<P> The first English - language histories of the battle were written and published by Texas Ranger and amateur historian John Henry Brown . The next major treatment of the battle was Reuben Potter's The Fall of the Alamo, published in The Magazine of American History in 1878 . Potter based his work on interviews with many of the Mexican survivors of the battle . The first full - length, non-fiction book covering the battle, John Myers Myers' The Alamo, was published in 1948 . In the decades since, the battle has featured prominently in many non-fiction works . </P> <P> According to Todish et al., "there can be little doubt that most Americans have probably formed many of their opinions on what occurred at the Alamo not from books, but from the various movies made about the battle ." The first film version of the battle appeared in 1911, when Gaston Méliès directed The Immortal Alamo . The battle became more widely known after it was featured in the 1950s Disney miniseries Davy Crockett, which was largely based on myth . Within several years, John Wayne directed and starred in one of the best - known, but questionably accurate, film versions, 1960's The Alamo . Another film also called The Alamo was released in 2004 . CNN described it as possibly "the most character - driven of all the movies made on the subject". It is also considered more faithful to the actual events than other movies . </P> <P> A number of songwriters have been inspired by the Battle of the Alamo . Tennessee Ernie Ford's "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" spent 16 weeks on the country music charts, peaking at No. 4 in 1955 . Marty Robbins recorded a version of the song "The Ballad of the Alamo" in 1960 which spent 13 weeks on the pop charts, peaking at No. 34 . Jane Bowers' song "Remember the Alamo" has been recorded by artists including Johnny Cash and Donovan . Singer - songwriter Phil Collins collected hundreds of items related to the battle, narrated a light and sound show about the Alamo, and has spoken at related events . In 2014 Collins donated his entire collection to the Alamo via the State of Texas . </P> <P> The U.S. Post Office issued two postage stamps in commemoration of Texas Statehood and the Battle of Alamo . </P>

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