How Many Horses Were There In The Alamo?

[neferetus]

Here's a question for the forum: Just how many horses were brought into, or were already in the Alamo on February 23rd? How many in total did Travis have at his every beck and call? Seems that at least 16 messengers rode out on dispatch and the Gonzales 32 may've also ridden in. Just because Travis was commander of cavalry doesn't mean that he would've rounded up all the horses at his disposal and penned them up in the quartel. There's always the matter of space, water and forage for the animals and the Texians already had around 30 head of beeves to contend with. If you look at the courtyard behind the Long Barrack today, there's just not that much space.

Even so, it seems that there would've been enough mounts for a little 'cut, slash and run' tactics if not a full scale cavalry fight.

Too, just how many horses were in the Alamo on the morning of March 6th? Were I one of the defenders who'd sought the refuge of the wide open spaces outside the fort, a horse would've afforded me a far better chance at survival than my own two feet would.

[Greg C.]

this is very interesting as no one has ever brought up this topic before. if your talking horses and not cattle, 50 seems to be a good round number. but we'll never know for sure. i dont even know who to recommend to ask this question to.

[neferetus]

Anyone else have any ideas, or documentation?

[Bromhead24]

And remember those 32 from Gonzales, most where in the back of the wagons.....JW's Alamo

[wisconsinalamobuff]

i dont think this number could ever be known. as for the cattle, did the mexicans eat them or slaughter them with the rest of the defenders?

[Davy]

I am sure there were a very few present in the Alamao .. but I remeber on anothe rboard us discussing the idea of a remuda a few miles east that the Alamo defenders may have kept out of range of the Mex Army. Either way .. few were actually at the Alamo proper. Certainly not enuff for the major force to leave on!

Davy

[Greg C.]

How many couriers were sent out of the Alamo that never returned? Their number has to count too.

[alamojohnuk]

If you assume Crockett & his men didn,t walk to Texas, and Bowies volunteers also "rode" in, then we must be looking at a figure of at least 50.

Then take into account Travis's men also plus the Gonzales 32 (or at least some of them) then that figure would increase to somewhere around the 80+ mark, it must have been fairly cramped in the cavalry courtyard for that amount?

[Greg C.]

How about this:

Crockett and His Men: 5-10 Horses
Bowie and His Men: 50-75
Travis and his Volunteers: 25-50
Couriers in and Out: 10-15
Gonzales thirty-two (If they rode): 32

Total: 122-150 Horses

Reasonable?

[neferetus]

In a January, 1836 letter to Governor Smith, Green B. Jameson noted that there were 40 men efficient for duty in the Alamo and another 40 guarding the town. This left the officers to do the scouting duties and, for lack of horses, this had to be accomplished on foot.

Since the Mexican arrival in San Antonio on February 23rd was more, or less a surprise, the Texians had little time to go out and round up their horses that were pastured a few miles east of town. While some couriers most assuredly rode out of the Alamo, it's a good bet that some of them snuck out in the night on foot and made for the horse pasture. Then we have to think, how long did it take for Santa Anna (Ramirez y Sesma's cavalry) to discover the pasture and capture the Texian mounts? We know that the Gonzales men rode into the Alamo, but then how many of those mounts might've been turned out to pastue, for lack of forage and space in the courtyard behing the Long Barrack?