 He worked at a local hotel and gristmill across from what would later be named "Independence Hall" and served the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence.After independence was declared, he then joined a company that marched toward the Alamo, which was under siege, to aid in defense of the Alamo, Colonel William B. Travis, and its defenders.While crossing the Colorado River and receiving word that the Alamo had fallen, Steele and the group then joined Houston's army.