On this day in 1836, in San Antonio De Bexar, William Barret Travis wrote this letter:

February 24, 2022, 05:38 PM

jhe888

TO THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS &
ALL AMERICANS IN THE WORLD

COMMANDANCY OF THE ALAMO, BEJAR, FEB. 24, 1836

FELLOW CITIZENS & COMPATRIOTS,
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under
Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual bombardment and
cannonade for twenty-four hours & have not lost a man. The
enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the
garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have
answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still
waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat.
Then, I call on you in the name of liberty, of patriotism &
every thing dear to the American character, to come to our
aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements
daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in
four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to
sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who
never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his
country.

VICTORY OR DEATH.
WILLIAM BARRET TRAVIS,
Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant.

P. S. The Lord is on our side. When the enemy appeared in
sight, we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found, in
deserted houses, eighty or ninety bushels, and got into the walls
twenty or thirty head of beeves.
-Travis

________________________________
Remember the Alamo!

Remember Goliad!

February 24, 2022, 05:49 PM

spunk639

Inspiring and what America stood for, the majority here are of that belief and caliber, unfortunately there’s another half of Americans that see this as all that we did as wrong and should apologize for.

February 24, 2022, 07:22 PM

Sig2340

quote:
Originally posted by jhe888:
TO THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS &
ALL AMERICANS IN THE WORLD

COMMANDANCY OF THE ALAMO, BEJAR, FEB. 24, 1836

FELLOW CITIZENS & COMPATRIOTS,
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under
Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual bombardment and
cannonade for twenty-four hours & have not lost a man. The
enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the
garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have
answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still
waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat.
Then, I call on you in the name of liberty, of patriotism &
every thing dear to the American character, to come to our
aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements
daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in
four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to
sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who
never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his
country.

VICTORY OR DEATH.
WILLIAM BARRET TRAVIS,
Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant.

P. S. The Lord is on our side. When the enemy appeared in
sight, we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found, in
deserted houses, eighty or ninety bushels, and got into the walls
twenty or thirty head of beeves.
-Travis

________________________________
Remember the Alamo!

Remember Goliad!

That is one of this nation’s treasures, alongside documents like Dr. King’s I Have A Dream, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and the Declaration of Independence.

Free Men Are.

February 24, 2022, 08:31 PM

batex

God bless Texas and those who fought and died for her!

February 24, 2022, 10:47 PM

ElToro

This is a several greats uncle of mine. He died at the battle a week later. https://www.thealamo.org/remem.../robert-w-cunningham

My brother lives in Bexar County now so that’s pretty cool for him. Gives him some extra TX street cred.

February 25, 2022, 08:28 AM

pillboxesghost

You cannot tell the story of the Travis letter (Texas' Declaration of Independence) without mentioning 28 year old Texas militia (Ranger) Capt. Albert Martin.

Among the 150 defenders, it was Martin who Travis trusted to carry his plea for assistance thru the 1500 Mexican soldiers surrounding the Alamo.

Martin rode to Gonzales (his Texas hometown) about 70 miles distant. Martin's father pleaded with him not to return to certain death. However, Martin told Col. Travis he would return. His honor would not allow him to break that pledge.

Albert Martin somehow gathered thirty-two Gonzales Texas militia members. The "Immortal 32" are the only men who responded to Travis' call for assistance! They were among the 188 defenders who perished.

As a little aside --- the legend says that when James Bowie's mother was informed of his death; her response was "I'll wager they found no wounds in his back".

March 05, 2022, 11:10 AM

ElToro

Just talked to my bro the family genealogy guru. My ancestor that died at the Alamo is the brother of only my 3x great grandmother ( my dad remembers meeting his great grandmother as a child and this would have been her mother’s brother) so a pretty direct line not that far back. My brother and his Mason lodge will be at the memorial event tomorrow at the sacred ground.