Duel of Eagles: The Mexican and U.S. Fight for the Alamo

by Jeff Long

A look at the battle for Texas presents the dramatic true story of the people, including Bowie, Houston, and Santa Ana, and the events, including the 1836 Alamo siege, on both sides

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Historical, Military Fiction

431 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Long is a veteran climber and traveler in the Himalayas rock climbing often manifests in his writing. He has also worked as a stonemason, journalist, historian, screenwriter, and elections supervisor for Bosnia's first democratic election.

Many of his stories include plot elements that rely heavily on religious history or popular perceptions of religious events.

Reviews

[SheriC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might have paid more attention if my Texas History lessons had been more like this book. But then, I suppose such a candid examination of the characters and motivations of the real people who created our history would not have been considered suitable subject matter for junior high school students.

Despite its subtitle (The Mexican and U.S. Fight for the Alamo), Duel of Eagles is really about the Texas revolution, covering a period of history from Andrew Jackson’s inauguration in 1829 to Santa Anna’s death in 1876. It could be considered a revisionist history, using original sources that proponents of a heroic Texas origin story may disregard or consider unreliable. Some critics of the book claim the author is pro-Mexican, but it seems to me that he is simply giving equal weight to Mexican sources and doesn’t hesitate to skewer the characters and actions of Mexicans and Tejanos as much as the Anglo-Americans. He notes where there are conflicting accounts of events and provides the reader with 71 pages of footnotes and bibliography to document his sources.

Altogether, it’s an entertaining and horrifying account of the Texas journey from Mexican province to independent republic to annexation into the United States, blowing up myths of heroic deeds and high-minded Texians seeking freedom from oppression along the way. At some point, it got a little wearisome, because, yes, we get it, this was really just a combination of speculative land-grabbing by non-residents and a push to preserve the slave state and part of the precursor to Manifest Destiny, but I started to feel as though we were beating a dead horse by the time Santa Anna surrendered at San Jacinto.

Hardcover, received as a gift from my father in 1994, who was an amateur Texas history buff. And a little surprising that he gifted it to me, as the views of the author don’t seem to fit his. How I wish I had actually read this when he was living, so I could have asked him about it. But history and the Wild West mythos didn’t interest me then, and I forgot I even had this until he passed away in January. Now it’s too late, and I can only read his books and remember him.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

As many times as I have read about the Alamo, I still find it one of the most dramatic stories of history. In Jeff Long's retelling, he relies on the primary sources of journals, letters, and newspaper stories. He also tells the story from both sides--that of the Mexican side as well as the Anglo-American side. He focuses on the key figures-Sam Houston, a larger-than-life figure if ever there was one, Santa Anna, the Mexican dictator with delusions of grandeur (and who was an opium addict), Jim Bowie, famous for his knife, and David Crockett, a prisoner of his own fables. And the commander at the Alamo, William Travis, under orders to evacuate the fort--but who decided to make a stand against overwhelming odds......a stand which ended in disaster for his men--but which has gone down in history.

[Ramon4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the story of the Texas War of Independence not just the fight for the Alamo. The author examines the motives of major players on both sides of this conflict from Santa Anna to Sam Houston as well as the economic and historical background of the time. He portrays the Texas side as greedy speculators and land-grabbers, con artists and frauds. The Mexican side gets off better in his view.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book several years ago but just got around to reading it over the holidays. A revisionist look at the Texas Revolution, focusing in large part on the battles at the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto. It was OK. The revisionism didn't bother me that much. In fact, his descriptions of the motives of folks like Houston, Crockett, and others strikes me as much more realistic than the mythology of popular culture. And he did a fine job of telling the story of the battles and the personalities involved, particularly on the American side. I think the quality slipped somewhat when he got to analyzing Mexican society. While many reviewers criticize him for being too "pro-Mexican," I found that his views of Mexican history and culture often way too simplistic.

[Austin Gisriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me from 20 years ago and I enjoyed it just as much now as then. The research is first-rate. This is not a heroes versus villains tale for Long as the story is often told. As someone raised on Fess Parker and John Wayne's "Alamo," the facts do not often sit comfortably. I believe in the myth of the Alamo because we create myth to tell our own story, be it social or personal. Facts are not something to be believed in--they just are. If you don't want any illusions shattered, and I understand if you don't--I've had enough shattered in my lifetime--but if you're looking for the facts. Read this well-told story.

[Cameron Barham]

“History reads that the siege impeded Santa Anna’s pell-mell progress, that if not for the Alamo the Mexican army would have surged across Texas and crushed the Anglo-Americans as they slept in their colonies. The purpose of this view is to give value to the waste of Anglo-American life at the Alamo and to make sense of Travis’s weird fanaticism. But the Alamo did not arrest the Mexican advance, nor did it spell Santa Anna’s defeat. The Alamo did not command some narrow mountain pass through which the Mexican army had to pass. The Alamo garrison was just a nuisance.”, p. 218

[Beth James · Rating 5 out of 5]

4

[Tatiana Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book on tejano history.

[Michiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sure that the research was impeccable. And it is probably high time that the facts about the Alamo were made public. That is not my quarrel. What bothered me was the tone used by the author. He seems to take such delight in debunking the heroes and takes special pains to make them as unlikable of characters as possible. If there was any piece of unflattering detail about the defenders of the Alamo, whether known or simply rumored, he was sure to include it and paint these men and women in the most damning light possible.

On the up side, I did learn some things that I had not known before. Just didn't enjoy reading this version.

[Elizabeth Crook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Jeff long is a dear friend of mine. That doesn't skew my judgement about his books--I have plenty of friends with books I don't love five stars worth. Jeff's a rock climber and his books manage the same sure-footed balancing act, always taking you up to some high place with a wide view that you've never seen before. He writes beautifully and never fails to deliver a new perspective. This book is an important contribution to any discussion about US, Texan, or Mexican history.

[Trajan Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and historically accurate history of the bid of Texas independence from Mexico. Jeff Long pulls no punchs regarding many Texas heroes and their deeds.

[Michael Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the revisionist book that shook up Texas History. I don't agree with it all, but it is well written and shows that you can interpret primary sources anyway you want.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too revisionist and pessimistic for my taste.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't know Texas history until you've read this book. A wonderful read.