The unsung heroes of the Alamo are women with exceptional survival instincts.
Much is made of Sam Houston, William Barrett Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett.
But, how about the women?
Three women who braved the Alamo show us how to survive anything.
After the siege
Cold days and nights are distinctive in Texas.
Nothing to block the wind which is what the Alamo volunteers suffered the night of March 5, 1836 when Davy Crockett serenaded raw nerves with his violin right before Mexican troops stormed the walls.
Right after the siege, the survivors, all women and some children, asked to search for the bodies of their loved ones.
Santa Anna denied that request and they were marched through a sea of blood to the home of Don Ramon Musquiz an official who owned a boarding house on the main plaza of San Antonio.
How did they overcome?
1. Adaptability
Susanna Dickinson knew that adaptability was critical for her survival.
After the massacre,
- she journeys on horseback with her daughter and two slaves to give Sam Houston the tragic news and Santa Anna’s threat.
- she flees to East Texas in the “Runaway Scrape.”
- she moves to Houston and works in boarding houses.
- she ultimately moves to Austin and marries a German businessman.
The best survivors let go of the way things used to be and adapt.
Susanna finished her life in a mansion on a farm at today’s 32nd and Duval Street in Austin.
“She took life as it came, lived it on the best terms she could get, and achieved a measure of contentment.” James L Haley, Guest Curator, Dickinson Museum
Many folks refuse to recognize circumstances they can’t control.
But, not Susanna Dickinson. She recognized that life has its ups and downs and adjusted.
2. Resilience
Ana Salazar Castro Esparza emerged from the slaughter with determination.
She was willing to die in the battle and expected this fate.
Her son, Enrique Esparza, told San Antonio journalists in a series of interviews from 1901-1911 that his mother survived the 13-day siege but became sick with pneumonia shortly after. And then she worked through hard financial times.
“After the president (Santa Anna) had given my mother her two dollars and a blanket, he told her she was free to go where she liked. We gathered what belongings we could together and went to our cousin’s place on North Flores Street.” Enrique Esparza
After Ana died in 1849, the Esparza brothers became successful farmers and developed a lucrative freighting business.
An African proverb describes women like Ana Esparza.
“The wind does not break a tree that bends.”
She picked herself up and passed a legacy of resilience to her sons.
3. Tenacity
On April 13, 1891, the Texas legislature awarded Andrea Castanan de Villanueva a government pension of $120 a year for her nursing services to the sick and wounded during the siege.
She confirmed her nursing role in many interviews including care to Jim Bowie.
Andrea navigated the split allegiance of her family because her father was loyal to Mexico and General Santa Anna while her uncles sided with the Texas patriots.
The word “tenacity” comes from the Latin “tenacitas,” the act of holding fast.
Tenacity was Andrea’s superglue in tough times.
She persisted when others let go.
Yes, life hurts everyone, but tenacity absorbs pain and suffering.
Andrea had an indomitable spirit. In her life after the Alamo, she . . .
- nursed the sick during smallpox epidemics
- raised 22 orphan children
- gave money to stranded travelers
Yes, life hurts everyone, but tenacity absorbs pain and suffering.
In the spring of 1901 President William McKinley visited San Antonio by train where he was presented a fresh painting by famed artist Vernor Moore White.
It was the Alamo with the image of Andrea Castanan de Villanueva.
How fitting that a painting with a brave Hispanic nurse hung in McKinley’s White House.
The Alamo survivors give us courage and inspiration today.
When my next crisis comes, I hope to summon a fraction of their strength.
Which of these survivors inspires you?
For a really great Texas history, read the Texana Bible by T. R. Fehrenbach
“Lone Star, A History Of Texas And The Texans.” Resilience, tenacity, determination are all there.
Good tip Bruce! Thanks!
Just finished Michener’s Texas, it portrayed the ability of Texans to keep going and risking everything as their most common trait! Resilience in the face of failure, or just being sidetracked!!
Thanks for the Michener reminder Steve!