The McArdle Scrapbooks > Dawn at the Alamo

The McArdle Scrapbooks Dawn at the Alamo

Reuben M. Potter to McArdle, August 13, 1874

Page 4 of 16

Potter's account of the siege

martyrdom a triumph. Under that view the Alamo

surpasses San Jacinto in glory, as much as Ther-

mopylae did Marathon; and it would be unjust to

take from either Leonidas or Travis the soldier's high-

est honor. The flag which goes down only with its last

defender is more sacred than it would have been,

had it kept its place, with only one defender sur-

viving. I would therefore advise you to not con-

vert the fall of the Alamo into a Texas victory.

Before I say anything about idealizing the histor-

ic scene, I wish to give some information about mat-

erial objects which may claim a place on your

canvas. Hereto I append for reference, a programe

of the ground plot, copied, with some modification from

my pamphlet entitled the fall of the Alamo, which

was published in 1860. In that narrative I found some

descriptive errors which subsequent information, obtain-

ed mostly from Col. Segeoin [sic], enabled me to correct. He

was in the garrison up to a week before its extinction,

when he was sent out by Travis on a mission for

help; and he was consequently well acquainted with

the fort & its capture. I stated in my pamphlet

that cannon were planted in the windows of the

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Reuben M. Potter to McArdle, August 13, 1874, The McArdle Notebooks, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.