Juana Navarro Alsbury
Encyclopedia
Juana Navarro Alsbury was one of the few Texian survivors of the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution
in 1836. As Mexican forces entered her hometown, San Antonio de Bexar, on February 23, Alsbury's cousin by marriage, James Bowie, brought her with him to the Alamo Mission so that he could protect her. Bowie, the co-commander of the Texian
forces, collapsed from illness on the second day of the siege; Alsbury nursed him throughout the remainder of the siege. On March 4, Texian co-commander William Barret Travis sent her as an emissary to Mexican commander Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
to negotiate an honorable surrender for the Texian forces. She made no headway, and her visit likely increased Santa Anna's impatience to end the siege in a spectacular fashion. Santa Anna launched an early-morning assault on the Alamo on March 6.
Most Texian troops were killed during the Battle of the Alamo
. Two of them died in front of Alsbury. One Texian was killed trying to protect Alsbury, her sister Gertrudis, and her young son Alijo Perez Jr., from Mexican troops. The other was found hiding in her room. The women were rescued by a Mexican officer and interviewed by Santa Anna before being released.
Alsbury belonged to a prominent family within San Antonio de Bexar and was raised by her uncle Juan Martin de Veramendi
, who briefly served as governor of Texas. She married three times. Her first husband died of cholera; the second, Dr. Horace Alsbury
, was captured by Mexican forces during the Mexican-American War; after his death, she married a cousin of her first husband.
) to José Ángel Navarro and Concepción Cervantes. Her exact birthdate was unrecorded, but she was baptized on December 28, 1812. The Navarro family was well known in Bexar; both Juana's father and his brother, José Antonio Navarro
, held prominent positions in local government. Her paternal aunt, Josefa Navarro, married Juan Martín de Veramendi
, who briefly served as governor of Spanish Texas
.
After Juana's mother died, she and her younger sister Gertrudis were adopted by the Veramendi family and raised alongside their daughter, Ursula. In 1832, Juana married Alejo Pérez Ramigio. That same year, Juana's adoptive parents and her cousin Ursula died in a cholera
epidemic in Monclova, Mexico. Juana's husband likely died of the same disease in 1834. She had one son, Alijo Perez Jr., and may have given birth to a daughter who died in infancy.
wished to delegate many powers to the individual Mexican states, while centralists
wished to consolidate power at the national level. In 1835, several interior Mexican states, angry at the increasingly dictatorial policies of Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna
, took up arms against the Mexican government. Texian
s launched their own armed rebellion, known as the Texas Revolution
, in October 1835. Over the next two months, Texians successfully removed all Mexican troops from the region. Their actions infuriated Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
, who immediately began preparations to invade Texas. Juana's father joined Santa Anna's new Army of Operations in Texas as an officer. The remaining members of the Navarro family supported the Texian cause.
In January 1836, Juana married again, to Dr. Horace Alsbury
. Rumors soon flew that Santa Anna and his army were coming directly toward Bexar, location of the Alamo Mission, one of two Texian garrisons. Many local residents fled the town. On February 23, Horace Alsbury left for East Texas, determined to find a safe place to bring his wife, her son, and her sister Gertrudis. Alsbury left his family with James Bowie, the widower of Juana's cousin Ursula. Later that afternoon, the vanguard of Santa Anna's army arrived. Bowie moved into the Alamo, accompanied by Juana, Alijo and Gertrudis. By the end of the day, more than 1,500 Mexican troops had entered Bexar and initiated a siege of the Alamo
.
At some point on the second day of the siege, Bowie collapsed from illness. He was confined to his bed and Juana acted as his nurse. Throughout the siege, the Mexican army kept up a continual bombardment, while the Texians were forced to conserve their ammunition and rarely respond. On March 3, an additional 1,000 Mexican soldiers arrived in Bexar. The Texians were vastly outnumbered, although between 32 and 80 additional men were able to break through Mexican lines to join them in the Alamo, bringing Texian numbers to approximately 250.
The following evening (March 4), Alamo commander William Barret Travis sent Juana to Santa Anna to try to negotiate an honorable surrender for the Alamo defenders. Fellow survivor Susanna Dickinson misinterpreted Juana's mission and, years later, accused her of deserting the Texians to provide information about their defenses to her father, who served on Santa Anna's staff. Historians do not believe that Juana spied for the Mexican army, but they do believe that her visit likely increased Santa Anna's impatience to end the siege. As historian Timothy Todish noted, "there would have been little glory in a bloodless victory". The following morning, Santa Anna announced to his staff that the assault would take place early on March 6.
The Mexican army launched their assault just before 6:00 am on March 6. During the battle, Juana and her son and sister hid in one of the rooms along the west wall. Gertrudis Navarro opened the door to their room to signal that they meant no harm. When Mexican soldiers threatened them, a Texian defenderAccording to Todish et al. (1998), p. 54, the Texian defender was either Edwin Mitchell or Napolean Mitchell; Alsbury knew only his last name. charged into the room to defend them; he was quickly killed, as was a young Tejano who took refuge in the room. A Mexican officer soon arrived and led the women to a spot along one of the walls where they would be relatively safe.
When the battle ended, almost all of the Texians were dead. Most noncombatants were spared. Santa Anna personally interviewed them each on March 7. He was most impressed with Dickinson, and offered to adopt her young daughter and educate the child in Mexico City. No similar offer was extended to Juana, whose son was approximately the same age. Each woman was given a blanket and two silver peso
s. Juana and her family were allowed to move into their father's home in Bexar.
. The Mexican government refused to recognize the Treaties of Velasco
or the new Republic of Texas
. In September 1842, Mexican general Adrian Woll
invaded Texas and captured Bexar. He arrested several dozen Texians, including Horace Alsbury, and marched them into Mexico. Juana followed as far as Candela, Coahuila
. She waited there for almost two years, until Horace Alsbury was released in 1844. The couple then returned to Bexar.
Alsbury likely died in 1847. At some point after that, Juana married again, to Juan Pérez, her first husband's cousin.
The state of Texas began offering pensions to many people who had served in the Texas Revolution, and in 1857 Juana petitioned the legislature. For her service as a nurse to Bowie, she was granted a small pension.
Juana died on July 23, 1888 at her son's home along Salado Creek
in Bexar County, Texas
. She was either buried there or at a Catholic cemetery within San Antonio.
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
in 1836. As Mexican forces entered her hometown, San Antonio de Bexar, on February 23, Alsbury's cousin by marriage, James Bowie, brought her with him to the Alamo Mission so that he could protect her. Bowie, the co-commander of the Texian
Texian
Texian is an archaic, mostly defunct 19th century demonym which defined a settler of current-day Texas, one of the southern states of the United States of America which borders the country of Mexico...
forces, collapsed from illness on the second day of the siege; Alsbury nursed him throughout the remainder of the siege. On March 4, Texian co-commander William Barret Travis sent her as an emissary to Mexican commander Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
to negotiate an honorable surrender for the Texian forces. She made no headway, and her visit likely increased Santa Anna's impatience to end the siege in a spectacular fashion. Santa Anna launched an early-morning assault on the Alamo on March 6.
Most Texian troops were killed during the Battle of the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
. Two of them died in front of Alsbury. One Texian was killed trying to protect Alsbury, her sister Gertrudis, and her young son Alijo Perez Jr., from Mexican troops. The other was found hiding in her room. The women were rescued by a Mexican officer and interviewed by Santa Anna before being released.
Alsbury belonged to a prominent family within San Antonio de Bexar and was raised by her uncle Juan Martin de Veramendi
Juan Martín de Veramendi
Juan Martin de Veramendi was the governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas from 1832 until 1833.Veramendi was born on December 17, 1778 in San Fernando de Béxar, known as Bexar, to Fernando Veramendi and Maria Josefa Granados...
, who briefly served as governor of Texas. She married three times. Her first husband died of cholera; the second, Dr. Horace Alsbury
Horace Alsbury
Horace Arlington Alsbury was one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred and was also notable for his participation In the siege of San Antonio de Bexar in November–December 1835 and on March 1, 1836, he also accompanied the thirty-two Gonzales, Texas volunteers on their way to the Alamo...
, was captured by Mexican forces during the Mexican-American War; after his death, she married a cousin of her first husband.
Early years
Juana Gertrudis Navarro was born in San Antonio de Bexar (modern San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
) to José Ángel Navarro and Concepción Cervantes. Her exact birthdate was unrecorded, but she was baptized on December 28, 1812. The Navarro family was well known in Bexar; both Juana's father and his brother, José Antonio Navarro
José Antonio Navarro
José Antonio Navarro was a Texas statesman, revolutionary, politician, and merchant. The son of Ángel Navarro and Josefa María Ruiz y Pena, he was born into a distinguished noble family at San Antonio de Béxar in New Spain....
, held prominent positions in local government. Her paternal aunt, Josefa Navarro, married Juan Martín de Veramendi
Juan Martín de Veramendi
Juan Martin de Veramendi was the governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas from 1832 until 1833.Veramendi was born on December 17, 1778 in San Fernando de Béxar, known as Bexar, to Fernando Veramendi and Maria Josefa Granados...
, who briefly served as governor of Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. Although Spain claimed ownership of the territory, which comprised part of modern-day Texas, including the land north of the Medina and Nueces Rivers, the Spanish did not attempt to colonize the area until after...
.
After Juana's mother died, she and her younger sister Gertrudis were adopted by the Veramendi family and raised alongside their daughter, Ursula. In 1832, Juana married Alejo Pérez Ramigio. That same year, Juana's adoptive parents and her cousin Ursula died in a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic in Monclova, Mexico. Juana's husband likely died of the same disease in 1834. She had one son, Alijo Perez Jr., and may have given birth to a daughter who died in infancy.
Texas Revolution
In the early to mid-1830s, the political situation in Mexico underwent much upheaval. FederalistsFederalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
wished to delegate many powers to the individual Mexican states, while centralists
Centralized government
A centralized or centralised government is one in which power or legal authority is exerted or coordinated by a de facto political executive to which federal states, local authorities, and smaller units are considered subject...
wished to consolidate power at the national level. In 1835, several interior Mexican states, angry at the increasingly dictatorial policies of Mexican President Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
, took up arms against the Mexican government. Texian
Texian
Texian is an archaic, mostly defunct 19th century demonym which defined a settler of current-day Texas, one of the southern states of the United States of America which borders the country of Mexico...
s launched their own armed rebellion, known as the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
, in October 1835. Over the next two months, Texians successfully removed all Mexican troops from the region. Their actions infuriated Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
, who immediately began preparations to invade Texas. Juana's father joined Santa Anna's new Army of Operations in Texas as an officer. The remaining members of the Navarro family supported the Texian cause.
In January 1836, Juana married again, to Dr. Horace Alsbury
Horace Alsbury
Horace Arlington Alsbury was one of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred and was also notable for his participation In the siege of San Antonio de Bexar in November–December 1835 and on March 1, 1836, he also accompanied the thirty-two Gonzales, Texas volunteers on their way to the Alamo...
. Rumors soon flew that Santa Anna and his army were coming directly toward Bexar, location of the Alamo Mission, one of two Texian garrisons. Many local residents fled the town. On February 23, Horace Alsbury left for East Texas, determined to find a safe place to bring his wife, her son, and her sister Gertrudis. Alsbury left his family with James Bowie, the widower of Juana's cousin Ursula. Later that afternoon, the vanguard of Santa Anna's army arrived. Bowie moved into the Alamo, accompanied by Juana, Alijo and Gertrudis. By the end of the day, more than 1,500 Mexican troops had entered Bexar and initiated a siege of the Alamo
Siege of the Alamo
The siege of the Alamo describes the first twelve days of the Battle of the Alamo. On February 23, Mexican troops under General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna entered San Antonio de Bexar, Texas and surrounded the Alamo Mission...
.
At some point on the second day of the siege, Bowie collapsed from illness. He was confined to his bed and Juana acted as his nurse. Throughout the siege, the Mexican army kept up a continual bombardment, while the Texians were forced to conserve their ammunition and rarely respond. On March 3, an additional 1,000 Mexican soldiers arrived in Bexar. The Texians were vastly outnumbered, although between 32 and 80 additional men were able to break through Mexican lines to join them in the Alamo, bringing Texian numbers to approximately 250.
The following evening (March 4), Alamo commander William Barret Travis sent Juana to Santa Anna to try to negotiate an honorable surrender for the Alamo defenders. Fellow survivor Susanna Dickinson misinterpreted Juana's mission and, years later, accused her of deserting the Texians to provide information about their defenses to her father, who served on Santa Anna's staff. Historians do not believe that Juana spied for the Mexican army, but they do believe that her visit likely increased Santa Anna's impatience to end the siege. As historian Timothy Todish noted, "there would have been little glory in a bloodless victory". The following morning, Santa Anna announced to his staff that the assault would take place early on March 6.
The Mexican army launched their assault just before 6:00 am on March 6. During the battle, Juana and her son and sister hid in one of the rooms along the west wall. Gertrudis Navarro opened the door to their room to signal that they meant no harm. When Mexican soldiers threatened them, a Texian defenderAccording to Todish et al. (1998), p. 54, the Texian defender was either Edwin Mitchell or Napolean Mitchell; Alsbury knew only his last name. charged into the room to defend them; he was quickly killed, as was a young Tejano who took refuge in the room. A Mexican officer soon arrived and led the women to a spot along one of the walls where they would be relatively safe.
When the battle ended, almost all of the Texians were dead. Most noncombatants were spared. Santa Anna personally interviewed them each on March 7. He was most impressed with Dickinson, and offered to adopt her young daughter and educate the child in Mexico City. No similar offer was extended to Juana, whose son was approximately the same age. Each woman was given a blanket and two silver peso
Peso
The word peso was the name of a coin that originated in Spain and became of immense importance internationally...
s. Juana and her family were allowed to move into their father's home in Bexar.
Later years
The Texas Revolution ended in April 1836, when the Texian army captured Santa Anna at the Battle of San JacintoBattle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
. The Mexican government refused to recognize the Treaties of Velasco
Treaties of Velasco
The Treaties of Velasco were two documents signed at Velasco, Texas, on May 14, 1836, between Antonio López de Santa Anna of Mexico and the Republic of Texas, in the aftermath of the Battle of San Jacinto ....
or the new Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. In September 1842, Mexican general Adrian Woll
Adrián Woll
Adrián Woll was a French soldier of fortune and mercenary who served as a general in the army of Mexico during the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
invaded Texas and captured Bexar. He arrested several dozen Texians, including Horace Alsbury, and marched them into Mexico. Juana followed as far as Candela, Coahuila
Candela, Coahuila
This article is about city in Mexico. For other uses, see Candela .Candela is a city in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. The municipal seat of the surrounding municipality of Candela, it is located at 100° 39' 43" West, 26° 50' 25" North, in the state's central region. There were 1,669...
. She waited there for almost two years, until Horace Alsbury was released in 1844. The couple then returned to Bexar.
Alsbury likely died in 1847. At some point after that, Juana married again, to Juan Pérez, her first husband's cousin.
The state of Texas began offering pensions to many people who had served in the Texas Revolution, and in 1857 Juana petitioned the legislature. For her service as a nurse to Bowie, she was granted a small pension.
Juana died on July 23, 1888 at her son's home along Salado Creek
Salado Creek
Salado Creek is a waterway in San Antonio that runs from Northern Bexar County for about to the San Antonio River near Buena Vista.-Watershed:...
in Bexar County, Texas
Bexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
. She was either buried there or at a Catholic cemetery within San Antonio.
See also
- Battle of the AlamoBattle of the AlamoThe Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
- List of Texan survivors of the Battle of the Alamo