Louis "Moses" Rose (1785? – 1850/1851?), also seen as Lewis Rose), known as the Coward of the Alamo, was according to Texas legend, the only man who chose to leave the besieged Alamo in 1836, rather than fight and die there. Some regard him as a coward for having left the Alamo prior to the final battle. He was illiterate and many believe that his tale was embellished by those who were writing on his behalf. Others take the view that Rose appropr...
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Louis "Moses" Rose (1785? – 1850/1851?), also seen as Lewis Rose), known as the Coward of the Alamo, was according to Texas legend, the only man who chose to leave the besieged Alamo in 1836, rather than fight and die there. Some regard him as a coward for having left the Alamo prior to the final battle. He was illiterate and many believe that his tale was embellished by those who were writing on his behalf. Others take the view that Rose appropriately declined to sacrifice his life in a losing cause. Finally, some question the accuracy of this part of the legend.
According to the most commonly told story, Rose was a French Jew, had been a lieutenant in the French army, and had served in Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In 1814, he was named to the Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honor) for heroism. He migrated to Nacogdoches, Texas, after Napoleon's fall, and lived in the then-Mexican territory until the age of 51, when the Texas Revolution erupted in 1835.
The evidence for Rose's...
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