Battles That Changed (American) History, Second Period, 10-8

Oct 08, 2010 13:19

"Today we're going to be talking about a battle the American side--not that they were American at the time, actually--definitively lost," Steve said, "inspiring one of the more stirring rally cries in our history.

"I'm referring to the Battle of the Alamo, the siege of the Alamo Mission near San Antonio in the Texas Revolution. In the early part of the nineteenth century, American settlers had been moving into the area of Texas, which was owned by Mexico but kind of on the big and empty side, so they were okay with having help settling and 'civilizing' it. Then these new Texans--who were from America, which had set the bar for revolution--decided they didn't particularly want to be part of Mexico any more, and revolted. So, what's so special about the Alamo? When the Mexican forces under General Santa Anna broke the Texan's defenses and stormed the Mission, they killed all but two of the defenders, which was considered dishonorable and cruel, and rallied the Texans who'd been less enthusiastic to the cause, hence the battle cry: 'Remember the Alamo.' The Texans ultimately won their independence, and then opted to join the United States.

"Now let's talk about siege," Steve said. "Withstanding a siege is pretty elementary. People have been doing it since the first city wall was built. If you're going to hold out under siege, it's all about resources. How much do you have? How long can that support your population? At normal consumption? At bare bones rations? Can you get more--do you have supply lines the enemy doesn't know about, under or around their siege line? If your defenses are perfect, absolutely unassailable, you have until your food and water run out to find a way to break the siege. And no one's defenses are perfect. There's always a weak point. It's important to know yours and know how to shore it up. And if you can take the fight to them, all the better. You can discuss anything I've missed, or any particular ideas you might have about how to withstand a siege.

battles

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