The Alamo (1960 film) film depicts the Battle of the Alamo and the events leading up to it. Sam Houston leads the forces fighting for Texas independence and needs time to build an army. The opposing Mexican forces, led by General Santa Anna, are numerically stronger and also better armed and trained. Nevertheless, the Texans have spirit and morale remains generally high. Lieutenant Colonel William Travis is tasked with defending the Alamo, a former mission in San Antonio. Jim Bowie comes with reinforcements and the defenders dig in. Meanwhile, Davy Crockett arrives with a group of Tennesseeans. Santa Anna's armies arrive and surround the
Battle of the Alamo survivors of the battle. The first full-length, non-fiction book covering the battle, John Myers Myers' "The Alamo", was published in 1948. In the decades since, the battle has featured prominently in many non-fiction works. According to Todish "et al.", "there can be little doubt that most Americans have probably formed many of their opinions on what occurred at the Alamo not from books, but from the various movies made about the battle." The first film version of the battle appeared in 1911, when Gaston Méliès directed "The Immortal Alamo". The battle became more widely known after it was featured in