The Battle of the Alamo took place at a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Roman Catholic missionaries in what is now San Antonio.

Unable to spare the forces necessary to mount a successful defense and believing San Antonio was of little strategic importance, Houston sent Bowie with orders to destroy the Alamo and return with all of the men and artillery stationed there. Once he arrived, however, Bowie become convinced of the need to defend the city. In a letter to Texas governor Henry Smith, Bowie wrote, "Colonel Neill and myself have come to the solemn resolution that we will rather die in these ditches than give it up to the enemy."

On February 11, 1836, acting commander Colonel James C. Neill left the Alamo, determined to recruit additional reinforcements. He transferred command to William B. Travis, the highest-ranking regular army officer in the garrison, but volunteers comprised much of the garrison and were unwilling to accept Travis as their leader. The men instead elected James Bowie, who had a reputation as a fierce fighter, as their commander. Bowie celebrated by getting drunk and causing havoc in Béxar, releasing all the prisoners in the local jails and harassing citizens. Travis was disgusted, but two days later the men agreed to a joint command--Bowie would lead the volunteers, and Travis would lead the regular army.

Arriving at the Alamo with a small group of volunteers, Crockett stood up on a packing crate in the main plaza and told "jolly anecdotes," assuring the other defenders that he was there to help in their cause and aspired to no rank higher than private. A few days later his presence served as the excuse for a fandango that went on well past midnight, and was only briefly interrupted by the news that the Mexican army was already on the banks of the Rio Grande and headed for Béxar.

The men were completely unprepared for the arrival of the Mexican army, and had no food in the mission. They quickly herded cattle into the Alamo and scrounged for food in nearby houses, gathering enough beef and corn to last a month.

On February 23, 1836, the Mexican Army, under the command of President-General Antonio López de Santa Anna, arrived in San Antonio de Béxar intent on recapturing the city.

When Santa Anna made the San Fernando Cathedral his headquarters, he flew from its belfry not the tricolor flag of Mexico, but a blood-red flag to indicate that there would be no quarter and the insurrectionists would be butchered even if they surrendered.

The small but determined group of Texan defenders held off Mexican forces for 13 days before eventually being overwhelmed. The battle ended on March 6, 1836, when Mexican forces breached the defenses and overran the Alamo.

After learning that a beautiful 17-year-old girl named Melchora Barrera had remained in Béxar after much of the town had fled, Santa Anna dispatched one of his men to ask the girl to be his mistress. The girl's mother rejected the offer, insisting that her daughter could only be given in a marriage performed by the church. Although Santa Anna was already married, he located a former actor among his soldiers, dressed him in a cassock, and had the man fake a wedding ceremony. Santa Anna then retired with Melchora for a quick honeymoon.

Over 200 Mexican cannon shots landed in the Alamo plaza during the first week. The Texans often picked up the cannonballs and reused them. On February 26, Travis ordered the artillery to stop firing to conserve powder and shot. Crockett and his men, however, were encouraged to keep shooting as they rarely missed and thus didn't waste shot.