Subject: Compañía Volante
Name: Andres A. Tijerina
From: Austin, Texas
Date: 1997-02-01

I greatly enjoyed your page on the Compañía Volante. I live in Austin, and teach at UTSA where I teach about the Flying Squadron as part of my Texas History course. I would appreciate hearing from you or, if possible, visiting with you on our subject of mutual interest. You may want to read my chapter on the early Spanish roots of the Santa Hermandad in my Tejanos and Texas by A&M University Press (1994) available at most libraries or shopping mall bookstores. I have other information on the Flying Squadron which I would be glad to share or discuss.

Andres A. Tijerina kfaat00@tamuk.edu

Tejanos and Texas  Available in the Alamo de Parras Online Bookstore!

Subject: Remember the Alamo!
Name: David Folds
From: Nashville, TN
Date: 1997-02-03

I had recently visited your site. Very informative. I might suggest some biographies of some of the Alamo's heroes, maybe with pictures. I am a big David Crockett history buff, and there are many sites containing illustrations of Crockett, Bowie, the man from Kentucky who was the spitting image of Travis (the famous "Travis" portrait with "him" wearing a uniform with a star on the collar), as well as Santa Anna. I wouldn't want to claim to be an expert on the Alamo...it's too hot of a subject sometimes. But I may be able to put you in contact with some Alamo Society people who may be able to offer some info.

By the way, have you seen the CD Rom "The Alamo-Victory or Death" by Archimedia Interactive? They sell it at the Alamo. Awesome!

David Folds dfolds@bssb.com

Subject: Thank you!
Name: Ron Kuerner, Jr.
Date: 1997-02-17

Excellant website! Congratulations on dispelling so many Hollywood myths about one of our most stirring episodes in American history.

Ron Kuerner, Jr. rkuerner@neosoft.com

Subject: Web Site
Name: San Fernando Cathedral
From: San Antonio, Texas
Date: 1997-02-26

Thanks for the link to our web site. We worked hard to get our site going and think it is a good one. We appreciate any links that people can give us.

God bless you.

San Fernando Cathedral SFernandoC@aol.com

Subject: Alamo Website
Name: Andrew Johnson
From: Newland, North Carolina
Date: 1997-03-06

This is the best Alamo information page on the web. I have studied the Alamo and it's history for many years and this is the first place I have seen all the known facts printed correctly. I applaud all who contribute to and sponser this page. I am doing work and research now on the remains and burial spot of the defenders, if anyone has new information please send it to me!

Andrew Johnson

Check out the Newspaper Archives for a recently published article about the Alamo Heroe's remains.

In 1837, Juan N. Seguin gave a first hand account of the disposition of the Alamo heroes ashes. They were buried, not in the San Fernando Cathederal, but on the spot where they were found after receiving full military honors and church sacrements.

An archeologist with the University of Texas at San Antonio, theorizes that the remains were buried in an area that now comprises a large downtown mall. In other words, the ashes are probably land fill somewhere.

Subject: James Bowie
Date: 03/20/97
From: Robert L. Tarín , Jr.

Attached is something you can add to your Document category that I think would be of interest,
The marriage of James Bowie to Ursulla Veramendi
Another thing I will send you is the transcription/translation of a baptism entry that is often cited as being for James Bowie at San Fernando Cathedral. There is NO baptism record for James Bowie at San Fernando. The baptism in question is for a James ROSS. The way his last name is written in the entry is "Rox" and the handwriting has been mistaken to be "Buy" (Bowie). I did some further research years ago and found a census record for this James Ross which had his place of origin as South Carolina (the same place in the baptism) and the census date was either 1840 or 1850. I need to find this source again before sending you this document to post. The point being, all those historians who say Bowie was baptized at San Fernando.....are wrong!!!

Bowie was probably like the other colonists entering Texas and only had to swear to convert to Catholicism.

Robert L. Tarín , Jr.
San Antonio, Texas

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Subject: School Project
Date: 1997-03-31
From: Nancy Lozo nlozo@ICSI.Net

Hi. My patron has to build a model of the Alamo and needs to know the dimensions of the barracks/hospital/cattle pen area. Any suggestions on where to look? Thanks.

Nancy Lozo

I have attached two files that can be used to help determine the dimensions you need. The scanned image depicts what is referenced in the survey. This was obtained from the Bexar County Courthouse Spanish Archives.

Hope this helps!

Robert L. Tarín , Jr.

Survey for Samuel A. Maverick, 1849

Subject: 2nd Flying Co. of Alamo de Parras
Date: 04/01/97
From:: Charles S. Chitwood  Tusker97@aol.com

Caught your note about the 2nd Flying Co. of Alamo de Parras the other evening and am very interested in the information.

I am director of a new Texas history museum opening in Jefferson, Texas, and we have about 1,000 volumes of Texas history books - many rare, many first editions - almost all primary source or directly from.Until such time as we are open, I beg your pardon in not being able to share any data we may have in relation to the 2nd Flying Co., but look forward to learning what you have discovered.

Respectfully Yours,

Charles S. Chitwood

Mr. Chitwood found us on AOL in the Texas Revolution Forum. Hopefully we now have a convert to this Forum!

Subject: New Orleans Greys
Date: 04/10/97
From: Ron Kuerner, Jr.rkuerner@neosoft.com
What is the status of the negotiations with Mexico for the New Orleans Greys [flag] that flew over the Alamo?

Ron Kuerner, Jr.

There are, at present, no plans to get what is left of the New Orleans Greys flag back from Mexico. It was not so much that Gov. Bush backed out, but all of the people in the government who were reported to be working on it apparently had no idea they were. In short, someone was throwing around a lot of names with no real connection.

Mexico's response to the last flash about getting the flag back was to play pass the buck or in this case, flag. A reporter from Dallas spent a week calling various museums and agencies in Mexico City trying to find the flag. Everyone kept saying it was someplace else. There became a concern that the Mexicans have lost the flag, but anyone who has delt with the Mexican Government can tell you they haven't- it is just away of keeping the gringos going. And I can't blame them. We act like this flag is equal to a piece of the true cross and become very arrogrant about it. What amazes me is this notion that Mexico is some sort of bad guy because they have the flag. Well, I hate to tell you this, but they did win the battle of the Alamo! Several of their officers and soldados died capturing that flag. It is a trophy of war. I should also like to remind you that we have four of their flags captured at San Jacinto, including two that were also at the Alamo battle(battalion Matamoros and Toluca).

We have lots of Mexican flags from the 1846-48 war in public and private collections throughout the United States. And I hate to tell you this, but Mexico has alot of American and Texas flags as well! I notice no one is asking for the flag of Galveston Invincibles back. It was captured in the 1842 battle of Lipantítlan.

And in a final note-if we did get the flag back, what are we getting. The complete flag or a replica? The flag was not in very good shape when I saw it several years ago and the restoration done to it has probably made it a mix of 90% replica and 10% original. Keep in mind it was a silk flag, and thanks to revolutions and funding, did not get museum or archive care until the late 1960's.

As you know, I am about as Alamo sensitive as one gets. But this issue reminds me often of how one sided we view the story. I think the flag should remain in Mexican hands, and if the Mexican Government wants to return it, then in time, they will. That will then start the next go around of who should display it-the DRT at the Alamo or the State Archives in Austin.

Kevin R. Young kry1846@juno.com

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Subject: Unhappy visit
Date: 04/13/97
From: Mike Trzecinski mtrzecin@ix.netcom.com

I just returned from my latest visit to San Antonio and the Alamo. This probably was my saddest visit to the Shrine because of the lack of detail that I noticed in the chapel.

I noticed that Henry Warnell's name is listed on the plaque next to the volunteer's station. When we asked them why his name is listed [since he survived the attack], the answer we received was "everyone listed on the plaques died in the attack." When it was brought to their attention that the Barrack display also noted his survival, the response was even sterner.

It has always been my experience that the volunteers at the Alamo were knowledgeable about the facts of the history of both the mission and the battle. Obviously, we encountered a new employee.

Mike Trzecinski

First, the people who work at the Alamo do just that. They are paid employees, not volunteers. The chapel hostess, although a DRT member, is also a paid position. Tour guides, St. Thomas bless them, are just that. They are not historical interpretors. Some try, some don't.

Second, they get their marching orders from the Alamo Committee, appointed by the DRT Board of Managment.

Third, the documentation on Warnell is sketchy. Tom Lindley claims that the land claims are falsified. While I don't agree with Tom on everything, he is doing the only serious attempt at figuring out just who really died at the Alamo. There are a lot of names on those bronze plaques that probably should not be there. And there are a lot of names that should be and aren't. I personally believe that the Mexican accounts of 253-270 defenders may not be that far off. Time and good research will tell.

Fourth, why pick on the Alamo staff? While I certainly have problems with The lack of new research the DRT as a whole lacks, there are members who are trying, and one of them is the chapel hostess, Dorothy Black. Also, the Alamo has hired a professional historian for the first time. His is an uphill battle, but he's a good historian.

What about the errors on the cenotaph and the monument in Austin?

Fifth, why doesn't anybody ever complain that the poor dead soldados of the Mexican army don't even get a mention, let alone any research trying to figure out their names? The one sidedness of this battle by Alamo buffs and Texans is appalling. How would Southerners feel if there was no interpretation of their role at Gettysburg? Or how would the folks up North feel if there was no mention of them at Vicksburg? We interpret the British at Yorktown, Lexington and New Orleans.

I was in the Alamo Library one day and had to chuckle when some of the Dover family came in and wondered why his name was on the cenotaph but not on the bronze inside the "shrine." They pulled his file, read it and got very silent. Nice thing about the Alamo, if you do have concerns about the interpretation, or the "facts," you can always walk a few feet over to the DRT Library and dig for yourself. Half the joy of historical research is the research itself.

You have exhibited the first great rule in the bronze plaque business. The minute you put something up, it is either going to be considered wrong or someone is going to object. The interpretation of the Alamo is on going. There are lots of the traditional stories that are simply not standing up in the light of historical interpretation and new documentation. Revisionist-yes. But that is history. You can't change history, but you have to change the interpretation when new evidence arrives. I think a good step forward is the new Wall of History that the Alamo has put up between the barracks and the gift shop. It is a very good interpretation of the events of the Alamo history from 1718 to present tied in with national and world events.

Kevin R. Young

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Subject: Re: Unhappy Visit
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997
From: Mike Trzecinski

Kevin;

Thanks for your response concerning the employees at the Alamo. Your comments are true; however, possibly you missed the point that I was attempting to make.

Being in a sales professional, situations often arise where I cannot give the potential client the proper information that he or she is requesting at that moment. The proper way to handle that situation is to inform the client of my lack of knowledge and forward the proper information to them as soon as possible. In many cases, sales people will "wing" an answer or attempt to give the client "a line." The problem with this is that if the client is either testing you or finds out that the information is incorrect, your credibility is damaged.

In the case with the Alamo worker, the issue here is that in the museum, information has been made available by the DTR and the State Historical Society . If the person could not answer the question regarding the plaque, then the answer should have been, "I'm sorry, I don't know the proper answer, let me direct you to someone who may be able to help you." To continue with the litany of everyone name who is on the plaques died there, is inane and condescending to anyone who has an interest in that period in history. It doesn't matter whether it happens at the Alamo, Vicksburg, or Donner's Pass. History is best enjoyed when opinions can be shared and debated. I'm getting on a rant here so I better stop.

Anyway, I appreciate your comments and share in your beliefs regarding the Mexican casulties and the lack of recognition that they've received. I wonder how many of them were pressed into service from the surrounding area and where forced to engage in a battle that they didn't agree with? It would be interesting to see some research in that area. Maybe that's type of history will bring an entire new light on the Battle of the Alamo.

Mike Trzecinski

If you've read the Biographies section, you know several of the soldados from the Alamo de Parras company switched sides and fought for Texas. Pedro Herrera, Nepomuceno Navarro, Manuel Tarín(my great-great grand uncle) were at San Jacinto. José Toribio Losoya died at the Alamo.

It's possible that others (non-military) were pressed into service by the Mexican army, but probably in a more servile capacity. Antonio Fuentes, who died at the Alamo, was a prisoner at the Alamo at the time of the battle. He fought for Texas, but it was a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Most of the local populace high-tailed it to the hills when Santa Anna approached San Antonio. There were many brave Tejanos who were volunteers in service to Texas.

My second great grandfather, Juan María Tarín, Manuel's half-brother, lived on the property now occupied by the Menger Hotel, just a few yards from the Alamo chapel. I've often wondered where he was during all this. He was a farmer and apparently a non-combatant.

Randell Tarín

Subject: Germans in the Alamo battle 1836
Date: 04/17/97
From: Bernd Lorenz Walter Xchangeblw@aol.com

Dear Sirs,

We are just doing a short research about the Germans who were involved in the Alamo battle. If you have further information about them, we would be glad if you could provide us any information about it. Thank you very much!

Bernd Lorenz Walter

There probably isn't much more about the Germans in the Alamo that can't be found in Groneman's Alamo Defenders(although I hate to recommend that book.) The good news is that Jim Crisp is coming out with a complete addition to Herman Ehrenberg's, Texas un Siene Revolution, later this year.

Kevin R. Young

Subject: Archaeology and Random Thoughts
Date: 05/03/97
From: Michael Trzecinski

There has been talk and speculation that the State of Texas and the City of San Antonio may consider revamping Alamo Plaza to it's original state. It would seem that if this would be done, many business including the Federal Government would have to be uprooted. I've noticed the remnants of archaelogical work from the small excavation done in the southwest corner depicting the original wall.

I was wondering if any archaelogical work was done when the Post Office was built? It seems a shame that one of the key areas of the compound in regards to the battle has been lost to the Federal Government. I guess we should have had this discussion in 1936! I didn't see any significant artifacts in the museum from this area. I could only assume that either nothing remained or that at the constuction, no one cared.

Another question. Several years ago, there were signs posted around the area depicting the historical significance of where you were standing. I remember a few at the Post Office. For some reason they've been removed. Any reason why? Markers depicting significant areas such as the North Wall, the Palisade, and other areas would give visitors a better understanding of not only the size of the compound, but also a feel for the historical significance. All a person has to do is stand in the southwest corner and look at the chapel to the east and the Post Office to the north to get a real feel for the magnitude of the area attempting to be defended.

Finally, I didn't get a chance during my last visit to San Antonio to visit the area where the bodies were burned after the battle. Is there any memorial on this site or is it privately owned? Somewhere I read that part of the site was someone's front yard. Is this true?

Mike Trzecinski

To try and answer your questions:

No-the State of Texas did not consider revamping Alamo Plaza by the destruction of existing historical structures to replica the Alamo (in part) of 1836. A columnist in the with the San Antonio Express-News, the now ex-Mayor of San Antonio, a local living history group, and a Chicago based "historical" promoter wanted to: a Study Committee was established, meet for six months, made some recommendations and that was it. Here are the suggested proposals:

Both the Texas Historical Commission, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the National Park Service (as well as the National Trust) recommended no replication of historic structures and no removal of existing historical buildings.

It is hoped that if Howard Peak is elected mayor, he will re-assemble a study committee to work on historical improvements.

The current post office structure replaced and earlier Federal Building (1890's) which had a basement-so the ground went adios at that time. The 1936 building was larger than the old one, and more ground was lost. No archaeological dig, but did find human remains, which were probably Native Americans, which were moved to San Fernando #2. Remember-no State of Federal preservation laws at that time!

The only markers in the historical compound are the 1936 Alamo property line markers (still there) and the 1976 San Antonio Conservation Society Historical Walking Tour Markers (still there, but just to find the guide for them).

The Alamo Battlefield Association strongly recommended to the Alamo Plaza Study Committee the instillation of at least fifteen interpretive markers at various locations around the battlefield (this includes areas off the plaza that include Mexican Army locations). No action taken.

The bodies were burned at the old Alameda, between the present location of St. Joséph's Catholic Church and the Riverwalk Extension to the Rivercenter. The Alamo Battlefield Association along with the Alamo Defender Descendants Association and the Friends of Adina De Zavala replaced one of two 1917 markers which were marking the site until the buildings they were on were torn down when the Riverwalk was extend to the Hemisfair.

In 1848-49, Captains Richard A. Gillespie, 1st Texas Mounted Volunteers, killed at Monterey and Captain Samuel H. Walker, USMR killed in Huamantla, were reburied in this location. In 1857, they were moved to the new Odd Fellows Cemetery on Powder House Hill (up Commerce Street). One eyewitness reported that burnt human remains were found in the digging, and that these were part of the Alamo garrison remains buried by Seguin in 1837. These remains were moved with Walker and Gillespie to the new grave at the Odd Fellows Cemetery. In 1995, there was an attempt to move Walker to Waco, the Alamo Descendants and the Texas Rangers Association stopped it. We had a chance to go through the grave fill. There was some burnt ash. The archaelogicists had mixed opinion.

The restored marker is next to the Riverwalk bridge walkway leading from Rivercenter to the Convention Center on street level, pretty much across the street from the Rivercenter Commerce Street Parking Garage.

Kevin R. Young

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