The Battle of the Alamo 2

Washington, White House.

Martin Van Buren clutched a thick stack of letters and proposals, then dropped them heavily onto the desk.

"Mr. President, this is today's batch. Shall I open them one by one for you?"

Andrew Jackson set down his half-empty bottle of gin, picked up a letter with one hand, and took a deep drag from the cigar held in his other, exhaling a long ring of smoke.

"Damn it! Are these people bored out of their minds? The slave trade in the South hasn't been a matter of just a day or two, yet they claim we must strictly enforce the laws prohibiting it. Are they going to go pick the cotton in the Southern fields themselves?"

"But Mr. President, the British are now preparing to expel us from the civilized world. They say we are white-skinned savages with black hearts, unworthy of holding territory that belongs to the British Empire."

Before 1815, the United States and Britain fought two major wars, and since then, they have remained at a stalemate over tariffs and raw materials; the Monroe Doctrine, in particular, has left the British harboring deep resentment.

Thus, the vanguard of anti-American sentiment at this time is Britain, even more anxious than Franz or the people of Mexico.

Viscount Palmerston even claimed, "We should immediately send troops to Texas and drive those American scum out of the civilized world. The land of the United States belongs to the British Empire, and the Americans are nothing but a pack of thieves who have stolen the property of the British Empire."

Viscount Palmerston's remarks received widespread support in Britain, as the continued expansion of the United States would inevitably affect British interests, and as the world hegemon, Britain would not allow a challenger to emerge.

"Damn the British! We have already declared our neutrality; 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 entire United States combined could not buy half of New York City.

The Indians had just been relocated west of the Mississippi River, and those politicians were already beginning to study how to make the Indians continue their migration further west.

"Perhaps we should suspend the slave trade," a cabinet member suggested.

"That's impossible! If we announce a ban on the slave trade today, the politicians in the South will drive us out of office tomorrow!" Andrew Jackson roared.

"Mr. President, I mean that we issue a statement without actually doing anything; we just need to maintain the status quo."

Andrew Jackson felt this made sense; it wasn't as if it were the first time they had issued such a statement.

"Fine, draft a statement declaring that our country prohibits the slave trade and will continue to maintain an attitude of neutrality in the civil war in Mexico."

March 6, 1836, Alamo Fortress.

On the advice of two military observers, Santa Anna sent an officer with his letter to the foot of the walls to persuade the defenders of the Alamo to surrender.

[General Santa Anna, Liberator of San Antonio, President of Mexico, Hero against Spain, Protector of the Indians, the Napoleon of North America.

Hereby declares that Texas is the Texas of the Mexicans, a province belonging to Mexico. Your actions are acts of blatant treason, but I, Santa Anna, am a merciful man.

As long as you agree to lay down your arms and surrender immediately, I can guarantee your safe departure from this place. I swear it before God.

If not, I shall ensure that your blood stains this ground!]

Bowie, atop the ramparts, pulled the cigar from his mouth and shouted, "Are you finished?"

The officer, not understanding the implication, replied, "I am finished! This is the order of General Santa Anna!"

"Then you can die."

Bowie touched the cigar to the fuse of a cannon. Boom!

A cannonball struck the officer squarely, tearing him in two on the spot, scattering red and white gore across the ground.

Before the surrounding cavalry could recover from their shock, the walls erupted with the sound of cannons and gunfire; the defenders of the Alamo had long since aimed at the Mexicans before them.

The small cavalry detachment, including the officer, totaled eleven men, and not a single one survived.

An enraged Santa Anna immediately ordered, "Light cavalry, charge!"

Leaving only Stadion and Gablenz standing in the wind, utterly bewildered—cavalry charging a fortress???