This week marks the 181st anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo, the 13-day struggle for Texas independence from Mexico that ended in defeat for the Texians. Two months later, Texas would defeat the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto to ultimately end the revolution and secure Texas independence. This year's anniversary comes as Texas lawmakers consider a funding package for a major renovation project of the historical Alamo site.
Despite the defeat, the significance of the battles at Goliad and the Alamo remains important in the Texas Revolution. "The plan was to hold the enemy on the southern frontier, do not allow the Mexicans to penetrate into the heart of the Texian settlements," says Dr. Stephen Hardin from McMurry University, a noted Texas and Alamo historian. He tells KTRH there are a lot of facts about the Alamo that aren't common knowledge even to this day. "The Alamo had the highest concentration of artillery pieces west of the Mississippi River, and the Texians really wanted to keep their hands on all of those cannons."
As the current push to renovate and preserve the Alamo continues, Dr. Hardin believes preservation of the Texas historical story should include far more than just the Battle of the Alamo. "Not just the '13 days to glory'---that's critically important---but, the Spanish colonial period is important, and the Civil War, that's important too," he says.