“The Alamo” 1960

Having just returned from the Turner Classic Movie Festival which ran from April 18-21, 2024, I thought to comment on the 1960 epic film which was produced, directed, and also starred legendary actor John Wayne. It wasn’t one of the films shown at the festival, however, there have been discussions about restoration of the original 70mm film though, to date, no funding has been allocated for the project.

Financial support and budget disputes have always been a factor. Wayne left Republic Studios and formed his own production company, Batjac Pictures, investing 1.5 million dollars of his own money to get the movie made. It took two years to build a 3/4 scale full replica of the Alamo mission in Brackettville, Texas. Filming began in 1959 with the World Premiere taking place at the Woodlawn Theater in San Antonio, Texas, October 24,1960.

Historically inaccurate, advisors/historians Lon Tinkle and James Frank Dobie had their names removed from the final credits, and the film opened to mixed reviews. Nonetheless, the epic film garnered seven Academy Award nominations:

Best Motion Picture/Best Supporting Actor/Best Cinematography – Color/Best Film Editing/Best Music Score/Best Song/ and Best Sound – Winner.

What does this have to do with my book, Ghostly Bugles? For the answer to that question, look to the Acknowledgements at the end of the novel, some of which I’ve quoted below.

Although the movie was not a critical success at the time, over the decades the film has become more widely appreciated due in no small part to its epic scope and the accompanying musical score. The music was written by the famous Hollywood film score composer Dimitri Tiomkin, who also wrote the lyrics to the 1960 song “Ballad of the Alamo,” which was sung by recording artist Marty Robbins. The score and the song greatly added to the action taking place on screen, and even though I was only eleven years old when the movie was released, to this day I still listen to the music and remember all the words to the ballad. The ballad, a song that tells a story in narrative style, may no longer be a genre in vogue with today’s audiences, but it captured my imagination as a child and stuck with me long after the film’s closing credits. All these years later it inspired the title to my book.

I’m certainly aware of the historical inaccuracies in the movie. However, I believe that its homage to courage and sacrifice still resonates, and it remains an entertaining film that has achieved “classic movie” status. The more recent film by director John Hancock is much truer to the actual events but, possibly because it does adhere more closely to historical facts, didn’t elicit the emotional response from the viewing audience that the older version does. On my behalf, I’m sure that’s partially because I have always been a huge John Wayne fan. I’ve written before of my love of the old westerns, and “the Duke” was unquestionably one of the biggest western stars of that era.

While attending the TCM Festival I had the opportunity to see the newly restored version of The Searchers, directed by the John Ford and starring John Wayne. The American Film Institute ranked it #1 among all western films ever made, but that is a post for another day.

The importance of the 1960 film, “The Alamo”, is reflected in the inclusion of the marquee poster and information about the film in the newly opened artifact exhibition at the Ralston Family Collections Center in Alamo Plaza.

Ghostly Bugles owes a debt of gratitude to the Alamo Trust for its day-to-day management of the Alamo grounds and activities at the historic site, and to the many film adaptations and books about the 1836 siege and battle that inspired it. My novel is available for purchase at Amazon.com and most other online bookstores.

Cenotaph Restoration

A recent visit to the Alamo, along with family visiting from out of town, showcased the ongoing repairs, restoration, and new construction at the historic site. Scaffolding surrounds these projects, including the memorial to those Alamo defenders killed during the 1836 battle, “The Spirit of Sacrifice.” The monument, created by artist Pompeo Coppini, is located in Alamo Plaza just outside the exterior walls of the Long Barrack. It features at its base the names of the deceased whose bodies were immolated in the aftermath of the final assault on March 6th, as well as life-size impressions of the defenders along with their names. On the towering column that reaches skyward is a depiction of their souls ascending from the flames.

When my book, Ghostly Bugles, was published in 2023 a final decision by the Alamo Trust had not yet been reached regarding a comprehensive restoration plan. This allowed me literary license to use the statue as a talking point for the main character in the novel, an old man with a long association to the historic site, who thinks back on the Alamo’s history, actually feels the presence of those who participated in the 1836 siege and battle and tries to understand their sacrifice in the context of current events. The following is an excerpt from, appropriately enough, Chapter Two: The Spirit of Sacrifice.

Today the old man was one of several visitors at the Cenotaph located in the northwest section of the Plaza. The monument, The Spirit of Sacrifice, created by the sculptor Pompeo Coppini, had been completed in 1939 and formally dedicated in 1940. Its physical location marked the spot where many believed (at the time) that the Alamo defenders’ bodies had been burned. That contention was no longer believed to be factual, and there had even been discussion on moving the monument. But the proposed move was controversial, and it had held up the Alamo Plan well past the city’s 300^th anniversary in 2018. At least now, a decision had finally been made to leave the monument where it was, allowing the plan to move forward. As the old man gazed upward at the marble columns depicting the Alamo defenders, he fervently hoped that restoration of Coppini’s work could finally be accomplished. The marble was crumbling, and the monument’s structural integrity was severely compromised leaving the 60-foot-high monument on the verge of collapse.

The scaffolding witnessed during my recent visit went up around the monument in November 2023, allowing inspection of the sculpture to determine its structural integrity. Actual repairs and upgrades will begin this July with projected completion set for early 2025.

According to the San Antonio Express News, priorities for restoration include concrete, joint and structural repairs, waterproofing, stone cleaning and patching, and a new drainage system. “While these repairs necessitate the careful removal of stones from the Cenotaph to access its internal structure for restoration, this process is crucial to reinforce its internal structure to guarantee its standing for another near-century in its original place.” – Scott Huddleston, SA Express Staff Writer.

The use of “the old man” as narrator in my book connects both past and present, the historical record as well as today’s efforts to ensure that the Alamo will remain a world-class tourist destination well into the future. Like the old man I appreciate what has been accomplished to date (the 24,000 square-foot Ralston Family Collections Center, the Palisade Exhibit, and the 18-Pounder Losoya House Exhibit,) as well as the projected completion of the Museum and Visitor Center. The multi-year restoration of the Alamo Church, the Long Barrack, and the Cenotaph along with a better delineation of the original site and battlefield footprint will ensure that the Alamo story is never forgotten.

Readers can find my book, Ghostly Bugles: A Novel of the Alamo, at Amazon.com and most online bookstores.

“Remember the Alamo!”

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday in the United States is tomorrow, the celebration of Christ’s resurrection and the promise of eternal life for the faithful. This year the celebration falls on March 31st, but the date actually changes from year to year based on the first full moon that follows the vernal or March equinox (the beginning of spring.)

Because the equinox (the alignment of the earth’s axis allowing both southern and northern hemispheres equal amounts of sunshine) can vary by a day or two, the Catholic Church created a fixed date, March 21st, as the point from which the moon’s appearance could be calculated. This year it appeared on March 25th, so Easter observance for those who follow the Gregorian calendar is this Sunday. Pope Gregory XIII introduced the calendar in 1582.

Prior to that the Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was the predominant calendar used throughout the Roman Empire and most of the Western world. It is still used as a religious calendar by the Orthodox Church, which will celebrate Easter on May 5th.

Regardless of the dichotomy, the holiest day of the Christian faith is recognition and acceptance of Christ’s divinity and victory over sin and death. Celebrate it in your heart and have a blessed and happy Easter.

Justice Realized

This is a photo of the Main Post Chapel on Fort Sam Houston, a place of worship for all denominations, the site of baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Few realize, however, that the largest court martial in U.S. history took place in its basement. This is where 118 soldiers of the all-Black 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, often referred to as Buffalo Soldiers, were tried and convicted of mutiny, willful disobedience to orders, murder and assault in connection with the Houston Riot of 1917. Eight were exonerated of the charges. Those found guilty received a dishonorable discharge and various sentences; nineteen were executed by hanging. Two of the executed soldiers’ remains were eventually returned to their families. Seventeen sat in unmarked graves for twenty years before being exhumed and moved to their current location within the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

As previously documented in my November 20, 2023 blog entry, Random Thoughts on Justice and Peace, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth set aside those convictions, acknowledging that the soldiers’ guilt had never been established and they did not get a fair trial. Their service records were changed to reflect that they had served honorably.

On February 22, 2024, a final symbolic step in righting the injustices to all those wrongfully convicted took place. The seventeen soldiers interred at Fort Sam Houston received new headstones. Previously those markers listed only their names and dates of death. They now reflect rank, unit, and service record. By holding itself accountable and making these changes, the U.S. Army admitted that it had acted in its own self-interest, ignoring the race issues that had precipitated the riot as well as the shortcomings in its legal system that denied the Buffalo Soldiers a presumption of innocence. Justice denied in 1917, after almost 107 years, eventually prevailed.

“Today, we right the wrongs of the past and honor the service of these soldiers who served our country with honor. The new headstones represent the Army’s full commitment to helping correct the injustice of that era.”

Matthew Quinn, Veterans Affairs Undersecretary of Memorial Affairs

Ghostly Bugles: One Year Anniversary

On February 23rd, 2023, my novel was released by Wild Lark Books, the date coinciding with the yearly commemoration of the thirteen-day siege and battle. The celebration of one of the most famous military engagements in history, certainly in Texas’ history, is a year-round event, but on this day in 1836 the vanguard of Santa Anna’s army arrived in San Antonio and the Alamo defenders occupied the old Spanish mission.

On February 24th, 1836, William Barret Travis penned his famous “Victory or Death” letter. The Alamo is celebrating the return of the document for the first time since 2013. Normally stored and preserved by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in Austin, Texas, this is only the second time that the missive has been put on public display at the Cradle of Texas Liberty in its 188-year history.

Travis’ plea for reinforcements, especially the closing which he underlined three times, is the stuff of legend. Yet beyond the legend, beyond the many books written in the years since and the various cinematic interpretations, was a flesh and blood individual who, while determined to sacrifice his life for the birth of an independent Texas Republic, was fully aware that every defender within the walls would also perish alongside him if his plea went unanswered.

The weight and immensity of that burden is often forgotten in the retelling of the Alamo story. When I wrote Ghostly Bugles, my intent in once again adding to the bevy of literature on the subject was to humanize everyone on both sides of the conflict and try to understand their internal struggles and conflicts. Too often, when we look back on larger-than-life historical figures, their humanity is lost in the larger context of the historical event and the part they played in it.

This excerpt is from Chapter Seventeen: All Glory Is Fleeting –

TRAVIS NEVER showed his disillusion or disappointment in front of the men, but privately he gave in to despondency. What good were his words if they failed to arouse fellow Texians and countrymen to come to the Alamo’s aid? Hunched over his writing desk with quill in hand he pondered the many requests for help that had gone unanswered. Albert Martin, James Butler Bonham, Juan Seguín and countless others had ridden out with requests for help. To what purpose? The Mexican forces continued to close in, and there was no sign of relief. Giving in to his frustration, Travis penned the following:

If my countrymen do not rally to my relief

I am determined to perish in defense of this place,

and my bones shall reproach my country for her neglect.

Obviously, any emotions credited to a famous person, unless they expressly documented their feelings when they were alive, are fictional, created by the author to give context to the story. The italicized words in the above passage were indeed written by William Barret Travis. Reading them, I tried to capture what he might have felt at that moment.

Ghostly Bugles is a historical fiction novel. As such I took the liberty of ascribing sentiments to the participants in the Alamo siege and battle. A recent review from Reader Views argues favorably on the choice I made.

“I love it when a book is written that contains just the right amount of history about a certain event combined with just the right amount of fiction to make it a great story. Ghostly Bugles is definitely one of those kinds of books.”

The Alamo’s history isn’t just about facts and dates. It’s about the people… the famous, the infamous, the marginalized, and the forgotten on both sides who actually lived and died at the Alamo. This post celebrates this past year with Wild Lark Books, but just as San Antonio commemorates the siege and battle yearly, I look forward to continued interest and sales of my book. Pick up your copy of Ghostly Bugles at Amazon.com and other online bookstores.

TCM Film Festival

I have often discussed going to the Turner Classic Film Festival with my youngest son, Sean, and we’ve finally decided to make it happen. The festival will take place in Los Angeles April 18 – April 21, 2024, showcasing multiple classic films, movie stars and directors. One of the featured films is John Ford’s masterpiece, The Searchers. Released in 1956 to mixed reviews, it did not receive a single Academy Award nomination. Today it is considered by many film critics to be the greatest western movie ever made. In 2008 the American Film Institute ranked it #1 in that film category, and in its list of the top 100 films in cinematic history, it is ranked #12.

Based on the novel by Alan Le May, The Searchers starred John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, and Natalie Wood. I’ve seen it countless times on television over the years, yet I’ve never seen it on the big screen. Knowing how much I want to see the restored theatrical screening while in Hollywood, my wife bought me Glenn Frankel’s book, the cover of which is featured above.

The Making of an American Legend is a comprehensive look at Cynthia Ann Parker’s life before and after her abduction by the Comanche, the legacy of her son, Quanah Parker, who was born during her captivity, Alan Le May’s literary career, and the making of the film by director John Ford. If you enjoy reading nonfiction, it is well worth the effort. In my case, I hope to participate in the question-and-answer sessions at the festival, and Frankel’s detailed examination of all facets of the story provide an excellent springboard to ask insightful questions.

For anyone unfamiliar with Cynthia Ann’s story she was abducted on May 19, 1836, and was not “rescued” until December 18, 1860. By then, almost twenty-five years later, she had married a Comanche chief, Peta Nocona, given birth to three children, and was totally assimilated into the Native American lifestyle.

Cynthia Ann didn’t voluntarily return to white society. She was forcibly taken once more, this time in a raid against a Comanche encampment. Believing that her Indian husband and two sons, Quanah Parker and Pecos, were dead, she and her daughter, Prairie Flower, were reunited with her uncle, Colonel Isaac Parker, initially settling in Birdville, Texas. However, she could never adjust back to the Anglo way of life and made several unsuccessful attempts at escaping and returning to the Comanche. When illness also took her daughter’s life, she was inconsolable. She died in 1870, a broken and lonely woman, whose longing to return to her Native American family was never fulfilled.

The adaptation of Cynthia Ann’s story in both Alan Le May’s book and John Ford’s movie explores themes of racism and intolerance, reflecting the attitudes of that era. Abduction of a female by Indians was considered a fate worse than death. Prolonged captivity led to the belief that the person was now tainted goods. Was it better to “put a bullet in her head” or welcome her back into white society?

Alan Le May’s book and Ford’s cinematic rendering of the novel each ends differently. I’ll leave it to the reader or the cinephile to find out how! While you’re at it, check out my novel, Palo Duro, about the Southern Plains Indian Wars. It looks at all the tribes, pivotal battles, and key historical figures (including Quanah Parker who was not killed in the raid that resulted in Cynthia Ann’s abduction.)

Palo Duro is available at most online bookstores.

Llano Estacado

I’ve begun working on a new novel, a departure from the historical fiction genre that has been the focus of my previous books. It’s a western set in the plains of West Texas. The Civil War has been over for almost eight years. The expansion westward has violated the treaties signed by the U.S. government with the Plains Indian tribes, with more and more frontier forts and white settlements encroaching on their lands. The initial response has been the movement of the “Nermernuh” (The People) north of the Red River and westward onto the Llano Estacado, the Staked Plains.

The book is in its early stages. I’m still outlining the plot and characters, but the focus will be on the relentless quest for vengeance after the massacre of a Comanche encampment and the subsequent reprisal taken by the Penetaka Comanche on an isolated homestead.

Revenge motivates both sides and sets off a prolonged journey through Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, leaving in its wake depredations, mutilations, scalping, torture, and rape.

The initial title mirrors the heading of this post, although I’m still debating on whether it should be Comancheria, the lands claimed by the Comanche Empire until their subjugation in the Red River War and movement onto reservations in Indian Territory.

The Southern Plains Indian Wars were the subject of my novel, Palo Duro. In that book I relied heavily on actual events and people, visitations to several battle sites, and extensive research, whereas the characters and plot of my ongoing effort will be focused on fictional characters and storyline. Palo Duro was a western in the sense that it covered that historical period. I wrote then of my love for the “Old West” in books and cinema, but this will be my first foray into the western genre.

All of my books (Silver Taps, Palo Duro, Tarnished Brass, and Ghostly Bugles) are available at Amazon.com and most online platforms.

Reader Views: Ghostly Bugles

I’ve often commented that reviews are the lifeblood of authors and their works. Getting those reviews, however, can be challenging for indie authors who don’t have the backing and marketing resources of the major publishing houses. Reader Views is an online platform that began in 2005 as a book review service but has since expanded its services to include publicity, proofreading, author interviews, and a book awards program. In other words, it acts as an advocate for independent authors like me.

In October 2023, I entered my book, Ghostly Bugles: A Novel of the Alamo, into their 2023-2024 Reader Views Literary Awards program. While finalists and winners will not be announced until the Spring of 2024, this past week I received my copy of Reader Views five-star review. I’m both gratified and pleased to share their review with everyone that currently follows me on WordPress, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and with your help (word of mouth), to also attract new readership.

“Ghostly Bugles is a fascinating, very well-written story for everyone out there. If you feel that you already know everything there is to know about the Alamo, I can assure you that this book will show you that you do not. It is filled with all of the historical facts surrounding the battle, but it is so much more.”

To read the complete review, please click on the following link:

https://readerviewsarchives.wordpress.com/2024/01/06/ghostly-bugles-knight/

As we enter into the New Year, I hope to hear from more readers with their own comments and perspectives about the novel. And for those of you who have yet to pick up a copy of Ghostly Bugles, it is available at Amazon. com and from most online bookstores.

Wild Lark Books is transitioning to Wild Lark Books Fund. As this transition continues, please click on the following link to purchase directly from the publisher:

https://bookshop.org/shop/WildLarkBooks

Victory or Death

Alamo Plaza is beautifully decorated over the holiday season. The trees are wrapped with colorful lights and a Christmas tree dominates the entrance to the Alamo. There is an air of festivity at the old Spanish mission, not just because Christmas and the New Year are right around the corner, but also very much due to the announcement that William Barret Travis’ Victory or Death letter is returning to the Alamo for the first time since 2013.

Normally housed in Austin at the Texas State Library, the letter written on February 24th, 1836, addressed “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World,” will be on display at the Ralston Family Collections Center from February 23 – March 24, 2024.

This early message would be one of many written by the twenty-six-year-old commander of the garrison. There would be a total of sixteen messengers that sallied forth carrying Travis’ appeals during the thirteen-day siege.

CAPTAIN ALBERT MARTIN carried the most famous “Victory or Death” dispatch on day two, February 24^th, to Gonzales, some seventy miles away. His efforts would yield the only meager reinforcements to reach the Alamo before its fall; thirty-two men, comprising the Gonzales Raiding Company, arrived on March 1^st. Martin was among them.

The tone of the letter reflects defiance in the face of overwhelming odds, reflecting the heroism of the Alamo defenders. The names of the 189 male combatants who perished on March 6, 1836 (the 157 who initially occupied the mission plus the 32 members of the Gonzales Raiding Company) are forever etched in the annals of Texas history.

As the siege wore on it was only natural that a growing despondency characterized latter dispatches. The following excerpt is from my book Ghostly Bugles:

“TRAVIS NEVER showed his disillusion or disappointment in front of the men, but privately he gave in to despondency. What good were his words if they failed to arouse fellow Texians and countrymen to come to the Alamo’s aid? Hunched over his writing desk with quill in hand he pondered the many requests for help that had gone unanswered. Albert Martin, James Butler Bonham, Juan Seguín and countless others had ridden out with requests for help. To what purpose? The Mexican forces continued to close in, and there was no sign of relief. Giving in to his frustration, Travis penned the following:

If my countrymen do not rally to my relief

I am determined to perish in defense of this place,

and my bones shall reproach my country for her neglect.“

To Travis’ credit, although frustrated, he never gave in to desperation. All of his missives expressed his determination to never surrender or retreat. He would offer the men under his command the latitude to decide for themselves whether to remain inside the embattled walls, but he remained true to his initial declaration… Victory or Death!

My book, Ghostly Bugles: A Novel of the Alamo, is available at Amazon.com and most online platforms, from the publisher Wild Lark Books, and at the Twig Bookshop at the Pearl as well as the Barnes & Noble on Henderson Pass in San Antonio. Looking for that last minute Christmas gift? Look no further! And, if you live in San Antonio or plan to visit, be sure to avail yourself of the opportunity to view Travis’ Victory or Death letter in person.

Historical Significance

Historical significance involves society’s judgement of why a particular person or event is remembered. It isn’t simply a written historical record. The emphasis is on importance rather than just the fact someone existed, or something occurred. Any assessment of importance is therefore contingent upon the perspective from which it is viewed. Since perspectives differ and history isn’t static, it follows that historical significance is neither fixed nor permanent. The same interpretation or conceptualization of individuals and events doesn’t always stand the test of time. Our thoughts on a topic or person and our understanding of them changes as our values change and new historical evidence is uncovered.

For generations courage and sacrifice have defined our understanding of the 1836 siege and battle of the Alamo. The defenders of the old Spanish Mission have been honored throughout history for their bravery in the face of overwhelming odds and by their willingness to sacrifice their lives to help achieve an independent Texas Republic. Names such as Travis, Crockett, and Bowie and their heroic deaths were emblematic of all those inside the walls and their fame has drawn thousands of visitors to San Antonio and Alamo Plaza yearly.

Was the Alamo story legend, or was it fact? The Alamo church and Long Barrack continue to draw visitors from around the world to the Alamo city. However, in certain circles, the Alamo is one of those historical events now being reevaluated. Instead of heroism, recent publications such as Forget the Alamo have focused on revealing character flaws amongst the famous triumvirate, questioning their motivations, completely changing the narrative.

Unequivocally, I’m not one of those who endorses this focus. There is certainly merit to ongoing research, and newly revealed information may well affect how we perceive someone or how we feel about a particular historical event, however I personally have difficulty buying into any reevaluation that denigrates past heroes and casts doubt on why we should even celebrate or remember them. While we need to learn from history to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, when we attempt to recast or erase everything we know or thought we knew, we do a disservice to our forebears.

I write all my books and my blog from the perspective –

LIFE IS HISTORY

OUR PAST IS PROLOGUE

My novel, Ghostly Bugles, recognizes not only the past but the future Alamo story, with emphasis on the participants who heretofore have not been recognized. It is available through the publisher, Wild Lark Books, at online bookstores, and locally at the Twig Bookshop at the Pearl, and the Barnes & Noble Bookstore off Henderson Pass.