Four Columns were chosen for the attack.  A battalion from Aldama and three companies from San Luis under General Cos would move against the western front which faced the city.  The second was a battalion under the command of Colonel Duque and three other companies from San Luis.  Dugue would charge the north front.  These two columns had a total strength of 700 men.  The third commanded by Colonel Romero was to attack the east front.  It was made of two companies, one from Matamoros and one of the Jimenez battalions.  It came up to only 300 men as the east was the strongest.  It was higher and had more canons.  Four more companies made up the reserves.

    Beginning at one o’clock in the morning of the 6^th, the columns were set in motion, and at three they silently advanced toward the river, which they cross marching two abreast over some narrow wooden bridges.  Silence was ordered and smoking was prohibited.  The moon was up but the density of the clouds that covered it allowed only an opaque light in our direction, seeming thus to contribute to our designs.  Light began to appear on the horizon, the beautiful dawn would soon let herself be seen behind her golden curtain; a bugle call to attention was the agreed signal and soon we heard that terrible bugle call of death.”

    “The columns advanced with as much speed as possible; shortly after beginning the march they were ordered to open fire while they were still out of range, but there were some officers who disregarded the signal.  Alerted to our attack by the given signal, which all columns answered, the enemy vigorously returned our fire which had not even touched him but had retarded our advance.  Travis to compensate for the reduced number of defenders had placed three or four rifles by the side of each man, so that the initial fire was very rapid and deadly.  Our columns left along theory path a wide trail of blood, of wounded and of dead.  The bands from all the corps, gathered around our commander, sounded the charge; with a most vivid ardor and enthusiasm, we answered that call which electrifies the heart, elevates the soul, and makes others tremble.  The second column, seized by this spirit, burst out in acclamations for the Republic and for the president-general.  The officers were unable to repress this act of folly, which was paid for dearly.  His attention drawn by this act, the enemy seized the opportunity, at the moment that light was beginning to make objects discernible around us, to redouble the fire on this column, making it suffer the greatest blows.  It could be observed that a single cannon volley did away with half the company of chasseurs from Toluca, which was advancing a few paces from the column; Captain Jose Maria Herrera, who commanded it, died a few moments later and Vences, its lieutenant, was also wounded.  Another volley left many gaps among the ranks at the head, one of them being Colonel Duque, who was wounded in the thigh; there remained standing, not without surprise, one of the two aides to this commander, who marched immediately to his side, but the other one now cannot testify to this.  Fate was kind on this occasion to the writer, who survived, though Don Jose Maria Macotela, captain from Toluca, was seriously wounded and died shortly after.”

   “It had been observed what the plan of attack was, but various arrangements made to carry it out were for the most part omitted; the columns had been ordered to provide themselves with crow-bars, hatchets, and ladders, but not until the last moment did it become obvious that all this was insufficient and that the ladders were poorly put together.”

    “The columns, storming the fort in the mist of a terrible shower of bullets and canon-fire, had reached the base of the walls, with the exception of the third, which had been sorely punished on its left flank by a battery of  three canon on a barbette that cut a serious breach in its ranks; since it was being attacked frontally at the same time from the height of a position, it was forced to seek a less bloody entrance, and thus changed its course toward the right angle of the north front.  The few poor ladders that we were bringing had not arrived, because their bearers had either perished on the way or had escaped.  Only one was seen of those that were planned.  General Cos, looking for a starting point from which to climb, had advanced frontally with his column to where the second and third were.  All united at one point, mixing and forming a confused mass.  Fortunately the wall reinforcement on this front was of lumber, its excavation was hardly begun and the height of the parapet was 8 or 9 feet; there was therefore a starting point, and it could be climbed, though with some difficulty.  But disorder had already begun; officers of all ranks shouted but were hardly heard.  The most daring of our veterans tried to be the first to climb, which they accomplished, yelling wildly so that room could be made for them, at times climbing over their own comrades.  Others, jammed together, made useless efforts, obstructing each other, getting in the way of the more agile ones and pushing down those who were about to carry out their courageous effort.  A lively rifle fire coming from the roof of the barracks and other points caused painful havoc, increasing the confusion of our disorderly mass.  The first to climb were thrown down by bayonets already waiting for them behind the parapet, or by pistol fire, but the courage of our soldiers was not diminished as they saw their comrades falling dead or wounded, and they hurried to occupy their places and to avenge them, climbing over their bleeding bodies.  The sharp reports of the rifles, the whistling of bullets, the groans of the wounded, the cursing of the men, the sighs and anguished cries of the dying, the arrogant harangues of the officers, the noise of the instruments of war, and the inordinate shouts of the attackers, who climbed vigorously, bewildered all and made of this moment a tremendous and critical one.  The shouting of those being attacked was no less loud and from the beginning had pierced our ears with desperate, terrible cries of alarm in a language we did not understand.”

    “From this point of observation, General Santa Anna viewed with concern this horrible scene and, misled by the difficulties encountered in the climbing of the walls and by the maneuver executed by the third column, believed we were being repulsed; he therefore ordered Colonel Amat to move in with the rest of the reserves; the Sapper Battalion already ordered to move their column of attack, arrived and began to climb at the same time.  He then also ordered into battle his general staff and everyone at his side.  This gallant reserve merely added to the noise and the victims, the more regrettable since there was no necessity for them to engage in the combat.  Before the Sapper Battalion, advancing through a shower of bullets and a volley of shrapnel, had a chance to reach the foot of the walls, half their officers had been wounded.  Another one of these officers, young Torres, died within the fort at the very moment of taking a flag.  He died at one blow without uttering a word, covered with glory and lamented by his comrades.”

    “A quarter of an hour had elapsed, during which our soldiers remained in a terrible situation, wearing themselves out as they climbed in quest of a less obscure death than that visited on them, crowded in a single mass; later and after much effort, they were able in sufficient numbers to reach the parapet, without distinction of ranks.  The terrified defenders withdrew at once into quarters placed to the right and left of the small area that constituted their second line of defense.  They had bolted and reinforced the doors, but in order to form trenches they had excavated some places inside that were now a hindrance to them.  Not all of them took refuge, for some remained in the open, looking at us before firing, as if dumbfounded at our daring.  Travis was seen to hesitate, but not about the death that he would choose.  He would take a few steps and stop, turning his proud face toward us to discharge his shots; he fought like a true soldier.  Finally he died, but he died after having traded his life very dearly.  None of his men died with greater heroism, and they all died.”  Travis behaved as a hero; one must do him justice, for with a handful of men without discipline, he resolved to face men used to war and much superior in numbers, without supplies, with scarce munitions, and against the will of his subordinates.  He was a handsome blond, with a physique as robust as his spirit was strong.”

    “In the meantime Colonel Morelos with his chasseurs, having carried out instructions received, was just in front of us at a distance of a few paces, and, rightly fearing that our fire would hurt him, he had taken refuge in the trenches he had overrun trying to inflict damage on the enemy without harming us.  It was a good thing that other columns could come together in a single front, for because of the small area the destruction among ourselves could be partially avoided; nevertheless, some of our men suffered the pain of falling from shots fired by their comrades, a grievous wound indeed, and a death even more lamentable.  The soldiers had been overloaded with munition, for the reserves and all the select companies carried seven rounds apiece.  It seems that the purpose of this was to convey the message to the soldier not to rely on his bayonet, which is the weapon generally employed in assault while some of the chasseurs support the attackers with their fire; however, there are always errors committed on these occasions, impossible to remedy.  There remains no consolation other than regret for those responsible on this occasion, and there were many.”

   “Our soldiers, some stimulated by courage and others by fury, burst into the quarters where the enemy had entrenched themselves, from which issued an infernal fire.  Behind these came others, who, nearing the doors and blind with fury and smoke, fired their shots against friends and enemies alike, and in this way our losses were most grievous.  On the other hand, they turned the ernemy’s own cannon to bring down the doors to the rooms or the rooms themselves; a horrible carnage took place, and some were trampled to death.  The tumult was great, the disorder frightful; it seemed as if the furies had descended upon us; different groups of soldiers were firing in all directions, on their comrades and on their officers, so that one was as likely to die by a friendly hand as by an enemy’s.  In the midst of this thundering din, there was such confusion that orders could not be understood, although those in command would raise their voices when the opportunity occurred.  Some may believe that this narrative is exaggerated, but those who were witnesses will confess that this is exact, and in truth, any moderation in relating it would fall short.”

    “If was thus time to end the confusion that was increasing the number of our victims, and on my advice and at my insistence General Cos ordered the fire silenced; but the bugler Tamayo of the sappers blew his instrument in vain, for the fire did not cease until there was no one left to kill and around fifty thousand cartridges had been used up.  Whoever doubts this, let him estimate for himself, as I have done, with data that I have given.”

    “Among the defenders there were thirty or more colonists; the rest were pirates, used to defying danger and to disdaining death, and who for that reason fought courageously; their courage, to my way of thinking, merited them the mercy for which, toward the last, some of them pleaded; others, not knowing the language, were unable to do so.  In fact, when these men noted the loss of their leader and saw that they were being attacked by superior forces, they faltered.  Some, with an accent hardly intelligible, desperately cried, Mercy, valiant Mexicans; others poked the points of their bayonets through a hole or a door with a white cloth, the symbol of cease-fire, and some even used their socks.  Our trusting soldiers, seeing these demonstrations, would confidently enter their quarters, but those among the enemy who had not pleaded for mercy, who had no thought of surrendering, and who relied on no other recourse than selling their lives dearly, would meet them with pistol shots and bayonets.  Thus betrayed, our men rekindled their anger and at every moment fresh skirmishes broke out with renewed fury.  The order had been given to spare no one but the women and this was carried out, but such carnage was useless and had we prevented it, we would have saved much blood on our part.  Those of the enemy who tried to escape fell victims to the sabers of the cavalry, which had been drawn up for this purpose, but even as they fled they defended themselves.  An unfortunate father with a young son in his arms was seen to hurl himself from a considerable height, both perishing at the same blow.”

      “The scene of extermination went on for an hour before the curtain of covered and ended it; shortly after six in the morning it was all finished;  the corps were beginning to reassemble and to identify themselves,   their sorrowful countenances revealing the losses in the thin ranks of their officers and comrades; when the commander in chief appeared.  He could see for himself the desolation among his battalions and that devastated area littered with corpses, with scattered limbs and bullets, with weapons and torn uniforms.  Some of these were burning together with the corpses, which produced an unbearable and nauseating odor.   The bodies with their blackened and bloody faces disfigured by a desperate death, their hair and uniforms burning at once, presented a dreadful and truly hellish site.  What trophies-those of the battlefield!  Quite soon some of the bodies were left naked by the fire, others by disgraceful rapacity, especially among our men.  The enemy could be identified by their whiteness, by their robust and bulky shapes.  What a sad spectacle, that of the dead and dying!  What a horror to inspect the area and find the remains of friends --!  With what anxiety did some seek others and with what ecstasy did they embrace each other!  Questions followed one after the other, even while the bullets were still whistling around, in the midst of the groans of the wounded and the last breaths of the dying.”

     “Shortly before Santa Anna’s speech, an unpleasant episode had taken place, which, since it occurred after the end of the skirmish, was looked upon as a base murder and which contributed greatly to the coolness that was noted.  Some seven men had survived the general carnage, and under the protection of General Castrillon, they were brought before Santa Anna.  Among them was one of great stature, well proportioned, with regular features , in whose face there was the imprint of adversity, but in whom one also noticed a degree of resignation and nobility that did him honor.  He was the naturalist David Crockett, well known in North America for his unusual adventures, who had undertaken to explore the country and who, finding himself in Bejar at the very moment of surprise had taken refuge in the Alamo, fearing that his status as a foreigner might not be respected.  Santa Anna answered   Castrillon’s intervention in Crockett’s behalf with a gesture of indignation and, addressing himself to the sappers, the troops closest to him, ordered his execution.  The commander and officers were outraged at this action and did not support the order, hoping that once the fury of the moment had blown over these men would be spared; but several officers who were around the president and who, perhaps had not been present during the moment of danger, became noteworthy by an infamous deed, surpassing the soldiers cruelty.  They thrust themselves forward, in order to flatter their commander, and with swords in hand, fell upon these unfortunate, defenseless men just as a tiger leaps upon his prey.  Though tortured before they were killed, these unfortunates died without complaining and without humiliating themselves before their torturers.  It was rumored that General Sesma was one of them; I will not bear witness to this, for though present, I trundled away, horrified in order not to witness such a barbarous scene.”

     “To whom was this sacrifice useful and what advantage was derived by increasing the number of victims?  It was paid for dearly, thigh it could have been otherwise had these men been required to walk across the floor carpeted with the bodies over which we stepped, had they been rehabilitated generously and required to communicated to their comrades the fate that awaited them if they did not desist of their unjust cause.  They could have informed their comrades of the force and resources that the enemy had.  According to documents found among these men and subsequent information, the force within the Alamo consisted of 182 men; but according to the number counted by us it was 253.  Doubtless the total did not exceed either of these two, and in any case the number is less than that referred to by the commander in chief in his communiqué, which contends that in the excavations and trenches alone more than 600 bodies had been buried.  What was the object of this misrepresentation?  Some believe it was done to give greater importance to the episode, others, that it was done to excuse our losses and to make it less painful.”

    “Death united in one place both friends and enemies; within a few hours a funeral pyre rendered into ashes those men who moment before had been so brave that in a blind fury had unselfishly offered their lives and had met their ends in combat.  The greater part of our dead were buried by their comrades, but the emery, who seems to have some respect for the dead, attributed the great pyre of their dead to our hatred.  I, for one, wishing to count the bodies for myself, arrived at the moment the flames were reddening , ready to consume them.”