--- title: "The story of the slave who survived the Alamo" date: "2019-01-28" modified: "2021-05-04" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/survivors-of-the-alamo/" categories: - "History" - "Mexican War" - "War History" --- # The story of the slave who survived the Alamo ![]() The attack on the Alamo in 1836 was not a 13-day siege and slaughter as often portrayed in film and television. Don't get me wrong – the defenders of the mission-turned-fortress were killed en masse as Mexican troops stormed the structure. It's just that not everyone inside the Alamo died that day. ![]() *Maybe standing in the open wearing the brightest clothes isn't the best idea.* That's how we came to know of Joe — just Joe, any other names he had are lost to history now. Joe was the slave of William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo during Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's siege of the Texian fort. But no one knows exactly how Joe got there. No matter how he ended up there, he was one of many slaves and free blacks who fought or died at the Alamo. Subscribe: [Apple Podcasts]() | [Google Play]() | [Stitcher]() | [Spotify]() Joe was a stalwart defender alongside Travis and other Texians. When the din of the fighting died down and the Mexicans firmly controlled the fort, Joe was shot and bayoneted, only to be saved by a Mexican field officer. Because Joe could speak Spanish, he was able to be interrogated afterward. --- All that is known about Joe after the Alamo is that he was questioned by Santa Anna and then later questioned by the Texas Cabinet. A little more than a year later, [Joe escaped to Mexico on two stolen horses](). ![]() *One supposed photo of Joe, the slave and survivor of the Alamo.* That's where attorney-turned-author Lewis Cook picked up the story. His first book, called *Joe's Alamo: Unsung,* is a fiction-based-on-history account of what came next, after the Alamo, and after Joe escaped. Cook was waiting to go to medical school when he discovered Joe's story and was compelled to write about the Alamo. Cook discovered the Alamo was more than a bunch of white, male landowners fighting for Texas. The fort was full of women, minorities of many color, and followers of many religions. So, he set out to tell the story of the Alamo, a story that, he believes, belongs to all of us through the diversity of its defenders. In his book, Cook tells a different story from what is commonly told in textbooks, film, and TV shows. It includes recently discovered facts about William Travis, Susana Dickinson, Davy Crockett, and Joe himself. ### Resources Mentioned - [Joe']()[s Alamo: Unsung at iUniverse]() - [Joe's Alamo Website]() - [Joe's Alamo at Amazon]() ### Sponsor [Audible](): For you, the listeners of the Mandatory Fun podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out some of the books and authors featured on *Mandatory Fun.* To download your free audiobook today go to [audibletrial.com/MandatoryFun](). ### About Mandatory Fun *Mandatory Fun* is hosted by: - [Blake Stilwell](): Air Force veteran and managing editor - [Orvelin Valle (aka O.V.)](): Navy veteran and podcast producer Share your thoughts about this episode on Twitter at: [@MandoFun]() and on our [Facebook group](). ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()