"Potter was trying to establish a narrative for the State of Texas, and the reports of Crockett surrendering, or being taken captive and then executed, did not fit his vision. Reports of Alamo defenders surrendering, however, were circulating as early as 11 March 1836, less than a week after the battle, and the news that Crockett had been one of these was being repeated by 27 March 1836."
"Potter's vision prevailed in the United States, however, until the 1970s when the diary of Colonel José Enrique de la Peña, published in Spanish in Mexico in 1955, was translated to English in 1975 by Carmen Perry and published by Texas A&M University Press. The book aroused a storm of controversy over one passage in which Peña, a participant in the assault on the Alamo, describes the capture and execution of David Crockett."
David 'Davy' Crockett's death at the Battle of the Alamo was long portrayed as a heroic last stand after Reuben M. Potter in 1880 rejected eyewitness claims of surrender. That heroic image shaped public portrayals, including Disney's 1954-1955 miniseries. Reports that some Alamo defenders surrendered circulated within days, with accounts claiming Crockett surrendered appearing by 27 March 1836. The 1975 English translation of Colonel José Enrique de la Peña's diary described Crockett's capture and execution, provoking controversy. The 13-day siege ended 6 March 1836 when Santa Anna ordered an assault and, under orders to take no prisoners, Mexican forces killed the garrison.
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