The McArdle Scrapbooks > Dawn at the Alamo
The McArdle Scrapbooks Dawn at the Alamo
Reuben M. Potter to McArdle, August 13, 1874
Page 8 of 16
6.
of the Alamo, though, as there was among them a rem-
nant of the New Orlns Greys, there were possibly in the
garridon a few specimens of the dress of that company;
and, as, it had a gallant record in the previous camp-
aign, it would be a just commemoration to ideal-
ize one or more soiled figures in plain grey jackets,
trousers, and forage caps. The costume of the motly
band no doubt consisted if every variety of non-
uniform, from the buckskin hunting shirt & blanket
coat, to the rags of the loafer, with, here and there, a
remnant of shabby gentility. When heads appeared
above the parapet they may have shown coon
skin caps & handkerchiefed palls among fragmentary hats; and, if your
plano should admit of exposing many of those figures
to sight and shot, they could be made as picturesqe
as brigands. Travis, if dressed as Lieut Col. of his
nominal cavalry corps, would have worn a short
grey swallow tail, pantaloons, & forage cap, with
facings, stripes, & band of black. I doubt if he had
obtained such a uniform; but if you think proper
to idealize his costume, that would be the most appropriate
to give him.
The Mexican flag you of course know; but I do
not recollect whether the red or green stripe is placed
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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.