By Rickey Robertson
One of America’s most famous locations where men fought for freedom was at the Alamo, located in San Antonio, Texas in 1836. We all know of the courage shown by this garrison in which American heroes such as William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie were killed. Every man in that garrison was a hero who gave his life in the fight against Santa Anna’s massive army. But there has always been a question that many people have about the fight at the Alamo. Did anyone escape before the final battle at the Alamo?
The answer to this question is YES. There was one man who escaped. But one man went over the wall the night before the final battle. His name was Louis Rose, nicknamed Moses by the men of the Alamo due to his age. Louis Rose was born on May 11, 1785 in Laferee, Ardennes, France and had joined Napoleons Army in 1806. He was a good soldier and was eventually promoted to Lieutenant. In 1814 he was named to the French Legion of Honor for his outstanding service while serving under General Jacques de Monfort. Rose served in many campaigns that included Naples, Italy, in Portugal, in Spain, and in the disastrous invasion of Russia by Napoleon.
No one knows how he got to America but he settled near Nacogdoches, Texas, around 1827. He was a log cutter and log hauler at a sawmill owned by John Durst and Frost Thorn. He joined the Fredonian Rebellion in 1826 and fought in the battle around Nacogdoches, Texas, in the spring of 1835. Rose became a friend to Jim Bowie and he either accompanied Bowie to the Alamo and San Antonio around the fall of 1835. Rose served the cause of Texas Independence during the siege of the Alamo in 1836. According to Rose he fought for 10 days at the Alamo, up to about 3 days before the fall of the fortress. Louis Rose is the source of the story about Colonel Travis’s drawing a line in the sand with his sword. Louis Rose was the only man who did not cross the line in the sand. Up to that time frame, Rose had fought as bravely as any man in the Alamo garrison. Rose went out over the wall in the middle of the night. He had to crawl and sneak through the Mexican lines and for almost three miles to not be seen by Mexican patrols. He traveled through open prairie until he got to the Guadalupe River area where he found the William Zuber farm. He was terribly torn by cactus and yucca needles and they were infected. The family cared for his wounds and brought him back up to health. He stayed at this site until he was able to travel and he went on to Nacogdoches where he operated a butcher shop. Rose acted as a witness for many of the heirs of the Alamo defenders who were trying to obtain land for their family members service at the Alamo. He also told his part of the story of the Alamo and wrote some of his memories of the battle. When asked why he did not stay at the Alamo Louis Rose is quoted as saying “By God, I wasn’t ready to die”. He had seen terrible battles while in the French Army especially in the retreat by Napoleons Army from Moscow. He had came to America to settle and have a good life.
But this story of the Alamo now has a Louisiana twist to it. In 1842 Louis Rose moved to Logansport, Louisiana, where he lived with the Aaron Ferguson Family until his death in 1851. Rose never married and the Ferguson family was the only American family he knew. In 1927 Louis Rose’s musket was given to the Alamo Museum by members of the Ferguson Family.
Today Louis “Moses” Rose lies in peace at the Ferguson Family Cemetery located near Logansport, Louisiana, in DeSoto Parish. To get to this grave it is off La. Hwy. 5 and you turn on La. Hwy 168 and go about 4 miles. On the headstone for Louis Rose it states “Soldier of the Alamo”. Yes, a piece of Alamo history lies at rest in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. Now, let’s everyone “Remember The Alamo”!