Exodus from the Alamo: The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth, by Phillip Thomas Tucker

Philadelphia: Casemate, 2010. Pp. xvii, 398+. Notes, biblio., index. $32.95. ISBN: 1932033939.

In Exodus from the Alamo, Tucker, author of Westerners in Gray (2007), The Final Fury: Palmito Ranch, the Last Battle of the Civil War (2001), and a number of other works, takes a hard look at one of the most iconic, and controversial events of American history, the "Thirteen Days of Glory" at the Alamo of San Antonio.

Tucker opens by noting that while much controversy about the fall of the Alamo revolves around the arguments about how David Crockett died, did Travis really draw a "line in the sand," and other questions pitting myth and patriotism against historical evidence, very little attention has been paid to the defenders who attempted to escape from the besieged mission, only to be killed in the fields beyond. While it's long been known that some of the garrison attempted to escape as the Mexican infantry overran the improvised fortress, using long-overlooked Mexican and American evidence, including military reports, letters, and oral testimony, Tucker concludes that perhaps as many as half the dead may have been cut down by Mexican cavalry as they attempted to escape on foot.

A work likely to stir much controversy in some circles and a necessary read for anyone interested in the Texas war for independence.

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