A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory

Randy Roberts · James S. Olson

Aug 2001 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

In late February and early March of 1836, the Mexican Army under the command of General Antonio López de Santa Anna besieged a small force of Anglo and Tejano rebels at a mission known as the Alamo. The defenders of the Alamo were in an impossible situation. They knew very little of the events taking place outside the mission walls. They did not have much of an understanding of Santa Anna or of his government in Mexico City. They sent out contradictory messages, they received contradictory communications, they moved blindly and planned in the dark. And in the dark early morning of March 6, they died.
In that brief, confusing, and deadly encounter, one of America's most potent symbols was born. The story of the last stand at the Alamo grew from a Texas rallying cry, to a national slogan, to a phenomenon of popular culture and presidential politics. Yet it has been a hotly contested symbol from the first. Questions remain about what really happened: Did William Travis really draw a line in the sand? Did Davy Crockett die fighting, surrounded by the bodies of two dozen of the enemy? And what of the participants' motives and purposes? Were the Texans justified in their rebellion? Were they sincere patriots making a last stand for freedom and liberty, or were they a ragtag collection of greedy men-on-the-make, washed-up politicians, and backwoods bullies, Americans bent on extending American slavery into a foreign land?
The full story of the Alamo -- from the weeks and months that led up to the fateful encounter to the movies and speeches that continue to remember it today -- is a quintessential story of America's past and a fascinating window into our collective memory. In A Line in the Sand, acclaimed historians Randy Roberts and James Olson use a wealth of archival sources, including the diary of José Enrique de la Peña, along with important and little-used Mexican documents, to retell the story of the Alamo for a new generation of Americans. They explain what happened from the perspective of all parties, not just Anglo and Mexican soldiers, but also Tejano allies and bystanders. They delve anew into the mysteries of Crockett's final hours and Travis's famous rhetoric. Finally, they show how preservationists, television and movie producers, historians, and politicians have become the Alamo's major interpreters. Walt Disney, John Wayne, and scores of journalists and cultural critics have used the Alamo to contest the very meaning of America, and thereby helped us all to "remember the Alamo."

Ratings and reviews

Your insight into the historical perspectives surrounding the making of the legend of Davy Crockett and the building of the story of the Alamo into an American inspiration are wonderful. While I had heard of the Disney involvement (I was aferall a young boy caught up in Crocket "movement" of the 50s and 60s), your insight into how Crocket was picked by Disney to iconify by process of elimination, and the Disney "made for TV trilogy" about Crocket that led to Crocket's deification burst a bubble that had held sway over my very belief system since my childhood. The history of how the Alamo crept up from Texas history into the national political and societal awareness due mostly to the work of Mrs. Driscoll, a well-known Texan (and Austinite here in our state's Capital) was inspiring. How it came to represent various forms of patriotism including the discussion of Hollywood's battle with political realities explained a part of history of which I was unfamiliar. I personally began a quest for understanding my genealogy over 30 years ago based on a visit to the Alamo that revealed the name of John E. Gaston amongst the dead heroes of the Mission. My mother's family, named Gaston, and my ggrandfather Gaston, who lived in Texas and came from Tennessee made me believe I must have been a relative of John E. Gaston (also of Tennessee,) so I set out to prove it. Alas, I have found many other interesting genealogy facts, but have not gotten any closer to a link between my Gastons and this hero of the Alamo. The book gives wonderful insight into another iconic man, John Wayne, his view of the world, his challenge and reasons for making a movie about the Alamo, and even the movie-making process. Thank you for writing this book. The movie history makes me want to go see the John Wayne movie once again, long as it may be. I just saw the other movie, "The Last Command" made by the studio in 1955, so it will be fun to compare to Wayne's film.

When one hears the words “Remember the Alamo”; what is it that one remembers? Is it the names of the men who gave their life’s defending the Alamo against Santa Anna’s army? Is it the epic John Wayne movie or the white washed Disney television series you watched when you were a child? Is it the idealistic version of the events that one learns in middle school? The answer, like most events of historical importance, is not quite so easy to ascertain. A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory illustrates the different arguments of how the Alamo affected both Texas and America, including how the Alamo has been remembered over the years.

About the author

Randy Roberts is professor of history at Purdue University and lives in Lafayette, Indiana.