Today is a key date in Texas history and lore.
It was on this date 187 years ago, February 23rd in 1836, that the siege of the Alamo began.
That afternoon, Texian scouts reported that the Mexican army under Santa Anna was only about a mile from the Alamo, a one-time Roman Catholic mission pressed into service as a fortress.
Santa Anna's troops began to dig in with artillery batteries, settling in for what became a 13 day impasse until Santa Anna breached the Alamo compound's wall on March 6th.
Although virtually every man died, the nearly two week delay is credited with giving the fledgling Texas army time to prepare for the decisive and victorious Battle of San Jacinto where Santa Anna was captured less than seven weeks later.
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