Alamo Resources
By Phil Rosenthal
A partial - but still pretty good, list.
I realize the following article will be setting me up for some criticism among the more intransient of Alamoites, but that’s okay. I can take it and they don’t pay my bills. And to be honest, people a lot more scary than they have tried to stop me in the past and haven’t done a real good job of it. That having been said, as many of us seek to write the great American Epic bestseller or just learn more about the Alamo, the question always is: What resources do I use?
Well, that’s a tough question to answer simply for a number of reasons. One is that, I am by no means an expert, but who really is? There are an awful lot of disparate elements to the Alamo Saga, and I dare say no one person is expert in all of them. Also, as we learn more and more about the Saga, as speculation turns to fact or what we believe to be fact, some of the most trusted resources become outdated or proven incorrect. Another reason is the perspective from which we are writing. Depending on the point we are trying to make, resources and how we utilize them can differ dramatically. Another reason is that is it very difficult, with an event that has taken place over 170 years ago, to separate fact from opinion, or, in the case of, say David Crockett’s death, fervent belief. Another reason is that we are sometimes at the mercy of researchers whose research we have no way to check for accuracy, but have to sometimes take on faith. There are other reasons, but you get the idea.
With that in mind, I am going to list what I think, over the years, have been the best resources, despite some shortcomings. In some way, most of these resources have broken new ground and paved the way for more scholarship and research that today has given us better information in the last ten years than the entire one hundred and sixty or so years before that.
Some of you might disagree with my picks, which are by no means exhaustive or current with all the new material coming out, and that is certainly your right, but every item has created something special in the field of Alamo research that cannot be denied. You will doubtless want to add to the list. I freely admit that since 1989 I have ceased to be a more or less “serious” Alamo researcher and have become more of a hobbyist, not being able to devote the time to it that it deserves. I myself have made mistakes and errors in some of my works, some through poor investigative techniques of people supplying the information to me, and some through simply stating the facts – albeit ultimately incorrect – as they were known at the time. I freely and enthusiastically welcome and embrace the new and more accurate research that has resulted from it. Just by virtue of reading The Alamo Society’s newsletter and the various Alamo-related websites, such as The Alamo Sentry and Alamo Forum, I am blown away by the scholarship that is being carried out on the Alamo, and the sharing of information made possible by the internet, unheard of in the 1980’s.
So, without further adieu, here are my picks and the explanations why.
BOOKS – Historical
Crockett, Davy, Davy Crockett’s Own Story As Written By Himself, 1836 – I’ll leave it up to the historians to figure out whether it is his own writing or not (at least, most of it). It is an excellent picture of America and Texas at the time and great insight into one of the most well known and revered historical figures America has ever had.
Daughters of the American Revolution, Alamo, O’Shavano and San Antonio de Bexar Chapters, The Alamo Heroes And Their Revolutionary Ancestors, San Antonio 1976 – A masterpiece tracing the descendants of the Alamo Defenders.
Davis, William C., Three Roads To The Alamo, The Lives and Fortunes of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis, Harper-Collins, 1996 – An exhaustive, authoritative study of the three most definitive defenders of the Alamo and how they all, via separate paths, came to be at the Alamo.
De la Pena, Jose Enrique, With Santa Anna in Texas, Texas A&M University Press, 1975 – Whether authentic or not, it is noteworthy for the discussion it has engendered from the Mexican side of the battle.
Gaddy, Jerry, Texas In Revolt, Old Army Press, 1973 – An excellent study of the War for Independence.
Groneman, Bill and Rosenthal, Phil, Roll Call At The Alamo, Old Army Press, 1985 – Broke down the Alamo Garrison into actual, separate military units, detailing each combatants personal data and rank. Also included non-combatants. Screenplays were prepared for a planned CBS-TV miniseries based on the book, and it was even included in TV Guide, but it was pulled at the last minute because of NBC-TV’s competing “13 Days To Glory” and studio personnel changes at CBS and Lorimar. (I still have all the scripts by Alan Sharpe).
Guerra, Mary Noonan, The Alamo, The Alamo Press, 1983 – Excellent study by a descendent of one of the San Antonio families at the time of the conflict.
Huthmacher, Ned Anthony, One Domingo Morning, The Story of Alamo Joe, Vantage Press, 2004 – A novel many years in the making, an incredible look at the events in the life of Lt. Col. Travis’ slave Joe, both during and after the battle. The picture painted of the environment in Texas at the time is indispensable and brilliantly composed.
Long, Jeff, Duel of Eagles, William Morrow and Company, 1991 – An exciting and extremely well-written retelling of the “Mexican and U.S. fight for the Alamo”.
Lord, Walter, A Time To Stand, Harper and Row, 1961 - To this day, THE BOOK about the Alamo, in novel form, giving us insight into the personalities in the conflict, and the conflict itself.
McAlister, George A., Alamo…The Price of Freedom, Docutex, 1988 – An informative history of Texas and the Siege.
Myers Myers, John, The Alamo, E.P. Dutton and Co., 1948 – A magnificently researched study, the most factual of its time.
Peterson, Carl, Now’s the Day and Now’s the Hour, Scotland Remembers The Alamo, Dream Catcher, 2004 – An excellent work on the many Scots in the Texas War for Independence, including related songs of the time.
Rosenthal, Phil, Alamo Soldiers, An Armchair Historians Guide To The Defenders of the Alamo, A-Team/Cardinal-Singer Publishing, 1989 – Biographical sketches of every known combatant and non-combatant at the Alamo Siege at that time, military organizational structures of the garrison, and vignettes of selected defenders.
Shackford, James, David Crockett, The Man and the Legend, Greenwood Press, 1956 – At the time and for many years after, THE biography of Crockett.
BOOKS – Collectibles
Anderson, Paul F., The Davy Crockett Craze, A Look At The 1950’s Phenomenon and Davy Crockett Collectibles, R & G Productions, 1996 – A great, fun, photographic resource on the collectibles associated primarily with Disney’s Davy Crockett/Fess Parker, with special contributions from the collection of Dr. Murray H. Weissman. For those of you who were not around in 1955-56 when Davy debuted on the Disneyland TV Show, this phenomenon was our generation’s Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter all rolled into one.
BOOK – Films
Calcagno, Rosemay Sforza, Hollywood Goes To the Alamo, Crosslines 1998 featuring photos from the collection of Alan Kude – A great photographic essay featuring the movie posters and lobby cards of the Alamo films.
Thompson, Frank, Alamo Movies, Old Mill Books, 1991 – THE authoritative guide on the films – and the almost films – on the Alamo. There are photos aplenty, but what really sets it apart is the writing from a Hollywood insider, giving the reader insights into the films that would not be otherwise possible. I personally was involved in one of the projects Frank writes about – he wasn’t – but he knew more about it than I did! A great read.
ARCHIVES, QUARTERLYS, ETC
Southwestern Historical Quarterly, The Texas State Historical Association, April 1988 – An entire issue devoted to the Alamo, it is an interesting collection of stories on different aspects of the historical Alamo.
Library of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas at The Alamo, San Antonio – An exhaustive resource for everything Alamo.
The Alamo News, The Newsletter of Alamo Intenational, August 1980-June 1984 Phil Rosenthal, Publisher; January-November 1985, Bill Chemerka, Publisher – The “forefather” of The Alamo Society’s Alamo Journal, this newsletter was as much a literary exercise for its many creative members from all over the globe - many of whom have gone on to be published – as it was an historical resource. There were also humorous but respectful, treatments of Alamo subjects, as well as articles on collectibles and just about anything else to do with the Alamo.
The Alamo Journal, the Newsletter of The Alamo Society, 1986-present, Bill Chemerka, Publisher – Along with The Crockett Chronicles, its companion newsletter, it provides an enormous outlet for Alamo scholarship and for all things Alamo. If you do not subscribe currently, do so by all means. These newsletters have perhaps done more to keep the Alamo Legacy alive and well than any other entity anywhere.
MUSIC CDs
Boldt, Mike, The Alamo, A Musical Tribute To John Wayne’s Epic Film – Composer-musician “Mad Mike” has done numerous scores and produced a stirring homage to “The Duke” and the Alamo. Contributors include Writer Frank Thompson, “Wild Bill”Chemerka, Tony “Phantom” Pasqua and “Mrs. Mad Mike” Nancy Boldt.
Peterson, Carl, Scotland Remembers The Alamo – The companion piece to the book, composer-musician Peterson provides songs common to the Scottish experience in the settling of the West, including the Alamo.
As noted earlier, this is not a complete list by any means. It is merely a starting point. There have been books, articles and other research done by people like Dr. Paul Hutton, Bill Chemerka, Kevin Young and William Groneman III and so many others that certainly must be included in any Alamo resource list. I just haven’t read them. As I have said, it has been some time before I have been able to devote any appreciable amount of time to serious research of the Alamo and I just haven’t kept up with the current resources. For instance, from all indications and reviews, Groneman is perhaps one of the world’s most learned experts on David Crockett, and Young on the military aspects of the Siege. Dr. Hutton has enormous knowledge of the West in general and Bill Chemerka is one of the greatest Alamo resources of all time, as well as the “Keeper of the Flame”.
I did not mean to slight anyone by leaving either their names or works out. As I have mentioned, perhaps the greatest scholarship on the subject has been done in the last ten years or so. Therefore, if you are planning on working on an Alamo-related project, you would do well to also utilize works of any of the people above or to contact The Alamo for available materials or better yet, subscribe to The Alamo Journal or visit The Alamo Sentry!