Almaron Dickinson
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Almaron Dickinson (1800 – March 6, 1836) was a
Early life and becoming a soldier
Dickinson was born in
In the fall of 1835, Dickinson served as one of the defenders during the
Battle of the Alamo
By this time, Dickinson held the rank of
A Mexican bombardment continued through the morning of February 25, 1836. At approximately 10am, about 200–300 Mexican soldiers, mainly cazadores from the Matamoros Battalion, crossed the San Antonio River and took cover in abandoned shacks approximately 90 yards (82 m) to 100 yards (91 m) from the Alamo walls. They were intending to use the huts as cover to erect another artillery battery, although many Texians assumed that they were actually launching an assault on the Alamo. Travis called for volunteers to burn the huts, despite the fact that it was broad daylight and they would be within range of enemy muskets. Charles Despallier, Robert Brown, James Rose and a few others volunteered for the mission.
To provide cover, Dickinson and his men fired 8-lb cannon, filled with grapeshot and canister, at the Mexican soldiers in the huts. Crockett and his men fired rifles, while other Texians reloaded extra weapons for them. Within two hours, the battle was over. As soon as the Texians saw flames erupting from the huts they threw open the Alamo gate and the Texians re-entered unscathed, although Rose was almost captured by a Mexican officer. The Mexicans retreated with two killed and four wounded, while several Texians had been mildly scratched by flying rock.
After learning that a relief force under James Fannin had failed to reach the Alamo and that there was unlikely to be any further reinforcement, a group of 25 men set out from Gonzales at 2pm on Saturday, February 27. The party would number 32 upon its arrival at the Alamo, and was led by Albert Martin and George Kimbell, the latter of whom had been Dickinson's business partner. As they approached the Alamo in the early morning hours of March 1, a rider appeared in front of them and asked, in English, if they wished to go into the fort. When they assented, he turned and told them to follow him. One became suspicious and the rider bolted away. The volunteers were afraid they had been discovered and galloped towards the Alamo. In the darkness, the Texians thought this was a party of Mexican soldiers and fired, wounding one of the volunteers. They finally managed to convince the defenders to open the gates.
At some point, either on March 3 or March 4, 1836, Travis, seeing that their position was hopeless and their fate sealed, called the troops of his garrison together. He informed them of the situation and gave them the opportunity to either stay or to go at that point. Only one man, Moses Rose, chose to flee, with the rest deciding to remain and fight to the death. He would be remembered, even to the present day, as the "Coward of the Alamo", while Dickinson and the rest of the defenders would achieve immortality as heroes.
Climax of the battle and death
Dickinson survived until the last day of the battle. In the early morning hours of March 6, 1836, Santa Anna sent an assault force which breached the walls of the Alamo with its third charge. Dickinson had hidden Suzanna and Angelina inside the chapel. By her own account afterward, near the end of the battle Dickinson rushed inside where she was hiding, frantically exclaiming "Great God, Sue! The Mexicans are inside our walls! All is lost! If they spare you, love our child." He then returned to his post. By that time there was intense fighting inside the Alamo, which eventually became hand to hand. By reliable Mexican accounts, Dickinson was one of the last defenders killed in action.
According to the Mexican Army accounts, the last of the Texians to die were the eleven men manning the two 12-lb cannon in the chapel. The entrance had been barricaded with sandbags, over which the Texians were able to fire. A shot from the 18-lb cannon destroyed the barricades and Mexican soldiers entered the building after firing an initial musket volley. Dickinson's crew fired their cannon from the apse into the soldiers at the door. With no time to reload, the Texians, including Dickinson, Gregorio Esparza, and James Bonham, grabbed rifles and fired before being bayoneted to death. Texian Robert Evans was master of ordnance and had been tasked with keeping the gunpowder from falling into Mexican hands. Wounded, he crawled towards the powder magazine but was killed by a musket ball with his torch only inches from the powder. If he had succeeded, the blast would have destroyed the chapel, killing the women and children hiding in the sacristy.
Dickinson's body was burned along with those of the other defenders killed during the battle. Susannah, Angelina, and a freed former
See also
References
- ^ p.630 Hansen, Todd The Alamo Reader: A Study in History 2003 Stackpole Books