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 of the church, in the center of Alamo Plaza, stands a cenotaph, designed by Pompeo Coppini, which commemorates the Texians and "Tejanos" who died during the battle. According to Bill Groneman's "Battlefields of Texas", the Alamo has become "the most popular tourist site in Texas". The first English-language histories of the battle were written and published by Texas Ranger and amateur historian John Henry Brown. The next major treatment of the battle was Reuben Potter's "The Fall of the Alamo", published in "The Magazine of American History" in 1878. Potter based his work on interviews with many of the Mexican