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Gr 6-Up Murphy boldly broaches the near-mythical battle of the Alamo, a Spanish mission in San Antonio whose name has become synonymous with Texas's independence. Acknowledging in his notes that "[m]ost of these questions [regarding "unresolved issues" of Alamo legend] will probably never be answered definitively," Murphy gives it his best shot and the result is an absorbing, interpretive, highly readable account of a two-week period in American history in which a couple of hundred independent Tex...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

The Battle of the Alamo suffers from more than its share of legends and misconceptions. Rather than ignore or confirm suspect information—including the number of Texans who fought, the number of Mexicans who died, the circumstances of both Jim Bowie's and David Crockett's deaths, and that dramatic moment when William Barret Travis supposedly drew a line in San Antonio soil and challenged his supporters to cross it—Murphy moves these historical uncertainties to center stage. He shows how accounts can differ, either over time as individuals change their stories, or when both victors and losers recount the same event, or when new information comes to light afterward. And he points out the grains of truth t...Log In or Sign Up to Read More