An 1881 print depicting the Alamo, site of a pivotal confrontation between the Texian militia and the Mexican army in 1836.

Nearly two hundred Texians were in the Alamo, a former Spanish Catholic mission, while the Mexican army under the command of General Antonio López de Santa Anna staged a thirteen-day siege in February and March 1836. On March 6, the army attacked the fort directly, ultimately killing all of the Texian fighters inside. A small group of women, children, and non-combatants survived. Although it was a military defeat for the Texians, the incident at the Alamo provided motivation for remaining Texian revolutionaries and other Americans who came to support the rebellion.