''Martyrs of the Alamo'' (also known as ''The Birth of Texas'') is a 1915 American

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

war drama film written and directed by

Christy Cabanne William Christy Cabanne (April 16, 1888 – October 15, 1950) was an American film director, screenwriter, and silent film actor. Biography Born in 1888, Cabanne (pronounced CAB-a-nay) started his career on stage as an actor and director. He a ...

. The film is based on the historical novel of the same name by Theodosia Harris, and features an ensemble cast including

Sam De Grasse Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the uncle of cinematographer Robert De Grasse. Biography Samuel Alfred De Grasse was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick to Lange De Grasse (1828–1891) ...

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

, Walter Long and

Alfred Paget Alfred Paget (2 June 1879 – 8 October 1919) was an English silent film actor best known for his portrayal of Prince Belshazzar in D.W. Griffith's 1916 historical epic ''Intolerance''. He appeared in more than 230 films between 1908 and 19 ...

. Fairbanks role was uncredited, and was his first role in film, although his first starring role, in '' The Lamb'', was released prior to this picture. The film features the

siege of Béxar The siege of Béxar (or Béjar) was an early campaign of the Texas Revolution in which a volunteer Texian army defeated Mexican forces at San Antonio de Béxar (now San Antonio, Texas). Texians had become disillusioned with the Mexican governme ...

, the

Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...

, and the

Battle of San Jacinto The Battle of San Jacinto ( es, Batalla de San Jacinto), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Pasadena, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engage ...

. While making claims to historical accuracy, the film depicts the Mexican population in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

in 1836 as a group of ill-mannered drunks. One scene depicts a Mexican officer verbally assaulting a white woman and making advances on her. The white woman reports the incident to her husband,

Almeron Dickinson Almaron Dickinson (1800 – March 6, 1836) was a Texian soldier and defender during the Battle of the Alamo, fought during the Texas Revolution. Dickinson is best known as the artillery officer of the small garrison, and the husband of one of th ...

, who in turn shoots the Mexican officer. In his book ''Remembering the Alamo'', author Richard R. Flores, argues that the negative portrayal of the Mexican population is due to racism toward Mexicans in 1915, the year the film was produced. A copy of the film is preserved at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

Cast

as Silent Smith (

Deaf Smith Erastus "Deaf" Smith (April 19, 1787 – November 30, 1837), who earned his nickname due to hearing loss in childhood, was an American frontiersman noted for his part in the Texas Revolution and the Army of the Republic of Texas. He fought in ...

) *

Allan Sears Allan Sears (March 9, 1887 – August 18, 1942) was an American film actor who played leading roles in the 1910s and 1920s before transitioning into character roles in the 1930s. He was noted for his tall stature. Biography Sears was born in S ...

David Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

* Walter Long as

Santa Anna Santa Anna may refer to: * Santa Anna, Texas, a town in Coleman County in Central Texas, United States * Santa Anna, Starr County, Texas * Santa Anna Township, DeWitt County, Illinois, one of townships in DeWitt County, Illinois, United States. ...

James Bowie James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave smuggler and trader, and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of h ...

Fred Burns Frederick D. Burns (born September 6, 1889, in Nevada, Missouri; died December 22, 1971, in Cincinnati, Ohio) was an important figure in Midwest amateur tennis in the early part of the 20th century. Burns was a journalist by profession from 1911 ...

* John T. Dillon as Colonel Travis *

as Joe/Texan Soldier * Juanita Hansen as Old Soldier's Daughter *

Ora Carew Ora Carew (born Ora Whytock; April 19, 1891 – October 26, 1955), was an American silent film actress. She starred in several films between 1915 and 1925. She was known as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties. Early life Ora Whytock was born i ...

as Mrs. Dickinson * Tom Wilson as

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

Augustus Carney Augustus Carney (1870–1920) was an American actor during the early 20th century. Born in Ireland in 1870, he got his start in vaudeville before entering the film industry. In his short seven-year career he appeared in over 130 films, mostly sho ...

as Old Soldier

References

External links

* * 1915 films 1910s war drama films 1915 Western (genre) films American war drama films American black-and-white films Films based on historical novels Films directed by Christy Cabanne Films set in Texas Films set in the 1830s American historical drama films Texas Revolution films Triangle Film Corporation films 1910s historical drama films Davy Crockett Siege films 1915 drama films Films based on American novels Silent American Western (genre) films 1910s American films Silent war films Silent American drama films {{silent-film-stub