In 1836, General Santa Anna and the Mexican Army is sweeping across Texas. To be able to stop him, General Sam Houston needs time to get his main force into shape. To buy that time he orders Colonel William Travis to defend a small mission on the Mexicans' route at all costs. Travis' small troop is swelled by groups accompanying Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, but as the situation becomes ever more desperate Travis makes it clear there will be no shame if they leave while they can.
Written by
Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
Plot Synopsis:
-------------------

In February 1836, Texas is part of Mexico, and most of the English and Spanish speaking settlers of that region are discontent with the tyrannical rule of Gen. Santa Anna. General Sam Houston (Richard Boone) arrives in a small town with several men where he hastens to assemble a Texan army. At the same time, Santa Anna is heading north with several thousand soldiers to defeat the rebellion. To gain more time, Houston orders Col. William Barret Travis (Laurence Harvey) to take command of the Alamo, a fort in a crumbling mission near the village of San Antonio de Bexar, through which Santa Anna's men must pass. Houston hopes that Travis and his 27 "regular" army men will stall the enemy for as long as possible with the assistance of rancher Col. James Bowie (Richard Widmark) and his 100 Texas volunteers. The hard-drinking and independent Bowie, who has extensive landholdings to protect, and the aristocratic and arrogant Travis are a poorly matched team and antagonism between the two officers quickly grows.

Although Juan Seguin (Joseph Calleia), a respected community leader, reports that Santa Anna is closer than they realize, Travis refutes the information and repeatedly lies to the men about the danger of their situation. Believing that most men have no capacity to act for reasons of honor, Travis tells his confidant, Capt. Almeron Dickinson (Ken Curtis), that the men would desert their posts if they knew the truth.

Meanwhile, Colonel David Crockett (John Wayne), a former U.S. Senator, and his rowdy, but loyal 32-strong Tennessee backwoods sharpshooters, arrive in Bexar and head straight for the cantina. Travis seeks out "Davy", and is surprised to learn that the reputed "illiterate country bumpkin" is an eloquent, deep thinker and is sensitive to the Texans' plight. Aware that Santa Anna's regime forbids Texans economic rights, Davy has also guessed the unpublicized plans to create a Republic of Texas. Unknown to his men, who think they are out for adventure, Davy has brought them to Bexar to investigate the situation and possibly convince them to join the fight.

Crockett soon falls in love with Flaca (Linda Cristal), a young Mexican woman whose family was killed by Santa Anna and who is being pressured to marry Emil Sande (Wesley Lau), a local merchant who has curried favor with the Mexican general. Although she refuses Davy Crockett's gallant offer of help, she tells him about the cache of ammunition Emil has hidden for Santa Anna in the basement of the village church. During the night Crockett, Bowie and their men find the supplies. When Emil discovers Davy and the others and tries to kill them, Davy throws Bowie's knife at Emil, killing him.

Crockett and Flaca enjoy a brief romance, but he soon sends her north to safety, realizing they may never see each other again. Travis keeps up the morale in the fort by reporting that Captain Jim Fannin is on his way to the Alamo with more soldiers. Believing that staying cornered inside the fort is suicide, Bowie unsuccessfully tries to convince both Travis and, later, Davy that the best way to defend the Alamo is by a "cut, slash and run" approach out in the open. Davy Crockett convinces his men to fight for the Alamo by reading them a letter, purportedly written by Santa Anna, ordering the Tennesseeans to leave. Offended, the men stubbornly refuse to take orders from the Mexican general and vow to stay, after which Davy admits that he wrote the letter himself, but it is what Santa Anna would want.

A detachment of Mexican soldiers arrive at San Antonio and a courier from Santa Anna arrives outside the Alamo fort, and from there, proclaims a message ordering the "occupiers" of the fort to relinquish all ammunition and leave. Before the courier can finish the message, Travis uses his glowing cigar to light the cannon. Startled by the cannon fire, the Mexican halts his reading and retreats in a dignified manner. Dryly, Bowie comments to Davy that Travis "knows the short way to start a war."

Over the next few days, Mexican soldiers are taking positions in front of the fort. Travis predicts that fighting will not begin until Santa Anna himself, the Mexican heavy artillery and food wagons arrive, which will take several days. Believing the situation is hopeless, Bowie decides to leave with his men. However, when Captain James Butler Bonham (Patrick Wayne) arrives from another camp, reporting that Fannin is coming with one thousand men, Bowie decides to stay, unaware that Bonham has been ordered by Travis to lie about the number of men accompanying Fannin. In private, Bonham reports to Travis that only less then 500 men are expected. A quarrel between Bowie and Travis escalates into plans for a duel after Bowie takes his men out on patrol without Travis' permission, but Crockett convinces them to postpone their confrontation until after the war.

Confronted by Crockett, Travis admits that his orders are simply to buy time for Houston. Believing that the mission is worthwhile and knowing that Bowie plans to leave with his men in the morning, Davy gets him drunk, causing him to sleep late. The next day, Seguin sneaks into the fort with a few dozen more men, bolstering morale and boosting the Alamo garrison from 150 to 185 men.

One night, when a message is delivered directly to Bowie, bypassing Travis, the commander accuses Bowie of more insubordination. However, Travis apologizes after he learns that the message reports the death of Bowie's wife.

When the doctor reports low rations and an outbreak of dysentery caused by tainted water, Travis orders a night-time raid of the Mexicans, from whom they rustle several steer. They also steal a good horse for a young teenage soldier, Smitty (Frankie Avalon), one of Crockett's men, to ride to Houston's encampment to report their situation.

On Day 10 of the siege, Santa Anna arrives with the main body of his army (numbering at least 2,000 men), he sends his messenger forward to allow the evacuation of the women and children. Most of the women and children leave, but Mrs. Dickinson (Aissa Wayne) insists that she and her young child will stay. After the rest of the noncombatants are safely away, the shooting commences. The Mexicans launch a full frontal assault on the south side of the Alamo.

During the battle, the first Alamo casualty is Davy's friend Parson (Hank Worden), who is wounded by artillery fire. Before he dies, he inspires Davy Crockett to pray that his men are successful, and if not, will be remembered as good men. In the face of devastating fire, Santa Anna orders a retreat. At the end of the battle, the Alamo men have shot many of the Mexicans leaving hundreds of casualties in front of the fortress, but they suffer 50 casualties, twenty-eight of whom are dead. Bowie is wounded in his right leg by shellfire, but he still can fight.

After the battle, men also receive news from Captain Bonham that Fannin's company was ambushed and routed, and consequently no further help will be coming. When Crockett expresses a desire to leave, Travis speaks truthfully to the men, telling them that they will not be able to hold the fort for long, but they have given Houston 10 extra days to prepare for Santa Anna. Giving his blessing, Travis opens the gate and claims there is no dishonor in leaving. Crockett and Bowie begin to lead their men out, but then Bowie gets off his horse and stands next to Travis. The others follow suit and soon all decide to persevere.

The next day, Smitty delivers his written message to Houston at his camp and immediately rides away, anxious to return to his comrades, refuses both food and sleep. Upon reading the message, Houston, who is helpless to assist Travis, hopes that their sacrifice will be remembered.

At the Alamo, the sleepless men talk about their belief in the hereafter. Bowie frees his aged slave Jethro (Jester Hairson) and urges him to sneak out and make his way north, but Jethro chooses to stay.

On the morning of Day 13 of the siege, the entire Mexican army surrounds the Alamo for a determined final assault. Santa Anna and his staff officers take position atop a small hill to observe the battle as the entire 2,000-strong Mexican army attacks from all sides. The Texans fire back and inflict many more casualties on the attacking Mexican soldiers. During the final battle, Bowie is shot in his right leg again and taken to the infirmary, while Crockett and his men hold the south side of the fortress.

Just then, Mexican artillery begins to take its toll among the defenders and cannon fire breaches the north wall, allowing hundreds of Mexican soldiers to enter the fortress. Travis takes on several Mexican troops until he his shot and killed. As Mexican soldiers and engineers breach the west wall with ladders, they manage to push the Texans back despite suffering horrendous casualties. The Mexicans also use captured Texan cannons to breach each position of the Texans one by one, sparing none of them.

Seeing the breach in the north wall and despite the futility of the defense, Crockett orders a barricade thrown up in front of the Alamo church itself as he and the few surviving defenders are forced back. The Mexicans quickly overwhelm the Texans with their sheer numbers and breach all barricades. The Alamo defenders fight to the last man, with the Mexicans taking no prisoners. Davy Crockett is fatally stabbed with a Mexican lance by the dismounted soldier, whom he manages to kill. Before dying, Crockett sets fire to the ammunition to prevent the Mexicans from taking it. Near the end of the battle, Mexican soldiers entering the infirmary are shot by Bowie as he fires guns with both hands. Jethro throws himself over his former master to protect him, but both are slaughtered. Only Mrs. Dickinson, her child and a young black boy survive.

In the final scene, the Mexicans have won the battle. Mrs. Dickinson, her young daughter and the slave boy are given a burro and allowed to leave without harm by Santa Anna. Smitty arrives, but from a distance he sees that he is too late to help. As Mrs. Dickinson walks away, Santa Anna orders his buglers to single a rise to call as all the Mexican soldiers stand at attention to salute the fallen Alamo defenders and allow Mrs. Dickinson to walk away. She soon joins Smitty in the distance and they walk away from the battle to tell the tale of the Alamo.

The End

0