In his later years, Joshua Buckalew seldom spoke of Goliad and the terrible thing that happened there. . . . The Buckalew brothers were tough as Tennessee mule-hide when they crossed the Sabine River to stake out some growing room. But soon the land was ripped apart by the savage battle of the Alamo and its bloody aftermath. The Buckalews were men who went the whole way once trouble exploded. And in the heat of the most brutal fighting, they stood tall for freedom with the fierce courage that would burn forever in the hearts of Texans.