Big Days In History

[Bill Greenwood]

Today, March 6 th, is two very big days in history. Not any birds, but plenty of war on March 6, 1836 was the final day of the Battle of the Alamo. For those not lucky enough to have been born there, and don't know the story, it is why Texas is a state and not part of Mexico. Settlers were invited to come into Texas, then the Mexican govt changed its mind and began to try to subjugate these men. They were tough,strong willed, individualistic frontier types, and didn't take well to oppression. The cast of Texans was almost like something out of a movie, with co leaders the hot headed Col. William Travis and Col, James Bowie, inventor of the knife of same name. If you saw the Crocodile Dundee movie, that was a Bowie knife. And even larger than life Davy Crockett. Not too many Texans, only 185, versus more than 4000 Mexicans led by Santa Anna who was equal parts dandy and despot, and claimed to be the "Napolean of the West". The Texans held out in an old church fort for 13 days, before being all killed. Santa Anna called it, "a small affair" but he lost almost half his army. His aide, Sec, Caro said, "we brought to San Antonio more than 5000 men and we lost 1544 of the best of them, The Texans fought more like Devils than men." Since football had not been invented then, fighting was right up the Texans alley. After the battle, Santa Anna moved east threatening the rest of Texans who retreated under Sam Houston. 6 weeks later at San Jacinto just east of Houston, the Texans got sick of running and routed the Mexican army, captured Santa Anna and Texas was free. There is a monument and the Battleship Texas at the site now. At the Alamo the Mexicans had burned the Texan bodies, and at San Jac the Mexican bodies were left on the prarie for the coyotes.

A 100 years later the first flight of the Spitfire took place at Eastleigh and the finest fighter of its day was born, with eventually 23.000 being produced. Note, many writers place this day as March 5, but the famous Spit test pilot Jeffrey Quil, who was actually there says the 6th.