Legends of the Alamo Trivia Quiz

Answer: It was a mission

Many think of the Alamo as a fort. In fact, the Alamo, like Goliad, was one of many Spanish missions built in the New World.

Answer: Remember Goliad

The battle cry "Remember the Alamo, remember Goliad," or "Rememeber the Alamo, remember La Bahia," was the Texan battle cry at San Jacinto where the Texas Revolution was won. The mission La Bahia at Goliad, Texas, was the place of one of Santa Anna's atrocities. Colonel Fannin surrendered his force of over 300 men. Santa Anna had Colonel Fannin and all of his men shot.

Answer: he was sick in bed

Jim Bowie was known to be gravely ill, and William Barrett Travis, with whom he shared the leadership at the Alamo, apparently took over before the actual Battle of the Alamo began. Hollywood legend has it that Bowie died fighting off the Mexican soldiers from his death-bed, but there is nothing but Jim Bowie's past history as a knife fighter and a "man's man" to support this. Mexican reports suggest that he was found in his sick bed and killed instantly.

Answer: attending a party

The Texans and the townspeople attended a "fandango," or party, celebrating George Washington's birthday.

Answer: They all fought to the death in the battle and died

The legend is that they all went down fighting. However, Mexican records show that a few prisoners were taken at the end of the battle-- and then executed by Santa Anna. The Texans did, however, sustain far fewer casualties than the Mexican Army. The Mexican victory was bought dearly by Santa Anna and their casulties were estimated to have been over a thousand, compared to the 180 or so lost on the Texan side.

The battle did in fact commence just before dawn-- a favorite tactic of Santa Anna. Their personal weapons were in general superior, as many of the Alamo defenders carried their frontier rifles rather than the muskets borne by the Mexican soldados. And those Texans were dead shots!

Answer: no one knows for sure

No one knows for sure. It is possible that the Texans would have flown the 1824 Mexican flag: one cause of the revolution was Santa Ana's rejection of the Mexican Constitution of 1824, which Texans generally supported. It is also quite possible that the famous "Come and Take it" flag, depicting the cannon that was fought over at Gonzales, was brought to the Alamo.

The Lone Star Flag as we know it today was certainly not there. Despite the possibilities, no one knows what flag, if any, the Texans flew at the Alamo. We do know, however, that within sight of the Alamo, the Mexicans flew the blood-red banner of "no quarter" becaues Colonel Travis noted this in his letters from the Alamo.

Answer: he was a hard drinker

William Barrett Travis was young, liked his women, and was a lawyer. But he was not known to drink and he criticized Jim Bowie's drinking. Perhaps this was because Travis was a Baptist.

Answer: William Barrett Travis

William Barrett Travis wrote this stirring letter, seeking reinforcements. It was taken by Albert Martin to the nearby town of Gonzales, copied, and distributed. It was soon reprinted posthumously (often with errors or revised) in newspapers around the world after the Battle of the Alamo, and may have had a great deal to do with the fame of the Alamo.

The letter still exists today, and is kept at the state archives in Austin, Texas.

Answer: the heroes of the American Revolution

The men at the Alamo were a diverse lot in terms of age, geographic origins, political affiliation, and so on, but on the whole, they were Anglo-American in their world-view. The Civil War had not happend yet. The War of 1812 would be a good second choice, but the heroes of the day were the heroes of the American Revolution.

Many of the incidents, attitudes, slogans, and tactics of the Texas Revolution were much like those of the American Revolution. The first battle of the Texas Revolution, at Gonzales, Texas, was often called "The Lexington of Texas." The Mexican General, Santa Ana, apparently took Napolean as his role model because he liked to be known as "the Napoleon of the West."

Answer: Albert Martin

Sam Houston was not at the Alamo. Juan Seguin left to take a message for reinforcements to Colonel Fannin at Goliad, but was detained from returning by Sam Houston. Launcelot Smither was sent to deliver a letter seeking supplies and reinforcements to the nearby town of Gonzales on the first day and did not return.

The correct answer is Albert Martin. Albert Martin left the Alamo to deliver another letter to Gonzales and returned, bringing 32 volunteers as reinforcements from that town.