In 1827, he was living in Nacogdoches, Texas and working as a log splitter for a sawmill. He served as a messenger between Nacogdoches and Natchitoches, Louisiana. In 1826, he joined the Fredonian Rebellion and was involved in the Battle of Nacogdoches in 1832. Among his friends was James Bowie. He joined Bowie on the trip to Bexar (San Antonio) in 1835 and fought in the first siege of Bexar.

On February 23, 1836, he entered the Alamo as Santa Anna arrived in Bexar. Due to his age, 51, he was called “Moses”. For ten days he fought as actively as any man among the defenders. But, Louis Rose had already seen much more of war than most at the Alamo. He recognized the maneuvers executed by Santa Anna, they were maneuvers used in the battlefields of Europe when Napoleon was on the move. He came to realize that there would be no escape from this siege. They were vastly outnumbered and their supplies were limited.

It was Rose who related the story of Travis drawing a line in the dirt and asking those who were willing to stand, and die, with him to cross the line. All but Rose crossed the line. When asked years later why he didn’t cross the line, he replied, “By God, I wasn’t ready to die!”

On the night of March 5, 1836, Rose slipped over the walls and started working his way through enemy lines. He spoke fluent Spanish, which served him well that night. He traveled along the San Antonio River about three miles south of San Antonio, then turned east toward the Guadalupe River. He wandered for weeks, dodging Mexican patrols and sleeping on the ground. Finally, he turned up at the home of William P. Zuber in Grimes County, asking for a meal and a chance to rest. He had traveled almost two hundred miles. Immediately, Rose explained his situation, thinking the Zubers may not appreciate having a coward in their home. He was recognized as an honest man by the Zuber family. They allowed him to stay there several weeks until he had recovered from the weeks in the wild.

He returned to his home in Nacogdoches and went to work in a butcher shop.

As an Alamo survivor, he frequently was asked to verify claims of the heirs of Alamo defenders who were trying to collect land for their deceased family members service to Texas.

He relocated to Logansport, Louisiana in the 1840s and worked in a butcher shop there. In Logansport, he lived with the Aaron Ferguson family.

Whenever someone approached him regarding the Battle of the Alamo, he would tell them honestly that he was the “coward of the Alamo”.

Louis Rose never married.

He passed away in 1851 in Logansport, Louisiana at the age of 65.

In 1927, one of his brother’s descendants, Arthur Rose, presented Louis Rose’s musket to the Alamo Museum.