THE FALL OFTHE ALAMO ~ page 3
against the inside of the west barrier. L L L L denote barrier walls, inclosing an area, 154 yards long and 54 wide, with the long barrack on the east and the low barrack on the south of it.These walls were 2 3/4 feet thick, and from 9 to 12 high, except the strip which fronted the chapel, that being only four feet in height.This low piece of wall was covered by an oblique intrenchment, marked R, and yet to be described, which ran from the southwest angle of the chapel to the east end of the low barrack.M marks the place of a palisade gate at the west end of the intrenchment. The small letters (n) locate the doors of the several rooms which opened upon the large area.Most of those doors had within a semi-circular parapet for the use of marksmen, composed of a double curtain of hides, upheld by stakes and filled in with rammed earth.Some of the rooms were also loopholed.O O mark barrier walls, from 5 to 6 feet high and 2 3/4 thick, which inclosed a smaller area north of the chapel and east of the long barrack. P designates a cattle yard east of the barrack and south of the small area; it was inclosed by a picket fence.Q shows the locality of a battered breach in the north wall.
The above described fort, if it merited that name was, when the siege commenced, in the condition for defense in which it had been left by the Mexican General Cos, when he capitulated in the fall of 1835. The chapel, except the west end and north projection, had been unroofed, the east end being occupied by the platform of earth B, 12 feet high, with a slope for ascension to the west.On its level were mounted three pieces of cannon.One (1), a 12-pounder, pointed east through an embrazure roughly notched in the wall; another (2) was aimed north through a similar notch, and another (3) fired over the wall to the south.High scaffolds of wood enabled marksmen to use the top of the roofless wall as a parapet.The intrenchment R consisted of a ditch and breastwork, the latter of earth packed between two rows of palisades, the outer row being higher than the earthwork.Behind it and near the gate was a battery of four guns (4 5 6 7), all 4-pounders, pointing south.The porte cochre through the low barrack was covered on the outside by a lunette of stockades and earth, mounted with two guns (8, 9).In the southwest angle of the large area was an 18-pounder (10), in the centre of the west wall a twelve pound cannonade (11), and in the northwest corner of the same area an 8-pounder (12) and east of this, within the north wall, two more guns of the same calibre (13, 14).All the guns of this area were mounted on high platforms of stockades and earth, and fired over the walls.The several barriers were covered on the outside with a ditch,