What Famous People Died at the Alamo?

David “Davy” Crockett, James Bowie and William B. Travis are a few of the famous people who died at the Alamo. They perished while defending the Alamo Mission against Mexican troops during the Texas Revolution.

Frontiersman Crockett, known for his coonskin cap, had been a U.S. Congressman. Fighter and frontiersman Bowie initially became famous for a knife fight; the Bowie knife is named for him. Travis was a lawyer and lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army.

The Battle of the Alamo lasted for 13 days, culminating in an assault on the Alamo Mission on March 6, 1836. Crockett, Bowie and Travis were stationed at the Mission, and though Travis repeatedly requested more troops and supplies to help in their fight, very few arrived to help fend off the estimated 1,500 encroaching Mexicans who swarmed the Mission, killing all Texan fighters.

The Battle of the Alamo proved a turning point in the Texas Revolution. Mexican General Santa Anna ordered the execution of all survivors, and news of his barbarism toward those at the Alamo caused many people to join the Texan Army. With the battle cry of “Remember the Alamo,” Texan forces defeated the Mexican Army on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution.

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