"Three Roads to the Alamo" by William C. Davis, although really a triple biography of Crockett, Bowie, and Travis, not a book about the Alamo, contains my favorite account of the Battle of the Alamo. Prior to "Three Roads", it has been a long time since any new primary sources of any significance have come to light regarding the Alamo Battle.

Instead of being able to provide new information, previous accounts have had to concentrate on providing fresh interpretations and insight of well used primary sources. William C. Davis has located several previously unknown reports at the Military Archives in Mexico City (at least unknown to U.S. researchers). The information contained in these reports does not provide any startling new revelations. However, they do strengthen previous theories. For instance, there were probably as many as 250 Alamo defenders instead of the 182+ usually cited, and the Mexican cavalry killed a large percentage of the defenders as they tried to escape.

Davis gives the account of the Alamo siege and final assault in a straightforward manner, with copious notes. There are sure to be some who disagree with his interpretations and conclusions, and there are several questions I have myself, but there is no denying that Davis has done a great job of adding to the storehouse of Alamo knowledge.

All serious researchers of Texas history owe Davis a debt of gratitude for this alone. Hopefully, by obtaining access to the Mexican Military Archives, he has opened a door that will remain open for future historians. It is exciting to think that even more primary sources may become available in the future. So far, the archival material is not available to the general public.

However, in addition to the information he found in Mexico, Davis cites a diary that Kevin Young will soon be publishing in an upcoming issue of the Alamo Battlefield Association Journal. Hopefully, translations of all of the new material will be available to all Alamo researchers some time in the future.

Robert L. Durham