JEFFREY DANE
One of my first and most prized books on the Alamo (before,during
and after) the only bad thing about this book is that it's out of
print. I found mine at a used book store.This book as the title states
deals with the
100 days in Texas starting December 9, 1835 till March 17, 1836 when
Sam
Houston first wrote that the Alamo must be avenged. This book let's you
know what was going on in diary entry and letters to their President,
Council
Hall, Santa Anna, General Cos, Travis, Bowie, leaders, Family and
friends,etc. You will read how much Bowie charged the provisional
government of Texas for him to use his own horse and who was wounded,
killed or had their
leg amputated in the battle for the Alamo in 1835. In my own personal
opinion I can't say enough good things about this book it will be well
worth the hunt. 
Bill Aycock
Here is a rare book indeed: a scholarly work at home in the
research library that is also a well-written story to engage the
reader. It covers military movements, battles, tactics and strategies,
triumphs and failures; heroic actions and chivalrous acts; and the
human frailties and blunders so often overlooked in the name of legend.
It was a time of transitions; political, as the shift from Spanish rule
to Mexican Republic to Federalist Mexico, and military, the shift from
Napoleonic linear tactics and smoothbore muskets to open order riflemen
as skirmishers. Of major benefit to the
living historian are the glimpses into the motives of the common
soldiers
and soldados, whether "army or prison", career soldier,
Constitutionalist,
for Independence, or "jes' 'cause thar's a fight on". I learned a lot
just
from the first reading, and intend to read it several times more to
reinforce what I have learned and pick up on what I missed the first go
'round. I
heartily recommend it.
George Rollow
This book flies in the face of popular understanding about several
facets of the Texas Revolution. One of these is that Texian troops were
all clad in frontier garb.Mr. Marshall's research revealed uniforms
among the Texians from the Siege of Bejar to San Jacinto, and shows
color prints of his paintings of these same uniforms: New Orleans Greys
(Bejar, Alamo, Goliad/Coleto),
Alabama Red Rovers (Goliad/Coleto), a possibile uniform for Col. W.B.
Travis
(did Texian uniforms arrive in Bejar before the battle? Such were
ordered,
and may have arrived), and many others. His plates also show Mexican
uniforms of the period: lancers, sappers, Tres Villas, Matamoros, white
fatigues,
and more.
Another facet of popular history this book disputes is the leadership
of
Sam Houston. I will let the reader make up his own mind about this, as
I
am doing for myself. The data presented is definitely food for careful
thought.
George Rollow
For those of you who are looking for an in-depth account of the
Battle of the Alamo, this is not it. However, that doesn't keep this
book from
being a fine read. The book gives a very basic account of the Texas
Revolution
and the battle in 1836, but soon hits its stride with lesser known
areas
of the Alamo's history. The topics covered by the authors include Clara
Driscoll's and Adina de Zavala's attempts to save the Alamo around the
turn
of the century, the story of the huge impact Disney's Davy Crockett
series
had on the Alamo and Texas culture in the mid-1950's and the many
political
agendas and controversies people have tried to further by using the
Alamo
legend. The book also gives a very concise and informative account of
Santa
Anna's campaign against the Mexican Federalists in Zacatecas in 1835.
Students
of the Texas Revolution often hear of the bloody and brutal suppression
of
the Zacatecans, but seldom are exposed to the details. After reading
this,
one can understand why Federalists like Mexia, de Zavala and many
others
fled to Texas in front of Santa Anna's army. Charlie
Yates
This book is the transcendent documentation for all those who want
to believe that the small signal cannon once owned Dr. Pat Wagner of
shiner
and now on display in the Gonzales Museum is the same cannon the
Mexican Army tried to take from the Texian colonists in October of
1835. The attempted confiscation of the cannon precipitated an open
rebellion with Mexico;
the Texas Revolution and, ultimately, Texas' independence. The only
problem
is that I know of no serious Texas historian who believes the cannon in
the museum and the cannon of the 1835 incident are the same piece of
ordnance. I have never believed them to be the same and I believe
anyone doing the
slightest bit of reseach would come to the same conclusion. The
"proofs"
given in the book to support the idea that the two cannons are one and
the
same are so convoluted, illogical, poorly researched and unreasonable
that
rebuttal is all but impossible. This book may not be the worst book
ever
written about an aspect of Texas history, but it is certainly in the
top
two. I was lucky enough to be given this book by a friend of mine for
my
Texas Revolution book collection. I recommend every collector of Texana
get
one as an example of how very weird Texas History can get. 
Charlie Yates
If you ever wanted to know about Texas Indians, from the notorious to the nearly forgotten, this is the reference book to use. Most of the sources for first hand information date to the Spanish colonial records or reports in the Republic period. How they lived, what they ate, their wars, their alliances, and in some cases the fate of their tribes, all recorded here in one place. The book is authoritative, accessible, and still in print after over 40 years. Michael Thompson
There are newer books on the subject of the Texas Navy, and when I read them I will review them, but for the longest time this seemed to be the only popular book available. Taking over the struggling Texas Navy in 1839, after the death of its first leader, Commodore Charles Edward Hawkins, fighting President Houston at his back (the book is not complementary to Houston), and Mexico in front, Commodore Moore led the Texas Navy from 1839 to 1846. The navy’s finest hour was at the battle of Campeche in 1843, the first, last and only time in world history that sailing ships prevailed over steam powered ships in combat. This is the battle etched into the cylinders of early Colt revolvers (1851 Navy Colt). Good book, easy to read, a different perspective of the Republic years. This book is not as readily available as it once was. Michael Thompson