Washington, White House.
Martin Van Buren gathered up a thick stack of letters and petitions, then dropped them heavily onto the desk.
"Mr. President, these are today's. Would you like me to open them one by one?"
Andrew Jackson set down the half-empty bottle of gin in his hand. He picked up a letter with one hand, clamped his cigar between the fingers of the other, took a long drag, and blew out a smoke ring.
"Damn it! Do these people have nothing better to do? The South's slave trade has been going on for years, and now they're telling us to strictly enforce the law banning it. Are they going to go pick the cotton in the Southern fields?"
"But, Mr. President, the British are already preparing to expel us from the civilized world. They say we're savages, white-skinned but black-hearted, unworthy of holding the British Empire's territory."
Before 1815, Britain and the United States had fought two wars. Afterward, they remained locked in a standoff over tariffs and raw materials, and the Monroe Doctrine had only deepened British resentment.
So Britain was now leading the charge against the United States, even more eager than Franz and the Mexicans.
Viscount Palmerston had even declared, "We should immediately send troops into Texas and drive those American scum out of the civilized world. American land belongs to the British Empire, and the Americans are a gang of thieves who stole the British Empire's property."
Viscount Palmerston's words received widespread support in Britain. America's continued expansion would inevitably harm British interests, and Britain, as the world's hegemon, would never allow a challenger to emerge.
"Damn British! We've already declared ourselves neutral. What more do they want?" Andrew Jackson was in a foul mood. The price of land in the United States had risen again, and he dared say that all the metal currency in the country combined couldn't buy half of New York City.
The Native Americans had only just moved west of the Mississippi River, and those politicians were already discussing how to push them farther west.
"Perhaps we should suspend the slave trade," one cabinet member suggested.
"Impossible! If we announce today that we're banning the slave trade, those Southern politicians will kick us out of office tomorrow!" Andrew Jackson roared.
"Mr. President, I mean we could issue a statement without actually doing anything. We'd only need to maintain the status quo."
Andrew Jackson thought that made sense. It wasn't the first time they'd made a declaration, after all.
"Good. Draft a statement declaring that our country prohibits the slave trade and will continue to remain neutral in the Mexican Civil War."
March 6, 1836. Alamo Fortress.
At the suggestion of the two military observers, Santa Anna sent an officer with a letter to demand the surrender of the Alamo's defenders.
[General Santa Anna, Liberator of San Antonio, President of Mexico, Hero of the Struggle Against Spain, Protector of the Native Americans, the Napoleon of North America.
I hereby declare that Texas is the Texas of the Mexicans and a province of Mexico. Your actions are blatant treason, but I, Santa Anna, am a merciful man.
If you agree to lay down your arms and surrender at once, I can guarantee that you will be allowed to leave this place safely. I swear it before God.
If not, I will make you spill your blood here!]
Bowie pulled the cigar from his mouth on the upper wall and called down, "Are you finished?"
The officer didn't understand what he meant, so he replied, "I am. This is General Santa Anna's order!"
"Then you can die."
Bowie touched the cigar to the fuse of a cannon. Boom!
A cannonball struck the officer dead-on, splitting him in two. Red and white matter splattered across the ground.
Before the surrounding cavalry could recover from their shock, cannons and gunfire erupted from the walls. The defenders of the Alamo had long since taken aim at the Mexicans before them.
Not one of the small cavalry squad survived—not even the officer. There were eleven of them in all.
Furious, Santa Anna immediately ordered, "Light cavalry, charge!"
Stadion and Gablenz were left standing there, utterly bewildered. Cavalry charging a city wall???
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