In the 1960 John Wayne production of the Alamo, the action ends with the "Duke" (as Davy Crockett) impaled to the door of the ordnance room in the Alamo. In dramatic Hollywood fashion, Wayne breaks the lance, frees himself, stumbles into the ordnance room, and blows himself and the gunpowder up. This is Hollywood at its worst.(Photo United Artists, The Alamo, 1960)
For during the actual battle that March morning in 1836, it was Robert Evans, ordnance chief of the garrison, who attempted in the final moments of the battle to "fire" the Texans' powder magazine.
Susanna Dickinson, maybe the most noted Alamo survivor, tells that after the front door to the chapel was breached by the Mexican army, Evans raced for the ordnance which was stored in the rear of the chapel. Evans was gunned down as he attempted to torch the room.
Evans not Crockett made the heroic yet futile attempt to keep the remaining gunpowder supply out of Santa Anna's hands.
Not much is known of Evans. What we do know is that he was born in Ireland in 1800 and traveled to Texas from new York. He became master of ordnance of the Bexar garrison in 1835, after the December seige of the city led by Ben Milam.
Milam was killed during that siege, but after four days of fighting, Bexar and the Alamo were surrendered to his rebel force. The Texans hoped their victory would make Santa Anna re-think any further actions . . . but that . . . well that's a whole 'nuther story . . .
Read more about Robert Evans at The Handbook of Texas OnLine.
Copyright 2008 Mike Kearby
