A rigorous 8th-grade Texas History inquiry examining the December 1835 Siege of Béxar, where Texian volunteers led by Ben Milam executed house-to-house urban warfare to dislodge General Martín Perfecto de Cos's Mexican forces from San Antonio. Students analyze tactical primary sources, engineer breaches through adobe walls, and evaluate the strategic aftermath leading up to the Alamo.
Under cover of darkness, squads drove crowbars through back walls away from street sightlines.
Step 2
Clear Room by Room
Texian riflemen eliminated rooftop defenders through ceiling openings and small loop-holes.
Step 3
Tunnel Forward
Pioneers chiseled through adjacent walls to advance toward the Main Plaza without stepping on streets.
A blueprint for urban close-quarters combat created on the fly. Slide 5
The Twin Assault Columns
December 5–6, 1835
Column 1: Ben Milam
Acequia Street
Milam led approximately 160 men along the western ditch (Acequia Street) and captured the stone Veramendi House, establishing an anchor position 100 yards from Main Plaza.
Key Objective: Flank Mexican plaza fortifications from the northwest.
Column 2: Frank Johnson
Soledad Street
Johnson led 140 men down Soledad Street and stormed the Garza House, giving the Texians a stronghold directly northeast of the Mexican artillery line.
Key Objective: Suppress rooftop cannons and establish crossfire into the plaza.
Both strongholds were secured within hours; the grinding house-to-house war began. Slide 6
Eyewitness to the Combat
Voices from the Adobe Walls
Texian Volunteer Account
"We dug through the walls with crowbars, the dust and smoke almost suffocating us. Whenever an opening was made, our riflemen would shoot through the breach before any soldier could counterattack."
— Volunteer Journal, Dec 1835
Mexican Officer Report
"The enemy advances invisible to our cannon. They do not cross the streets; they crawl through the dwellings of the citizens, appearing in our rear where no defense was planned."
— Dispatches to Cos’s Staff
Mexican artillery was neutralized because targets were inside solid stone walls. Slide 7
The Fall of Ben Milam
December 7, 1835
The Fatal Shot
While stepping into the courtyard of the Veramendi Palace, Ben Milam was struck in the head by a Mexican sharpshooter firing from the tower of San Fernando Church.
Rather than retreating, the enraged volunteers elected Frank W. Johnson supreme commander and redoubled their attack, pushing through the Navarro house directly into the plaza.
December 8: The Priestly House Falls
On the night of December 8, Texians stormed the Priest’s House directly bordering Main Plaza. Mexican troops on the roof abandoned their posts under point-blank rifle fire.
Cos’s forces were completely outflanked inside their own city.
Milam became the first prominent martyr of the Texas Revolution. Slide 8
Cos Capitulates
December 9–10, 1835
1. Alamo Retreat
Cos pulled his remaining soldiers across the river into the Alamo. Cut off from food and water, morale shattered and his cavalry fled southward.
2. The White Flag
At dawn on December 9, Cos raised a white flag over the Alamo. Formal terms of surrender were signed on December 10, 1835.
3. Generous Terms
Cos and his 1,100 troops were paroled on their honor never to oppose the Constitution of 1824 and permitted to march south of the Rio Grande.
Every Mexican soldier had been cleared from Texas soil. Or so they thought. Slide 9
The Victory That Set a Trap
Historical Consequences
Texian Overconfidence
Believing the war was won, most volunteers went home for winter. Fewer than 100 men were left to guard San Antonio and the Alamo mission.
Santa Anna’s Vow
Cos was Antonio López de Santa Anna’s brother-in-law. Humiliated by the surrender, Santa Anna mobilized a ruthless 6,000-man army to march northward.
Discussion Synthesis
"Did winning the Siege of Béxar in December make the tragedy of the Alamo inevitable in March?"
Breaching Béxar Inquiry • Wrap-up and Cool-Down Transition Slide 10
Siege of Béxar Primary Source Investigation • Document 2 Page 1 of 2
"On the morning of the 7th, Colonel Milam, while passing through the yard of the Veramendi house to confer with Johnson, was instantly killed by a rifle ball through his head from the church tower. The men were wild with fury. We redoubled our efforts, cutting through the stone walls into the Navarro house and then storming the Priest’s house directly commanding the Plaza."
Source C: Mexican Military Dispatch
Béxar Garrison
"The rebels do not present battle in line of skirmish. They burrow through the stone and mud brick like moles. Our artillery sweeps empty avenues while their deadly fire strikes our parapets from within the town’s own bedchambers. The troops are terrified; water and provisions are exhausted; the cavalry has fled."
Source D: Capitulation Agreement between General Cos and General Burleson
Signed Dec 11, 1835
Article 1: That General Cos and his officers have permission to retire with their arms and private property into the interior of the Republic under their parole of honor that they will not in any way oppose the Federal Constitution of 1824.
Article 4: That the Mexican forces leave behind all public property, all guns, small arms, ammunition, and provisions in San Antonio and the fortress of the Alamo for the Texian army.
Article 9: The sick and wounded of the Mexican army shall be treated with all humanity and provided medical assistance by the Texians.
2. Source Comparison: Contrast the perspective of the Texian fighters (Source A/B) with the Mexican officers (Source C). What psychological effect did this style of fighting have on the defending garrison?
3. Historical Consequence: Examine Source D. Why did the Texians offer such generous surrender terms to Cos? What dangerous assumption did Texian volunteers make following this surrender?
Siege of Béxar Primary Source Investigation • Document 2 Page 2 of 2
