Tough Tennessee Boys

I read a book that had a chapter devoted to how people react based on their heritage and what geographic area of the United States they were raised.  Basically, through several tests, it was determined that people from the North are quick tempered but get over a disagreement very quickly.  On the other hand, people from the South take a long, long time to get rattled, but once something has lit their fuse, it takes a long, long time to put the fire out.  I think this observation is correct.  I know firsthand from experience and have been the benefactor of someone from the South having a "slow lighting fuse".  In my pre-teen wisdom, I broke my Grandpa Montgomery's cigarettes into pieces and threw them away, thinking that this would discourage him from smoking and keep him healthier.  I did get grounded and punished, but my Grandpa Montgomery didn't say anything and continued to love and accept me through the years.  I personally never saw Grandpa Montgomery angry, but if studies are correct and he would have gotten angry, I may still be grounded today.

I believe that this Southern trait of "honor in action" played a huge role in a famous battle that began on this day in 1836.  On this day 175 years ago, Mexico's president, Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, concentrated forces south of the Rio Grande. Sam Houston, the commander of Texas's armies, ordered San Antonio abandoned, but troops under James Bowie and William B. Travis chose to remain. They were joined by the "Tennessee boys" led by Davy Crockett at the Alamo.

When Santa Anna's army reached San Antonio, Travis, in full command because Bowie had fallen ill, declared from within the Alamo, ""I shall never surrender or retreat."... victory or death." The latter increasingly became the more likely prospect. The Mexican force has been estimated at from 2,400 to over 5,000, the Alamo's defenders numbered only about 185, and Santa Anna declared he would show no mercy.

On March 6, after thirteen days of siege, the Mexicans stormed the citadel. It took three assaults and close combat to overcome the insurgents.  "Best estimates" of Mexican dead have ranged from six hundred to nearly sixteen hundred.  The battle gave the insurgents their martyrs and their battle cry. Shouting "Remember the Alamo!" Texans overwhelmed a Mexican force six weeks later at San Jacinto (April 21, 1836). There, Santa Anna was captured and independence won for the Texans.

So how does an army of 185 soldiers hold off an army with as many as 5000 for 13 days?  How did they kill up to 1600 Mexicans?  I would like to think that the good old boys from Tennessee, along with the Texans,  had "their fuses lit" and they were determined to fight for their beliefs no matter what the odds were.  Obviously, they fought like fierce warriors.  Obviously, they fought with "honor " that had been instilled within from generations past.

Well done Tennessee Volunteers!