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Thus was the Alamo captured and its brave defenders died.
Santa Anna's vengeance did not end here. To his eternal disgrace he caused the
bodies of the Texas heroes to be burned to ashes. A funeral pyre was made of a layer
of wood and a layer of bodies, alternately, and when it was completed, the pyre was
lighted and it burned until reduced to ashes.
Santa Anna's victory cost him dearly. In his report he says that he lost 75 men
and had 300 wounded, among whom were 25 officers, but Don Pancho Ruiz, who was
alcalde (mayor) at the time, and a Mexican, says that the loss was over 2000 men, and
there is every reason to believe he was correct because he buried the bodies.
It was the battle of the Alamo and its terrible finale and the massacre of Texan
prisoners of war at Goliad that lead to the defeat of Santa Anna at San Jacinto, April
21, 1836, when the Texans met the Mexican army. The Texans knew that they would
find no mercy at the hands of Santa Anna, that the honor of the wives and their homes
were at stake, and they fought with a desperation that was terrible. With the cry of
"Remember the Alamo," "Remember Goliad," they made a furious onslaught on the
Mexican army. The Mexicans fought well, but had to fall back in disorder and were
utterly routed and defeated. Their loss of life in battle was terrible, and many perished
in the river in the rear, in trying to escape. Santa Anna was captured in disguise next
day. His life was spared but he had to sign a treaty recognizing Texas as a free and
independent State.
In spite of this treaty, Santa Anna continued to claim Texas as a province of the
Mexican Republic and attempts were made to reconquer it. The first 'was by General
Visquez in 1843, but he contented himself with claiming sovereignty and changing the
civic officers. He remained only two days and then returned to Mexico. In September
next General Woll came and took possession of the city. The Texans retreated to the