-03T21:50:00.000-08:002012-03-03T21:50:22.147-08:00How Should I Explain The Alamo To A Child?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I began to get questions from children visiting the
Alamo about the men who fought the Battle, I tried to avoid using the words
kill and death, or any form thereof, in my answers.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don’t know why I was apprehensive, since I,
myself, had confronted death as a child of four, when the neighborhood dogs ate
my yellow, Easter duckling.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps it was because I thought I should shield the youngsters
from the harsh realities of life, that I used words like honor, loyalty, and
sacrifice instead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">These days, based on a little research and some professional
advice, I use all of those words, freely and conjunctively. The reality of death is all around us and we
cannot prevent children’s exposure to it, anymore than we can prevent scraped
knees from time to time. All we can do
is deal with it when it happens. The
professionals say that adults must talk with children about death so the
children will know it is alright for them to talk about it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I feel more comfortable answering their questions now
because I am able to explain to the children that the Texan soldiers who died
in the Alamo are like our soldiers who die in Iraq and Afghanistan. They made the choice to risk sacrificing their most
precious possession, their lives, to win another precious possession, the right
to live free.</span></div>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-45594790280353013472012-02-25T10:38:00.001-08:002012-02-25T10:48:33.028-08:00Did 1836 Have A “Texas Spring”?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g2vC471hfjfxiJQ7JeheQ1Ni2dxM0N7jbcZH6RrIXTn84axkCDmQ2SWOZ0FDeYJaZt8GGHF1SYtX5zDeY-1eh9PpvH8ZnR4AqVzaulS0wYzJPw6_mhJlVbodVZRdQZo0Y8Poe4SQ0SGl/s1600/Print+Texas+Republic+Declared.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g2vC471hfjfxiJQ7JeheQ1Ni2dxM0N7jbcZH6RrIXTn84axkCDmQ2SWOZ0FDeYJaZt8GGHF1SYtX5zDeY-1eh9PpvH8ZnR4AqVzaulS0wYzJPw6_mhJlVbodVZRdQZo0Y8Poe4SQ0SGl/s320/Print+Texas+Republic+Declared.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you look-up “Arab
Spring” on Wikipedia, it is described as “a revolutionary wave of
demonstrations and protests”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Are there parallels between Arab Spring demonstrations,
protests, and fighting in Syria now and similar events in Texas in
1835-36? Can Bashar al-Assad be considered
a Santa Anna of his day? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One wonders if Assad
will order an Alamo style massacre of the freedom fighters in Homs by the
Syrian Army. At this writing, the issue
is still in doubt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Unlike many leaders
in the middle-east, Assad was not educated in the United States. Therefore it is unlikely that he ever heard
of the Battle of the Alamo or that he is aware of the rallying effect such an
abomination can have on a population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Santa Anna was not
willing to negotiate with the rebels and he lost Texas. Will Assad have better sense?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Either way, I
think the events of the Arab Spring prove that, sooner or later, the
people get what they want, and perhaps “Texas Spring” would be an appropriate
label for the revolutionary wave
of demonstrations and protests that ended with the birth of the Republic
of Texas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-72499989345795442922012-02-19T21:43:00.000-08:002012-02-25T10:41:03.555-08:00Immortal Names Carved In Eternity<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidThmQf89jgEsJc5SiZSsi94ryixc2k1Bkkdo2RsFNHBm_89oHIXy8Y7jcbiEUVTC9ODJMVUCIjpbwWFFgMh8NF1RDjbYpnvlQo4gPPeeBFVHeFskqguMpYRJP-y69L1hj4-gnAsAmJS4-/s1600/14+Cenotaph.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidThmQf89jgEsJc5SiZSsi94ryixc2k1Bkkdo2RsFNHBm_89oHIXy8Y7jcbiEUVTC9ODJMVUCIjpbwWFFgMh8NF1RDjbYpnvlQo4gPPeeBFVHeFskqguMpYRJP-y69L1hj4-gnAsAmJS4-/s320/14+Cenotaph.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The gray marble structure
that rises from the Alamo grounds opposite the long barracks is called the Alamo
Cenotaph. A cenotaph is defined as a
monument erected in honor of a dead person whose
remains lie elsewhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We
have a cenotaph because they had no remains.
Not wanting any martyrs graves, Santa Anna ordered his soldiers to burn the
bodies of all of the Alamo defenders.
The Cenotaph marks one of three immolation sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
Alamo Cenotaph, built in 1940, contains one-hundred-eighty names of men who
died in the Alamo battle. The brochure currently
distributed at the Alamo contains one-hundred-eighty-nine such names. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Through the years, men’s names have been
added and taken away because research is still done every day at the Daughters
of the Republic of Texas Library and other places.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">These
men came to Coahuila-Tejas, Mexico, hoping to build a new life, and ended their
lives by helping to build a new country they called Texas. They were part of a small minority of citizens,
less than five percent, who won independence and liberty for all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have
had the good fortune to meet several descendents of these men and it is always
a special honor. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-49260922250784939352012-02-11T11:15:00.000-08:002012-02-15T12:10:37.636-08:00Courageous Acts, All Around Us, Every Day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT28FGOwUoRyP6du8XEASX8gBl8SMqrIxmrHaML90hTpzlPxCzeFI1l2kdfMU2HAck7p8zSmSgl1QZE4NSPKPlloPgy8EMNRVPkiL6p-0TgmVnnvQR3MfdGi34-mz4TRG4OVuwVpc_XF2U/s1600/Print+Line+In+The+Dirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT28FGOwUoRyP6du8XEASX8gBl8SMqrIxmrHaML90hTpzlPxCzeFI1l2kdfMU2HAck7p8zSmSgl1QZE4NSPKPlloPgy8EMNRVPkiL6p-0TgmVnnvQR3MfdGi34-mz4TRG4OVuwVpc_XF2U/s320/Print+Line+In+The+Dirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“I wanted to know why the defenders decided to stay in the
Alamo and fight, and if I, personally, would have had the courage to do the
same. I think most men wonder that.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was signing a book for a lady to take to her husband in
Florida and that was my reply when she asked how I became interested in the
Alamo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then tears came to her eyes as she said, “I understand. My husband is facing a similar decision in his
struggle against cancer and I am hoping this book helps convince him to fight
it”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had never considered it just that way, but now I
understand that many people believe the Alamo story is proof of the heroic nature of every
man, and that belief is inspiring courageous acts, all around us, every day. </span></div>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-81414993869789386362012-02-05T12:25:00.000-08:002012-02-05T12:25:42.522-08:00Who Really Saved Texas?<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Was it Jim Bowie?
After all, it was Bowie who decided to defend the Alamo, instead of
destroying it, as Sam Houston had ordered.
If Santa Anna’s advance had not been delayed for almost two weeks, would
Houston have had time to assemble an army to fight him. Without the words “Remember the Alamo”
burning in their souls, would the men at San Jacinto have fought as hard?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Was it William Barrett Travis? After all, it was Travis who kept the defenders
in the Alamo and prolonged the siege, when, on the second day, Bowie became too
ill to command. Why did Travis not lead
a strategic withdrawal while it was still possible to escape?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
Was it Sam Houston? After all, it was Houston who defied public
opinion and endured accusations of cowardice for weeks, while he ran from a
fight with Santa Anna, until he was sure he could win it. Why didn’t Houston try to negotiate with
Santa Anna, or keep running until he had more men or the United States joined
the fight?</span>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089635215846644645.post-42451277102449484902012-02-01T18:43:00.000-08:002012-02-05T12:26:29.504-08:00I Thought The Alamo Would Be Bigger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi416wKCxeqxh5wuatCCO0RaFxmHDNrYzB8Yz0Wr9XAuBGGxRYuuPhBuU-Ff3yvYuRhh3yf9fBR2ycYSuTNUM9Jl_2pkFslvV64o2ghWuZZk_DJVAWBi3XKSqd9XAFYE0gdf0dVZbfMDfe2/s1600/Book+Signing+at+the+Alamo+5_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi416wKCxeqxh5wuatCCO0RaFxmHDNrYzB8Yz0Wr9XAuBGGxRYuuPhBuU-Ff3yvYuRhh3yf9fBR2ycYSuTNUM9Jl_2pkFslvV64o2ghWuZZk_DJVAWBi3XKSqd9XAFYE0gdf0dVZbfMDfe2/s320/Book+Signing+at+the+Alamo+5_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Doing a lot of
book signings at the Alamo these days, I get many comments and questions like,
"Where are the restrooms". Seriously, comments about the small
size of the Alamo are what I hear most. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is understandable
because most people arrive with the expectation that the physical entity
will be as imposing as the legend, then they see the Alamo Chapel, which is
about the size of your local bank branch, and some are disappointed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A visitor
suggested a petition to require the State of Texas to buy up the land and
restore the entire, three acre, 1836, Mission de Valero. Though such a restoration would be exciting,
I think it would still fall short.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The fact is that
the Alamo adventure took place all over San Antonio, beginning a mile and a
half up Commerce Street from Alamo Plaza.
I believe an Alamo Trail, similar to the Mission Trail, is needed.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Dean Kirkpatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17389326825976526060noreply@blogger.com8