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Rich in history.
. . "The Battle of Medina" took place in 1813 on
the property that is now Alanna Heights.
(Texas History in a few words:)
"While San Antonio and the Alamo are considered
the "Cradle of Texas Liberty," Alanna Heights,
20 miles to the south in Atascosa County, was the scene of
one of the bloodiest battles ever to take place in the state
of Texas in the long quest for independence from Mexico.
At the time of the American Revolution in the late 1700's
and early 1800's, Texas was a state in Mexico. The capital
of Mexico was Mexico City, too far away to provide the services
and protections that were needed in Texas, which began to
experience tremendous population growth largely due, ironically,
to enticements from the Mexican government. Efforts to break
away from Mexico and develop a new country with its own government
were met with violence from both the Spanish and the French,
who at various times, controlled Mexico, and thus Texas.
The "Battle of Medina," which took place
in 1813 in the area now known as Alanna Heights, was one of
the skirmishes that resulted from that early conflict. Native
Americans, who had been converted to Catholicism by the Spanish
and given Spanish surnames, and who called themselves "Tejanos"
took on the French army and were slaughtered to a man in this
horrible conflict.
The bitter conflict continued for decades, with even greater
numbers of people moving to Texas and in need of a government
sensitive to their needs. In 1836, 20 miles north of what
is now Alanna Heights, 183 soldiers, primarily anglos who
had moved to Texas, took refuge from the approaching Mexican
army in a Spanish mission called the Alamo. For 13 days, legendary
personalities, including Davy Crocket, Jim Bowie, and William
Barrett Travis held off the Mexican army of 5000 soldiers
led by General Santa Ana. All 183 defenders of the
Alamo were slaughtered and their bodies burned in a funeral
pyre.
During those 13 days, Sam Houston was able to muster
an army in east Texas, near present day Houston. His "Texian"
army defeated Santa Ana at San Jacinto, which resulted in
Texas becoming an independent Republic for the next 10 years
and eventually being admitted to the Union in 1845."
Book recommendation: THE
GATES OF THE ALAMO is a really riveting novel that gives
very accurate information about the seige, the battle and
the circumstances surrounding and how it happened. The fall
of the shrine covers only about 5 pages, but the book provides
real insight into Texas history and the character of the
defenders.
The Gates of the Alamo Reviewed
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