Archaeologists working at the Alamo in San Antonio have uncovered four solid cannonballs, adding new physical evidence of the 1836 battle. The finds were announced in late October after being recovered near the perimeter of the Alamo Church during ongoing excavations.
The artifacts help connect the site to the people who lived through the battle, said Tiffany Lindley, head archaeologist at the Alamo Trust.
The cannonballs range from 1.8 to 3.26 inches in diameter, sizes consistent with ammunition for 1-pounder and 6-pounder cannons. They follow two other discoveries this year: a 4-pounder cannonball found in March, shortly before the battle’s 190th anniversary, and a 6-pounder recovered in June.
Archaeologists have been cleaning the newly found cannonballs, which are weathered and discolored.
The Battle of the Alamo, fought from Feb. 23 to March 6, 1836, saw Texian forces, including Davy Crockett and William B. Travis, face a much larger Mexican army. After a 13-day siege, Mexican troops overwhelmed the defenders. The defeat later became a rallying cry for the Texas Revolution.
It is not entirely clear which side fired the newly discovered cannonballs. Lindley said researchers have a strong indication that three may have been made of bronze, a material used by the Mexican army. But the Alamo’s defenders, or others, could have collected the cannonballs before the battle, meaning either side might have used them.
Archaeologists are more confident that the artifacts are connected to the battle. They consider the soil layers where the cannonballs were found, along with other objects recovered nearby. The same deposit contained musket balls and gun parts, and its depth suggests the finds are older than artifacts in the layers above.
Historians also helped researchers identify the area as likely near a Mexican cannon position outside the Alamo. The guns would have been aimed toward the church, Lindley said.
Lindley said she knew of no earlier discoveries of solid cannonballs at the site. The size of the current excavation may help explain the recent finds: a larger area of digging gives archaeologists more opportunities to uncover artifacts.
For Lindley, the cannonballs offer a tangible connection to those who were at the Alamo in 1836. They provide physical evidence of what people endured there, she said, and help keep their memory alive.
