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The Republic of Texas - The Texas Revolution
The Siege of Bexar
Image: Stephen F. Austin - Mexican units were garrisoned at the Alamo from 1803 until Texan forces laid siege to Bexar (present-day San Antonio) from mid-October until December 1835.
Originally the army in the field served under Stephen F. Austin, popularly elected as commander in chief. Success on the battlefield led to his demanding surrender of General Martin Perfecto de Cos, the Mexican commander and brother-in-law of President Santa Anna. The demand was refused in words echoing the later defiance by Travis: "he would defend the place until he died, if he had only ten men left with him-" By mid-November, however, Austin had been sent as one of three commissioners to the United States, charged with obtaining recognition and support from other governments. The army was running low on supplies, and the various commanders were divided in their desire to take Bexar. Edward Burleson proposed withdrawing to Goliad for the winter. However, new intelligence brought a change in plans and a decision to enter the town.
Mexican units were garrisoned at the Alamo from 1803 until Texan forces laid siege to Bexar (present-day SaAntonio) from mid-October until December 1835.
Image: Ben Milam - Benjamin R. Milam and Francis W. Johnson, with some 300 volunteers, entered Bexar before dawn on December 5, while Burleson and another 400 men scouted, protected the Texan supply line, and forced Cos to divide his forces between the town and the Alamo.
Milam was killed by a sniper bullet on December 7, but the conflict continued from house to house until December 9, when General Cos, at last, asked for surrender terms. The capitulation was signed on December 11, 1835. Cos and his men were allowed to return to Mexico with the understanding that none would return to fight against the Texans. The retreat effectively removed the last Mexican soldiers garrisoned in Texas. Most of the volunteers returned to their homes, convinced that the war was over. General Cos later was captured at the Battle of San Jacinto.
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First-hand account of the Siege of Bexar from the Republic Pension Application of Joseph Lopez
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Letter from Stephen F. Austin to James Bowie and James Fannin
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Ben Milam's Passport
Image: Edward Burleson
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Letter from Milam and Burleson to the president of the Provisional Government
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List of the Wounded During the Storm of Bexar, December 5-10, 1835
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Surrender terms signed by General Cos and General Burleson at San Antonio, December 11, 1835
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Map of the Siege of Bexar
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Republic of Texas Exhibit Home
Subject categories and links in this Republic of Texas online exhibit:
Prelude to War
The Republic of Texas
The Archives War
The Mier Expedition
Negotiating for Peace with Mexico
Republic of Texas Currency
See Also: Handbook of Texas article on the Republic of Texas