Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush and the Alamo Endowment are urging patriotic Texans to contribute to preserving the seven authentic cannons from the 1836 battle which are still housed at the Alamo, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"We are here today to save a piece of history for future generations," Bush told a group at the Alamo. "Our efforts to preserve and protect the Alamo is first and foremost about the story of the battle itself."
Bush said 'heroes died manning these cannon,' which have been proven to be the actual cannon William Travis' forces fired at the Mexican army in the early morning of March 6, 1836.
"Texas A&M and their professionals are standing by to do the work," Bush said. "We need these cannons to last so that future Texans can see 1836 with their own very eyes."
He says the cannons will be shipped to College Station, for 'cleaning and stabilization.'
Bush pointed out that it was a battle over a cannon, Santa Ana's demand that the presidio at Gonzales return the famous 'Come and Take It' cannon to Mexican forces, that helped spark the Texas Revolution.
"Those Texans would not lay down, not for a tyrant," he said. "And for the defense of a simple bronze cannon, they sparked a revolution. It has never been a good idea to try to take arms away from Texans."
Bush says the cannon preservation effort is part of his office's wider mission to make sure the entire Alamo is preserved."
Today these priceless buildings are crumbling before our very eyes," he said. "They once suffered the ravages of battle, but now they suffer the elements. The growth of this great city around them has simply resulted in older age."
Bush has been spearheading the $300 million renovation and 'reimagining' of Alamo Plaza, to preserve the entire historic area in its original state as a tribute not just to those who fought in the 1836 battle, in the words of the late Henry Guerra the 'hombres valientes,' but to honor all of those who have built San Antonio, Texas, and the Ameircan Southwest.
PHOTO' ALAMO