I have an ancestor. who died at the Alamo in 1836. His name was Micajah Autry from Tennessee (born in North Carolina). Letters he wrote to his wife are preserved in several books about the Alamo and various internet sites which can be found in a search of his name. Micajah was brother to my great, great, great grandmother, Mary Autry Sewell. No doubt various motives prompted men to join the fight for Texas, not the least of which was the promise of land for their service. In fact, land grants to Revolutionary soldiers in return for military service was a big factor in the settlement of the south in the late 1700s and early 1800s. - Carol Roberts