THE ALAMO DID NOT COST SANTA ANA AN ARM AND A LEG.

The Mexican dictator did, however, lose a leg in a scrap with the French, and his prosthetic legs became contraband of war, and they're in Illinois.

Santa Anna's real leg was amputated after he was hit by cannon fire during a melee with the French in 1838 (the leg was interred with full military honors). In 1847, his artificial leg was captured by soldiers of the 4th Illinois Infantry, which is why it's in the Illinois State Military Museum. Santa Anna was eating lunch during a battle with the United States when the Americans surprised him, and he galloped off without his leg. The sergeant who grabbed the wooden leg exhibited it at county fairs for a dime a peek, but since 1922 it's been in the care of Illinois National Guard.

The Illinois State Military Museum is near Abraham Lincoln's tomb in Springfield.

That's the dictator's presentation leg.  His spare prosthetic is also in Illinois.  "The second limb, a humble peg leg, was reportedly later used by Lieutenant Abner Doubleday as a baseball bat. It's on display at the (former Governor) Oglesby Mansion in Decatur, and no one has tried to kidnap it, either."

It is the custom in yarning about road trips to make stuff up, and that might include the involvement of Abner Doubleday, and Vitus Bering.

For the time being, both museums are closed.