Remember the Alamo!: The Runaway Scrape Diary of Belle Wood, Austin's Colony, 1835-1836

By Lisa Waller Rogers

Book Overview

The howls got nearer and nearer . . . . We could see the pack prowling the edges of our campsite. We were surrounded by wolves and water. Late in 1835, the Mexican Army surrendered San Antonio and retreated across the Rio Grande. Texas colonists, including young Belle Wood, rejoiced. No one expected more trouble from Mexico. So when Belle's brother, Mac, followed Colonel Travis to the Alamo in January as "a precautionary measure," Belle didn't worry. Three weeks later, General Santa Anna reentered San Antonio with thousands of troops, taking the 150 doomed Alamo men by surprise. "The news came upon me like a clap of thunder," Belle wrote. "My brother, Mac, is dead." As Santa Anna marched eastward, panic ensued. All over Texas, people either joined the fight for independence or fled for safety in the mass exodus known as the Runaway Scrape. Belle tells how her family joins the throng pushing to the U.S. border on foot or in every kind of vehicle imaginable. Theirs is a perilous, tragic journey in rain and cold, across sodden prairies and deep mud. Despite all their trials and difficulties, however, the Texians push on, and throughout Belle's diary runs the story of a proud people determined to save their families from the ravages of war and to rebuild their homes in this new nation--Texas. Extensive primary-source research forms the foundation of fictional diarist Belle's authentic account. Its historical appendix, complete with photos and map, will be useful to young readers and teachers alike.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089672784X
• ISBN13: 9780896727847
• Release Date: March 2013
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.9" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Read

I enjoyed this book a lot because it really showed what life was like during the Texas revolution. It was about a young girl named Belle Wood who must endure the hardships of the war against Mexico and the perilous Runaway Scrape. It sucks the reader in with its suspense and does a very good job of giving you all of the true facts of the Texas Revolution. I would definently reccomend this book to young and old readers alike. It was wonderful!