List of Texian survivors of the Battle of the Alamo facts for kids
The Battle of the Alamo ended early on March 6, 1836. Out of nearly 260 Texians defending the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas, fewer than fifty were still alive. This fight was a key part of the Texas Revolution. It was the first step in Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna's plan to take back the province of Texas. Texian settlers, native "Tejanos," and adventurers from the United States had forced all Mexican troops out the year before.
Santa Anna led his army to San Antonio de Bexar. They arrived on February 23, 1836. Immediately, they began a siege of the Alamo, where Texian Army troops were staying. As the Mexican Army got close to San Antonio, some Alamo defenders brought their families inside the Alamo for safety. During the twelve days of the siege, Alamo co-commander William Barret Travis sent many messengers. He asked the Texas government, the rest of the Texas army under James Fannin, and other Texas towns for help. He needed more soldiers, food, and bullets.
The siege ended with a morning attack by Mexican troops. Almost all the defenders died. Some stories say that a few Texians gave up. But they were quickly killed on Santa Anna's orders. Only two Texians who fought survived. Travis's slave, Joe, was thought to be a non-fighter by the Mexican soldiers. Brigido Guerrero had left the Mexican Army months before. He convinced the Mexican soldiers that the Texians had captured him. Alamo co-commander James Bowie's freedman, Sam, was also spared. It is not known if Sam fought in the battle.
During the battle, most women and children gathered in the church's sacristy. Mexican soldiers entered the room. A boy, believed to be the son of defender Anthony Wolf, stood up to fix a blanket. The Mexican soldiers thought he was a Texian soldier and attacked him with a bayonet. In the confusion, at least one woman was slightly hurt. Bowie's family, including Gertrudis Navarro, Juana Navarro Alsbury, and her son, hid in a room along the west wall. Navarro opened their door to show they meant no harm. A Mexican officer soon arrived. He led the women to a safer spot along a wall. All the women and children were later put under an officer's protection. They were escorted out of the Alamo and held in the Musquiz family's home.
On March 7, Santa Anna spoke with each survivor alone. He was impressed with Susanna Dickinson. She was the young widow of Alamo artillery captain Almaron Dickinson. He offered to adopt her baby daughter Angelina Dickinson. He wanted to have the child educated in Mexico City. Susanna Dickinson said no. This offer was not made to Juana Navarro Alsbury for her son, who was about the same age.
Santa Anna ordered that the Tejano civilian survivors could go back to their homes in San Antonio. Dickinson and Joe were allowed to travel towards the Anglo settlements. They were escorted by Ben, a former slave from the United States. Ben worked as Mexican Colonel Juan Almonte's cook. Each woman received two dollars and a blanket. They were allowed to go free. Their job was to spread the news of the destruction that would happen to those who fought the Mexican government. Before letting Joe go, Santa Anna ordered his army to have a big parade. He hoped Joe and Dickinson would warn the remaining Texian forces that his army could not be beaten.
When the small group of survivors reached Gonzales on March 13, they found Sam Houston there. Houston was the commander of all Texian forces. He had about 400 men. After Dickinson and Joe told them about the battle and Santa Anna's strong army, Houston told all civilians to leave. Then he ordered his army to retreat. This was the start of the Runaway Scrape. Many people in Texas, including the government, rushed east to escape the advancing Mexican Army.
Who Survived the Alamo?
| Name | Role at the Alamo | Born–Died | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| James L. Allen | Soldier | 1815–1901 | Allen left the Alamo on March 5. He was the last messenger to leave. |
| Horace Alsbury | Soldier | 1805–1847 | When Mexican troops arrived on February 23, Travis sent Alsbury as the first messenger. His wife Juana was inside the fort. She later told John Salmon Ford what she saw during the battle. |
| Juana Navarro Alsbury | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1808–1888 | Alsbury came into the Alamo for safety. Her cousin-in-law James Bowie invited her after her husband, Horace Alsbury, went on a scouting trip for the Texian Army. |
| Jose Maria Arocha | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Simon Arreola | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Jesse B. Badgett | — | 1807–1858 | He and Samuel A. Maverick were chosen on February 5 to represent the Alamo defenders. They went to the Convention of 1836 which started on March 1. |
| Andrew Barcena | Soldier | – | Also known as Andres Barcinas. He and Anselmo Bergara were part of Seguín's group. They were the first to tell Houston's camp in Gonzales about the Alamo's fall on March 11. Houston thought they were Mexican spies and arrested them. But Barcena later fought with Seguín at the Battle of San Jacinto. |
| Samuel G. Bastain | — | — | Bastain left on February 29 as a messenger. He stressed the need for help from Gonzales. He joined the reinforcements on the way back. They could not get back into the Alamo. |
| John Walker Baylor, Jr. | Soldier | 1813–1836 | His family said Baylor left the Alamo as a messenger, probably on February 25. He died from injuries he got at the Battle of San Jacinto. |
| Anselmo Bergara | Soldier | 1778– | He and Andrew Barcena were part of Seguín's group. Bergara and Barcena were supposedly sent to warn Houston about the Alamo's upcoming fall. They arrived at Houston's camp in Gonzales on March 11. Bergara later fought with Seguín's cavalry. |
| Bettie | Civilian (non-fighter) | – | Bettie was a black cook for the soldiers. When Mexican troops entered the kitchens, Charlie grabbed a young Mexican officer. He threatened to kill him unless the soldiers spared his life and Bettie's. |
| Robert Brown | Soldier | ~1818– | Brown left as a messenger after February 25. |
| Cesario Carmona | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| María de Jesús Castro also known as María de Jesús Esparza |
Civilian (non-fighter) | 1826–1899 | Castro was the stepdaughter of defender Gregorio Esparza. |
| Charlie | Slave | – | When Mexican troops entered the kitchens, Charlie grabbed a young Mexican officer. He threatened to kill him unless the soldiers spared his life and Bettie's. |
| Antonio Cruz y Arocha | Soldier | – | On February 25, Cruz went with Juan Seguin to get more soldiers. |
| Matias Curvier | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Alexandro De La Garza | Soldier | – | He left as a messenger. |
| Francis L. Desauque | Soldier | ?–1836 | Desaque left Bexar around February 22 to get supplies for the soldiers. He died in the Goliad massacre. |
| Angelina Dickinson | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1834–1869 | Dickinson was the daughter of defender Almaron Dickinson and his wife Susanna Dickinson. After the battle, Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna offered to adopt her. But Susanna Dickinson refused to give up her child. |
| Susanna Dickinson | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1814–1883 | Dickinson was the wife of defender Almaron Dickinson. After the battle, Santa Anna sent Dickinson and William Barret Travis's slave Joe to Gonzales. They were to warn the Texian settlers about the dangers of fighting Santa Anna. |
| Philip Dimmitt | Captain of soldiers | 1801–1841 | Dimmitt left the Alamo on February 23 to gather more soldiers. He was captured by a Mexican group in 1841 and died. |
| Lucio Enriques | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Ana Salazar Esparza | Civilian (non-fighter) | ?–1847 | Esparza was the wife of defender Gregorio Esparza. She was the mother of Maria de Jesus Castro and Enrique, Francisco, and Manuel Esparza. After the battle, she and her children were allowed to go back to their home in San Antonio. |
| Enrique Esparza | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1828–1917 | Esparza was the son of defender Gregorio Esparza and Ana Salazar Esparza. |
| Francisco Esparza | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1833–1887 | Esparza was the son of defender Gregorio Esparza and Ana Salazar Esparza. |
| Manuel Esparza | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1830–1886 | Esparza was the son of defender Gregorio Esparza and Ana Salazar Esparza. |
| Manuel N. Flores | Soldier | 1799–1867 | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Salvador Flores | Soldier | 1806–1855 | Flores left with Seguín on February 25. During the Runaway Scrape, he helped lead part of Seguín's group in protecting families who were fleeing. |
| Petra Gonzales | Civilian (non-fighter) | – | Gonzales might have been an older relative of Ana Salazar Esparza. |
| Ignacio Gurrea | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Brigido Guerrero | Soldier | ~1810– | Guerrero had left the Mexican Army to join the Texians in December 1835. When he realized the Texians would lose at the Alamo, he locked himself in a cell. He convinced the Mexican Army that the Texians had taken him prisoner. |
| Pedro Herrera | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Benjamin Franklin Highsmith | Soldier | 1817–1905 | Left as a messenger, probably just before the siege began. He tried to return to the fort on March 5, but Mexican soldiers chased him away. |
| Joe | Slave of William B. Travis | 1813/1815– | When the battle started, Joe fought with Travis. After Travis died, Joe hid in the chapel. Mexican soldiers thought he was a non-fighter. |
| John Johnson | Soldier | 1800 | Sent as a messenger on February 23. |
| William Johnson | Soldier | — | |
| Byrd Lockhart | Soldier | 1782–1839 | On February 23, Lockhart and Andrew Jackson Sowell were looking for supplies when the Mexican Army arrived. Fearing they could not get back into the Alamo, they went to Gonzales. |
| Concepcion Losoya | Civilian (non-fighter) | – | Losoya was either the sister or mother of Juana Melton. Juana was the wife of Alamo quartermaster Eliel Melton. Concepcion might also be the mother of defender Toribio Losoya. |
| Juan Losoya | Civilian (non-fighter) | Losoya was the son of Concepcion Losoya. | |
| Samuel Maverick | Soldier and delegate | 1803–1870 | Chosen as a delegate from the Alamo on February 1 for the March independence meeting. He left the Alamo on March 2. |
| Juana Melton | Civilian (non-fighter) | Melton was the wife of Alamo quartermaster Eliel Melton. She was either the sister or daughter of Concepcion Losoya. | |
| Antonio Menchaca | Soldier | 1800–1879 | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Gerald Navan | Soldier | — | Sent as a messenger on March 3. |
| Gertrudis Navarro | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1816–1895 | Navarro was the sister of Juana Navarro Alsbury. She came into the Alamo for safety. Her cousin-in-law James Bowie invited her. |
| Benjamin F. Nobles | Soldier | – | Nobles left the Alamo with Dimitt on February 23. |
| William Sanders Oury | Soldier | 1817–1887 | Oury left the Alamo as a messenger on February 29. |
| Jose Sebastian de Jesus Pacheco "Luciano" | Soldier | 1819–1898 | "Luciano" was recognized for his service in the Texas Revolution on February 27, 1875. Juan Seguin signed a paper on February 6, 1875, saying Luciano was part of Seguin's group. He entered the Alamo with Seguin and Jim Bowie. Luciano was sent by Seguin and William Travis to get a trunk from Seguin's ranch. When he returned, he could not get back into the Alamo because of Mexican patrols. Luciano was one of the last three surviving Alamo veterans when he died in Graytown, Texas, on August 25, 1898. |
| William Hester Patton | Captain of soldiers | 1808– | Patton left the Alamo, likely as a messenger. |
| Alijo Perez Jr. | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1835–1918 | Perez entered the Alamo with his mother, Juana Navarro Alsbury. Perez was probably the last living survivor of the Alamo. |
| Eduardo Ramirez | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Ambrosio Rodriguez | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| Victoriana de Salina and three children | Civilian (non-fighter) | – | Three daughters came with her into the Alamo. Their names and ages are not known. |
| Moses Rose | Soldier | 1780s [?]— 1850/1851[?] | Allowed to leave the Alamo on March 5, 1836. |
| Sam | Slave of James Bowie | – | Sam was spared because he was a slave. Historian Walter Lord thought Sam did not exist. He believed people meant Ben, a former slave who cooked for Mexican Colonel Juan Almonte. Ben later guided Susanna Dickinson from San Antonio. Thomas Ricks Lindley thought Sam was actually a servant at the Veramendi home. James Bowie, Juana Navarro Alsbury, and Gertrudis Navarro lived there. |
| Trinidad Saucedo | Civilian (non-fighter) | 1809– | Saucedo may have come with Juana Navarro Alsbury into the Alamo. She left during a three-day truce. |
| Juan Seguin | Captain of cavalry | 1806–1890 | Seguin left on February 25 to find more soldiers. He met a Mexican patrol. He pretended to be a Mexican Army officer. When he got close to the soldiers, he made his horse run fast. He used his knowledge of the land to escape. |
| Silvero | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
| John William Smith | Scout | 1792–1845 | Smith first left the Alamo on February 23 with one of Travis's first calls for help. On March 1, he guided 32 soldiers from Gonzales into the Alamo. He left again on March 3 with another message from Travis. He was returning to San Antonio with 25 more soldiers when the Alamo fell. |
| Launcelot Smither | Soldier | 1800–1842 | Left on February 23, possibly as an official messenger. He was later killed by members of Mexican General Adrián Woll's force. |
| Andrew Jackson Sowell | Soldier | 1815–1883 | On February 23, Sowell and Boyd Lockhart were looking for supplies when the Mexican Army arrived. Fearing they could not get back into the Alamo, they went to Gonzales. |
| John Sutherland, Jr. | Soldier | 1792–1867 | Historians disagree if Sutherland was ever at the Alamo. If he was, he left as a messenger on February 23. |
| Henry Warnell | Soldier | 1812–1836 | Historians disagree if Warnell was at the Alamo. Those who believe he was think he either escaped during the battle on March 6 or left as a messenger. Warnell died in Port Lavaca, Texas from wounds he got either during the final battle or during his escape as a messenger. |
| Vicente Zepeda | Soldier | — | Part of Juan Seguin's group of volunteers. |
See also
