22. Bowie’s stance led to the siege of the Alamo in 1836
Why James Bowie chose to ignore the orders of General Houston and remain at the Alamo is another mystery which has long been disputed. Some historians have postulated that Houston’s orders were discretionary, allowing Bowie to decide for himself whether the fort could be held. In his letter to the governor, Bowie urged the fort be held, indicating that the decision was not up to him. He called the post a “frontier picquet guard”, but he did not indicate that he had decided to hold it against the Mexican assault. Had he followed orders, the post would have been destroyed and the men who fought there, as well as those who were massacred at Goliad, would have joined Houston’s main force to the north.
It is entirely likely that Bowie died as he has so often been depicted, shot and bayonetted in his cot after discharging his pistols at the Mexican troops who battered down the door. Travis was killed early in the final assault as the Mexicans broke over the walls of the mission. Crockett’s death is more mysterious. The wife of one of the officers killed in the battle, Susanna Dickinson, survived the battle inside the mission. She claimed to have seen Crockett’s body near the chapel, among several dead Mexican troops. Others have since claimed Crockett was captured or surrendered, only to be executed on the order of Santa Anna. A former American slave named Ben, who worked as a cook for Santa Anna, supported Dickinson’s claim.