Why was the Alamo fought?
The Battle of the Alamo was the culmination of a 13 day siege on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio by the Mexican army in February and March 1836. The battle formed part of the Texas Revolution which led to independence for Texas and its annexation by the U.S.ContextIn December 1835 a Texan force led by Stephen F. Austin laid siege to the Mexican garrison in San Antonio, taking the town eight weeks later. This removed the last substantial Mexican presence in Texas. Soon after, the Mexican army under General Antonio López de Santa Anna began regrouping in a bid to wrest the territory back.Strategic ImportanceThere were two main roads into Texas from Mexico. Two small, improvised garrisons blocked these roads with one at Goliad and one at the Alamo. Both were designed to give advanced warning of any Mexican attack to the army of Texan volunteers who had mostly returned home.San AntonioBy the end of 1835, Santa Anna had raised an army of around 6,000 men. He decided to take his army to S
