William R. Carey is an important but lesser known member of the Alamo garrison. In fact, the thirty-three-year old Carey was the first Texian commander of the Alamo.
Born in Virginia in 1806 to Moses Carey, William arrived in Washington-on-the-Brazos on July 28, 1835. He joined the Texas volunteer army at the onset of the Texas Revolution. Following the Battle of Bexar in December 1835, Lt. Carey was elected captain of his artillery company. While much of the volunteer army departed San Antonio following the December battle, Carey’s company remained in San Antonio under the command of Lt. Col. James C. Neill. For a time, until Neill moved his entire garrison into the old mission, Carey commanded the Alamo while Neill commanded the town of Bexar.
James C. Neill departed the Alamo on February 11, 1836 to tend to his ailing family, leaving William B. Travis in command. Captain Carey continued to command his company, which he had nicknamed the “Invincibles.” During the siege and battle of the Alamo, Carey commanded the Texan’s artillery. Carey was killed during the battle on March 6, 1836.
In January 1836 Carey wrote the following letter to his family about his experiences in Texas. Carey’s spelling and punctuation have been preserved.
St. Antonio De Bexar
Jan. 12, 1836
Dear Brother & Sister
To give you any satisfaction about my situation at present I should have to give you a history of Texas and the Mexican Government, but let me commence by saying that I am in the volunteer army of Texas. I arrived at Washington on the 28th of July. This is a small town situated on the Brazos river & there I intended to take up my final residence, but the unsettled state of affairs between Texas & the Mexican Government, I was called to the field. Movements on the part of the Mexicans aroused our suspicious. They want to establish Centralism or rather military depotism, a government that is repugnant to the principals of free born Americans, we remonstrated and sent commissioners, but we could not positively ascertain on account of their treachery and deceit. They denied it and still they were making preparations for it, but we were on the alert. I shall have to state the situation of this place and also the town of Gonzales so as to give a little information on the affair. This place is an ancient Mexican fort & Town divided by a small river which eminates from Springs. The town has two Squares in and the church in the centre, one a military and the other a government square. The Alamo or the fort as we call it, is a very old building, built for the purpose of protecting the citizens from hostile Indians. The Mexican army or rather part of them came to this place commanded by Martin de Perfecto de Coss, a bold aspiring young General. The town of Gonzales is about 78 miles below this place on the Warloupe river. The enemy (as I shall now call them) sent about 200 of their troops to Gonzales after a cannon that they sent there for the use of the citizens to fight the indians. We then were aroused and watched closely their movements. Volunteers was called for to fight for their country I was one of the first that started, about 150 of us ready in a moments warning, and we marched to Gonzales and put the enemy to flight they retreated to this place, we then considered it essentially necessity for the security of our peace to drive them from this place, but we concluded to wait for reinforcements as we were so few in number, and they in a fortified place but unfortunately for us they commenced fortifying the town and strengthening the alamo until it became almost impossible to overcome them, our number increased gradually to the amount of 800 but on account of so many office seekers there was nothing but confusion, contention arid discord throughout the encampment, which was within a half a mile of the place, for we came up to endeavor to starve them out. and on the 4th day of December a retreat was ordered to the satisfaction of many. but to the grief of a few brave souls who was among the first that volunteered and who preferred Death in the cause rather than such a disgraceful retreat. We rallied around a brave soul (Colo Milan) and requested him to be our leader, he consented and 150 of us declared to take the place or die in the attempt, while a large number of them endeavored to discourage us and said we would all be butchered, but a few more seen we were resolute and joined untill our number was 220, and on the next morning about day break we marched in the town under the heavy fires of their cannon & musketry, but we succeeded in getting possession of some stone houses (which is outside of the square) that sheltered us a little from their fires until we could make Breastworks for ourselves we labored hard day and night for 5 days still gaining possession when on the morning of the 5th day they sent in a flag of truce to the extreme joy of us all, Thus a handful of militia of 220 in number stormed a strongly fortified place which was supported with two thousand citizens & soldiers (of the enemy) here I must remark, on the third day of the siege our leader fell in the battle, another userped the command who never was in favor of storming and had ordered the retreat but he was in time to make a disgraceful treaty, some strongly suspect bribery was the cause but whether or ignorance I cannot decide. The enemy on the third day of the siege raised a black flag (which says no quarters) and when we had whiped them by washing the flag with the blood of about 300 of them we should have made a Treaty and not a childs bargain however it is done now and its too late to alter until we have another fight which we expect shortly.
Now a little about myself. I volunteered as a private and as a private in camp was always ready and willing to discharge the duty of a soldier when called on. I was out on a number of scouts and would frequently creep up to the Mexican sentinals at a late hour when they thought alls well and shoot one or two of them of a night — and Oh ! my dear sister and brothers how often have I thought of you when I have been walking the lonely wood or barren fields as a sentinel exposed to all the inclemencies of the weather and suffering many privations which you can not have the least idea of. but all was sweet when I reflected on our forefathers in the strugle of liberty. about the 28th of October I was appointed 2d Lieut. of artillery and during the siege I was promoted to first on account of the first Lieut. being cashiered for cowardice he always use the word go and I the word come on my brave boys. I thought & still think that nothing but fate save me we only had four killed and thirteen wounded three of the wounded & two of the killed received the shots along side of me when discharging their duty at a cannon that was ordered by a fool in the open street immediately before the enemies breastworks within 120 yards of their heavy fires, but he was my Superior and I did obey and when the men was killed & wounded I loaded and fired the gun assisted by two more instead of ten and escaped only slightly wounded, a ball passed through my hat and cut the flesh to the scull bone and my clothes received many shots until by a lucky shot made by me into the port-hole of the Enemy I dismounted their cannon which caused them to cease firing untill we got our away-but this is useless to state such trivial sercumstances, the wound never prevented me from working the guns. after we took the place and the child’s bargain made, it was thought requisite for some to remain to protect it, volunteers was called for to inlist for four months and did those that came at the eleventh hour and remained in the camps expecting us all to be killed and they men of property in this country and have their all in Texas did they come forward to protect the place. No. They pilfered us of our blankets and clothes and horses and went home telling how they whipt the Spaniards reaping the laurels of a few.
Those that fired the first guns at Gonzales and who declared on victory or death. Those who came in when death stared them in the face, and labored hard day and night half starved and almost famished for water, it was them that volunteered to maintain the post untill Texas government could make some provision to keep the Standing army here, and these men have now become almost naked, destitute of funds having expended all for food and munitions of war and not much to eat only some corn that we grind ourselves & poor beef this constitutes our dayly food, but we hourly expect supplies news has arrived that there is plenty of provisions & money and clothes on the way. I hope it’s true. I have strayed a little from the subject. when volunteers were called for they were to form into companies and elect their of officers-fifty six brave souls joined into a company of artillery and chose me for their Captain. I accepted the command and my dear sister is it possible that the once ignorant weak and fickle minded W. R. Carey should now be at the head of so many brave men as their leader-It is a fact and with his parental name. have I deserved this post of honor, its not for me to say, but the brave proclaimed it, The forces here is commanded by Lieut. Colo J. C. Neill who has his quarters in the Town which is called the left wing of the forces and your brother William has the command of the alamo which is called the right wing I am subject to the orders of Colo Neill but he thinks a great deal of my judgment and consults me about a number of the proceedings before he issues an order. Brothers & sister do not think that I am vain my friends here says I dont possess enough of vanity for my own good, except when we go to fight the Enemy and then I think a small number of us can whip an army of Mexicans-I know one thing, I am deceived in myself.
When I was in Natchitoches I wrote to you and stated I believe that soon I should look out for a companion. It would have happened this winter if the war had not commenced but fortunately it did. My selection was nothing to boast of she is tolerably ugly and tolerably poor and tolerably illiterate. but she is virtuous and a good housekeeper, but there is no prospect now, as I was conversing with a Mexican lady the other day she remarked that in time of peace the ladies would gladly embrace the offer or accept the hand of an officer, but in these war times they would too soon become a widow. She may be right but I dont think it, however I have too much else to think about now. as I have not been a graduate at West point, I must study military affairs now for I am rejoiced at the opportunity to do something for myself. The men in this place have sometimes been discouraged on account of the distressed situation we are in; for want of clothes and food. The Colo and myself has twice called a general parade and addressed them in such a manner that they would get satisfied for a while, but we are now discouraged ourselves, and unless the provisional government of Texas do speedily send us assistance we will abandon the place, we have sent and made known our situation to them, and as the safety of Texas depends mostly upon the keeping of this place certainly will as soon as possible do some thing for us especially when we expect to declare independence as soon as the convention meets.
Those of its here has already declared it with a recommendation to the convention of Declaring it but this place is so far in the interior that it takes some time for news to go and supplies to come. The Savage Camancha Indians is near at hand we expect soon to have a fight with them. Since I commenced writing this letter I have received an order to prepare and I have run over it quicker than I would have done as a friend of mine Wm. Guile is going to the States and I thought it a good opportunity as he will put it in the Philadelphia post office and you I think will get it.
I cannot close without saying something about my invincibles, as I call them, about twenty of my company (although the whole has been tried and I know them all) that will (to use their words) wade through h-ll, when I am at their head if I should give the order — O sister could you but see me at the head of those brave men marching forward (undismayed) to perform their duty. To relate circumstances of their bravery it would fill it large book. When the enemy ten to one has marched up as if they in one minute would send us all to eternity to see the invincibles rush forward charge upon them and put them to flight except those we would either kill or take prisoners. We have had many such scirmishes since we left home. a circumstance occurred the other day which I must relate, a man for disobedience of orders and bad conduct was ordered to arrested (he was not under my command) The officer who received this order took a file of men and attempted to arrest him — he resisted and swore with pistols in his hands that he would shoot down the first man that attempted his arrest, the officer retreated without him the Colo immediately sent an order to me informing me of the circumstance and requesting me to take a file of my invinicibles and bring the culprit to trial. I ordered three of the brave to prepare immediately I buckled on my sword and went to him he was with two more who also swore he should not be taken, I approached him with my men he told me if I came one step further he would certainly shoot me down the other two swore the same and with great confidence too as he had put the other off but he soon found himself mistaken my men wanted to rush immediately upon them I ordered them to halt and I walked up to him and with a mild tone told him to disarm himself or I would cut him assunder he sheepishly laid down his pistols and gave himself up, the other two swore still that we should not take him. I insignificantly look up and told them if they attempted to move or put their finger on the trigger of their arms that they should fall on the spot they stood. I then walked up to them and took their arms likewise, my men stopt where I ordered them, watching minutely their movements ready at the twinkling of an eye to do what I should say, I told them to take those gentlemen to the guardhouse, which was done & there they remained until trial, the court marshall passed a sentence or would have passed a sentence of death upon the first. I found it out and went into my room and wrote two notes one to the court and the other to the Colo. and the sentence was remitted and he was drummed out of the army they all said that nothing but the invincibles with Capt Carey could have taken them as he expected to die any way if he was tried. When any thing of a dangerous character is to be done its by order Capt Carey will take a file from comp. of his men and go immediately and — — — — — -. its always done. This should not come from me but as I am writing to Brothers and sister I think you ought to know something about these matters-I must close by saying that if I live, as soon as the war is over I will endeavor to see you all. Write to brother John or send this letter to him the reason why Brother I dont write to you is I dont know whether you are in Baltimore or not and brother William & sister I am nearly certain is in the same place yet — Write to me if you please and give as much satisfaction as you can — You will direct to Wm. R. Carey, Washington. Austin’s Colony. Texas and I think I will get it, you will have to pay the postage as they will not be taken out of the office in New Orleans unless they are postpaid.
Your affectionate Brother
Wm. R. Carey
Mailed at Natchitoches, Feb. 7, 1836
Source: John H. Jenkins, ed., The Papers of the Texas Revolution (10 vols.; Austin: Presidial Press, 1973), 3:490–495
