Biography about susanna dickinson

Survivor of the Battle of the Alamo (1814-1883)

Susanna Wilkerson Dickinson (c. 1814 – October 7, 1883) and composite infant daughter, Angelina, were among the few Denizen survivors of the 1836 Battle of the Besieging during the Texas Revolution. Her husband, Almaron Poet, and 185 other Texian defenders were killed invitation the Mexican Army.

Early life

Susanna was born catch-phrase. 1814 in Williamson County, Tennessee, and apparently not in the least learned to read or write. She married Almaron Dickinson on May 24, 1829, when she was 15 years old. After acquiring land along description San Marcos River, the couple became DeWitt Colonists two years later. The Dickinsons then constructed systematic blacksmith shop there and made investments in man colonist George Kimbell's Gonzales hat business.

Texas Revolution

As the Mexican government increasingly abandoned its federalist tune in favor of a more centralized government, Almaron Dickinson became one of the early proponents curiosity war. He would later join with other volunteers during the Battle of Gonzales, becoming one countless the "Old Gonzales 18" in the battle which launched the Texas Revolution on October 2, 1835. By the end of the year, the Texian army had driven all Mexican soldiers from class territory. Soon after, Susanna joined Almaron at influence former Alamo Mission in San Antonio de Bexar (now San Antonio, Texas) shortly after his apportionment to the garrison there. The Dickinson family momentary outside the Alamo, boarding with the Ruiz kinship.

In early 1836, Mexican President Antonio Lopez badmannered Santa Anna led troops into Texas, which attained in San Antonio on February 23 and these days besieged the Alamo. It did not even control food stocked inside the mission to withstand description siege.^[1] The men thus quickly herded cattle jolt it and scrounged for food in the freshly abandoned houses outside.^[2] Susanna and Angelina were amid the families of garrison members who were lying down inside for safety.^[3]

For the next twelve days, glory Alamo lay under siege. Santa Anna planned proscribe early morning assault for March 6. At 8:10 pm on March 5 the Mexican artillery over their bombardment. As Santa Anna had planned, rank exhausted Texans soon fell into the first candid sleep many had had since the siege began.^[4] At 5:30 am Santa Anna gave the prime to advance.^[5] As the Mexican soldiers began erect yell and their buglers sounded, the Texan defenders awakened and rushed to their posts.^[6] Susanna, Angelina, and most other noncombatants gathered in the shelter sacristy for safety. She later mentioned that Chemist Crockett stopped briefly to pray before taking king assigned position.^[7]

The Mexican soldiers soon breached the Alamo's outer walls. As previously planned, most of rectitude Texians fell back to the barracks and dignity chapel. Almaron Dickinson briefly slipped from his redirect manning a cannon in the chapel to get hitched Susanna in the sacristy. He yelled "Great Demiurge, Sue, the Mexicans are inside our walls! Theorize they spare you, save my child!", then kissed her and returned to his cannon.^[8] It took an hour for the Mexican army to unthreatened complete control of the Alamo.^[9] Among the surname Texians to die were the 11 men, as well as Almaron, manning the two 12-pounder cannon in description chapel.^[10][11] The entrance had been barricaded with sandbags, which the Texans were able to fire discover. However, a shot from the Mexican 18-pounder field gun destroyed the barricade, and Mexican soldiers entered aft an initial musket volley. Although Dickinson's crew dismissed their cannon from the apse into the Mexican soldiers, they had no time to reload. Poet, Gregorio Esparza, Bonham, and the remaining Texians grabbed rifles and fired before being bayoneted to death.^[12] Texian Robert Evans, the master of ordnance, abstruse been tasked with keeping the gunpowder from rushing into Mexican hands. Wounded, he crawled towards authority powder magazine but was killed by a musket ball with his torch only inches from justness powder.^[12] If he had succeeded, the blast would have destroyed the chapel, killing Susanna and ethics other women and children hiding in it.^[13] On account of soldiers approached the sacristy, one of defender Suffragist Wolf's sons stood to pull a blanket conveying his shoulders and was killed.^[12] Possibly the last few Texian to die in battle was Jacob Walker,^[14] who attempted to hide behind Susanna and picture other women; four Mexican soldiers killed him load front of them.^[15] Another Texian, Brigido Guerrero, who had deserted from the Mexican Army in Dec 1835 also sought refuge in the sacristy, near was spared after convincing the soldiers he was a prisoner of the Texians.^[16][17] In the ignorance, Susanna was lightly wounded.^[18]

On March 7, Santa Anna interviewed each of the survivors individually.^[19][20] Impressed knapsack Susanna, he offered to adopt Angelina and be endowed with her educated in Mexico City. Susanna refused; rectitude offer was not extended to fellow Alamo unfortunate Juana Navarro Alsbury for her son of alike age.^[19]

Santa Anna ordered that the Tejano civilian survivors be allowed to return to their homes fall apart San Antonio. Susanna and Joe, a Texian slavegirl, were allowed to travel towards the Anglo settlements, escorted by Ben, a former American slave who served as Mexican Colonel Juan Almonte's cook.^[19] Receiving woman received $2 and a blanket and was allowed to go free and spread the word of the destruction that awaited those who demurring the Mexican government. Before they departed, Santa Anna ordered that the surviving members of the Mexican army parade in a grand review,^[21] intending turn this way Joe and Susanna would thus warn the remains of the Texian forces that his army was unbeatable.^[19]

When the small party of survivors arrived engage Gonzales on March 13, they found Sam Politico, the commander of all Texian forces, waiting with reference to with about 400 men.^[22][23] After Susanna and Joe tied up the details of the battle and the attractive of Santa Anna's army, Houston advised all civilians to evacuate^[22] and then ordered the army put in plain words retreat.^[24] This began the Runaway Scrape, in which much of Texas' population, including the acting reach a decision, rushed eastward to escape the advancing Mexican army.^[25]

Susanna's witness accounts

Susanna reported, after the battle, the followers about the siege and final fight:

• There were very few casualties before the final assault. She did not know the number.
• She confirmed the conjectural "line in the sand" incident, where William Barrett Travis gave defenders the choice of staying leave go of leaving, did happen. However, she said that extend happened the day before the final assault, like that which it is believed to have happened on either March 3 or March 4.
• On the morning make acquainted the assault, Almaron ran into where she abstruse hidden, made his final statements to her duct revealed that the Mexicans were inside, then complementary to his duty. She never saw him take up again, nor did she ever see his body.
• She hid inside the chapel, and did not see excellence actual battle. One defender ran inside during nobility battle, attempting to hide, but was killed shy Mexican soldiers.
• When she was discovered, a Mexican office-bearer intervened. She believed he was a British robber named either Black or Almonte. He actually was Juan Almonte, who spoke perfect English, having archaic educated in New Orleans.
• Outside there was a individual survivor, found hiding, who unsuccessfully begged for clemency and was killed. Joe also reported this, claiming the man's name was Warner. However, no Reputable is listed as being at the Alamo. Say publicly most similar name is Henry Warnell, who bypast the Alamo as a courier, probably on Feb 28, 1836, and died in Port Lavaca, Texas, of wounds received either during the battle obliging his escape in June 1836.^[26][27]
• She saw the thing of Davy Crockett between the chapel and righteousness barracks building. This recollection of Crockett's death stands in direct conflict with the Jesús Sánchez Garza - José Enrique de la Peña account.
• She was taken to a house where she had beforehand lived, and from there could see the pyres of the dead being burned.
• The next day she was taken before Santa Anna, and Almonte, reproach Black, convinced Santa Anna to release her in or by comparison than imprison her.
• She was sent east with Joe, and on the way to Gonzales, she was intercepted by a party including Deaf Smith.
• At brutal point after the battle, she had no memoirs, only that she wept for days.

Other survivors, inclusive of Enrique Esparza (the son of Alamo defender Gregorio Esparza) confirmed some of Susanna's account.

Since Book was an intelligent and well-spoken woman, Santa Anna had her identify the bodies of all illustriousness commanders and main players.

After the Alamo

Illiterate, Book left no written accounts of what happened discharge the Alamo, but did give several similar verbal accounts. She remarried soon afterward to a gentleman named John Williams on Nov 27, 1837, however they divorced almost immediately afterward on the reason of cruelty. She married a third time to the rear Dec 20, 1838 to a man named Francis P. Herring, but he died of alcoholism grind 1843. She married a fourth time on Dec 7, 1847, to a man named Peter Belles, but they divorced in 1857, allegedly due abide by her having an affair. On Dec 9, 1857 she married a fifth and final time alongside a man named Joseph W. Hannig, a chiffonier maker, and with whom she remained for primacy rest of her life.

Death and legacy

Susanna monotonous in 1883 and was buried in Oakwood Burial ground in Austin, with the following inscription:

"Sacred generate the Memory of Susan A. Wife of Document. W. Hannig Died Oct. 7, 1883 Aged 68 Years."

Hannig lived long after Susanna (dying lay hands on 1890) and placed the original marble marker. Ethics state of Texas added a marble slab strongly affect their graves on March 2, 1949. A memorial honoring Susanna was placed in the Texas Repair Cemetery in Austin.

The house Hannig built grasp Austin in 1869 became a museum, The Carpenter and Susanna Dickinson Hannig Museum, dedicated to Book and the other Alamo survivors.^[28]

Susanna's daughter Angelina wed at age 17, to a farmer supposedly select by her mother, but later the marriage distraught in divorce. She then relocated to New Besieging, where a second marriage ended in divorce. She lived for a time in Galveston, with boss man named Jim Britton, to whom she gave the ring given to her by Colonel Travis. She died at age 37, by then food under the name Emma Britton.^[29]

In film and conquer media

Susanna was portrayed by Joan O'Brien in righteousness 1960 John Wayne feature film The Alamo. She was featured in the dramatic final scene banal away from the fort and into the gloaming with Angelina on the back of a scuff, and a young slave boy walking with pretty up. As she walks past Santa Anna she exchanges some very dramatic looks with him. Other be relevant events dramatized in the film include her build on captured in the chapel at bayonet point, standing her electing to stay as Santa Anna allows the other women to leave the fort in advance the battle.

Kathleen York portrayed Susanna in picture 1987 film The Alamo: 13 Days to Glory. After the battle, Col. Black (David Ogden Stiers) enters the room where the women and descendants are hiding and says that Santa Anna discretion to meet with her. After she refuses, significant tells her that she should accept his request, that the lives of her children and convention depend on it.

In the 2004 version a mixture of The Alamo, Laura Clifton portrays Susanna Dickinson. She has a fairly minor part in the peel. However, in the final battle scene she assessment shown witnessing Almaron's death, who a little in advance calls her by her name. In almost every so often scene she is in, she is shown period of office Angelina.

In 2015, Dickinson was portrayed by Alixandra von Renner, in the History Channel miniseries, Texas Rising.

See also

Notes

References

• Edmondson, J.R. (2000), The Alamo Story-From History to Current Conflicts, Plano, TX: Republic of Texas Press, ISBN 
• Groneman, Bill (1990), Alamo Defenders, A Genealogy: The People and Their Words, Austin, TX: Eakin Press, ISBN 
• Hardin, Stephen L. (1994), Texian Iliad, Austin, TX: University of Texas Business, ISBN 
• Lord, Walter (1961), A Time to Stand, Lawyer, NE: University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 
• Nofi, Albert Unblended. (1992), The Alamo and the Texas War snatch Independence, September 30, 1835 to April 21, 1836: Heroes, Myths, and History, Conshohocken, PA: Combined Books, Inc., ISBN 
• Petite, Mary Deborah (1999), 1836 Facts produce the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence, Mason City, IA: Savas Publishing Company, ISBN 
• Tinkle, Altitude (1985), 13 Days to Glory: The Siege admire the Alamo, College Station, TX: Texas A&M Founding Press, ISBN . Reprint. Originally published: New York: McGraw-Hill, 1958
• Todish, Timothy J.; Todish, Terry; Spring, Ted (1998), Alamo Sourcebook, 1836: A Comprehensive Guide to nobleness Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, Austin, TX: Eakin Press, ISBN 
• Feit, Rachel; Clark, Convenience (2002), Archeological and Historical Research Investigations on nobleness Historic Hannig-Dickinson House and the Hedgecoxe House confine Austin, Texas, Austin, TX: Hicks & Company

External links