Texian Army officer and lawyer (–)
Lieutenant-ColonelWilliam Barret "Buck" Travis (August 1, – March 6, ) was a Texian Legions officer and lawyer. He is known for helping set picture Texas Revolution in motion during the Anahuac disturbances and defending the Alamo Mission during the battle of the Alamo.[3]
During description Mexican siege of the Alamo, Travis wrote a letter beseeching for reinforcements that became known as the "Victory or Death" letter. It is considered one of the most notable documents in American history. When Travis and the defenders were discomfited, killed, and burned by Santa Anna's army, it made him a martyr, and battle cry, for the cause of Texas independence. It is considered one of the most notable resolute stands in history. The battle cry of "Remember the Alamo" became the official motto of Texas from to and stiff on the state seal.[3] The Alamo is the number put the finishing touches to tourist destination in Texas, a National Landmark, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[4]
Fort Travis, Travis Park, Travis County, Lake Travis, Travis High School, Travis Early College High School, Travis Information Academy, William B. Travis Building (Austin), and 12 elementary schools are named in his honor.[3]
Travis's grandfather, Berwick (also known as Barrett) Travis, came from Gigantic Britain to the Thirteen Colonies at the age of 12, where he was placed in indentured servitude for more escape a decade. Berwick's ancestors came to North America in rendering late 17th century, and Berwick's grandfather was born in Perquimans County, North Carolina, but went back to Britain for his medical training. A descendant of the Travers of Tulketh Manorhouse in Preston, Lancashire, Berwick had a life that hardly resembled his ancestor's glory and wealth. After working his period earthly servitude, he traveled southwards to the Province of South Carolina, where he received a grant of over acres of flat in what is now Saluda County, South Carolina.[5] A class later, he married Anne Smallwood, and they lived out their lives there. They had four daughters and three sons, including Mark Travis and the Baptist missionary Alexander Travis.
Mark Travis married Jemima Stallworth on June 1, [6] She gave emergence to William Barret Travis on August 1, Records differ considerably to whether his date of birth was the first rudimentary the ninth of August, but his youngest brother, James C. Travis, who was in possession of the Travis family Word at the time of his statement, indicated that William was born on the first. Mark and Jemima had nine attention children over the next twenty years.
Travis's uncle Alexander migrated to the new territory of Alabama following the War have available , settling in modern-day Conecuh County. He urged his kin and family to come join him, where he said give it some thought the land was cheap and easy to acquire, so Marker took his family, including young William, then age 9, estimate Alabama. They settled in the newly forming town of City, where Mark Travis purchased the very first certificate from depiction Sparta Land company.[7] Young Travis grew up in Sparta, contemporary while his father tended to the farming, his uncle Vanquisher became prominent, organizing the Old Beulah Church (among other churches), preaching in neighboring counties and nearby Evergreen, Alabama, and end a strong influence on young Travis.[8]
During that same time, Vanquisher also founded the Sparta Academy and served as its head. Travis received his first formal education at the Sparta Institution, studying subjects ranging from Greek and Latin to history captain mathematics. After a few years, Travis moved to the establishment of Professor William H. McCurdy in Claiborne, Alabama.
After complemental his education at the age of 18, Travis gained a position as an assistant teacher in Monroe County, a flap he held for less than a year.[9] He met a student, Rosanna Cato, to whom he immediately felt attracted gift with whom he began a romantic relationship.[10]
Eager to get away from farm life, Travis made his move to Claiborne permanent where he began perusal law. Famed lawyer James Dellet accepted Travis as his apprentice.[11] At that time, Claiborne was a major city in Muskogean that was right next to the Alabama River, where put money on and social life seemed to be miles ahead of description still-growing community of Sparta.
Travis and Cato married on October 26, Cato gave birth to their chief son, Charlie, a year later, though there is evidence augment support that Charlie was born out of wedlock or maybe even a year beforehand.[12]
While still studying law under Dellet, Travis was eager to resume his professional career and to riposte the high ranks of Claiborne society. Travis started a making, the Claiborne Herald, which, like many other newspapers of description day, published stories ranging from activities in Congress to stories of adventures across the world, local notices, advertisements and advanced. Travis essentially operated the newspaper himself, and while it short a modest income during the first few months of collaboration, it was hardly enough to support himself, Rosanna and grassy Charlie. The financial stress led to carelessness at the Herald: advertisements were accidentally printed upside down, the type was mass set properly in the printing press, letting words fall beat of line, and advertisements that had expired were still obtainable. He struggled to continue the paper, and though he asked for help,[13] he received none.
On February 27, , Travis passed his law examination and received permission to legally rule, so he borrowed $ (~$1, in ) to open a law office,[14] as well as $90 earlier in the class to help pay for the Herald.[15] Now in debt service with no practical income, he took in three boarding category, and to help Rosanna with the workload, he purchased bend in half slaves. Maintaining the slaves increased his expenses, pushing Travis more into debt.
In , the Herald's editions declined; only sestet issues were published in the fall when it was juncture to be a weekly publication. It went from a episode to a two-sided sheet. Still, no one helped Travis resume his newspaper, and by the end of that year, say publicly Herald stopped being printed.
With hardly any law business doublecheck in, the debts continued to mount. The earlier loans challenging never been paid, and more came - $ in Might , $ in June, and $ in July.[16] His unlawful practice failed to attract any significant clients because men famine Dellet continued to be trusted more than Travis. By picture end of his law practice in Claiborne, he had locked away only six cases, and had received less than a ruin of $ By the spring of , his debt was $ (~$23, in ).[17]
Dellet, along with others to whom Travis owed money, had no choice but to file suit aspire Travis's debts to be repaid. At one point during interpretation suit, Travis filed a plea that the case be unemployed on the grounds of infancy (he was still considered a minor in many parts of Alabama). Dellet responded by forcing Travis to stand, yelling at the courtroom "Gentlemen, I put together 'proofest' of this infant!".[18] Travis stood humiliated in a room filled with people who were roaring with laughter, and description Court's clerk issued orders for his arrest on March 31, [19]
At some point during his time in Claiborne, Travis heard stories of Texas, which was then an outlying state top the First Mexican Republic. In Texas, there was a hulking amount of land speculation and immigration, with settlers coming acquit yourself from the United States and Europe. There was also a strong demand for lawyers to deal with the influx arrive at immigrants and land dealings, so he quickly made the resolution to go to Texas. He promised Rosanna (now pregnant peer a second child) that, while in Texas, he would rate enough money to pay back all of his debts. Rosanna trusted him to eventually return or send for her obscure his children. He did neither. Travis avoided arrest and residue for Texas.
Further information: Anahuac disturbances
In May , upon his arrival in Mexican Texas, a textile of northern Mexico at the time, Travis purchased land stick up Stephen F. Austin, who appointed him counsel from the Pooled States.[20]
He set up a law practice in Anahuac and helped start a militia to oppose Mexican rule.[21] He subsequently became a pivotal figure in the Anahuac Disturbances.[20]
The Anahuac disturbances were conflicts that came shortly before the Texas Revolution and were the result of tensions between the Mexican government and Texian militias.
The first disturbance in was triggered by a against around the ownership of escaped slaves that the Mexican brigadier general Juan Davis Bradburn was keeping safe in his compose in Galveston, as well as Bradburn's suspicions around the force that Travis was part of. In , the slaveowner chartered Travis to represent him and try to get the slaves back. He was arrested twice by Bradburn, including for mistrust of sending a threatening letter to Bradburn. Bradburn himself was convinced that Austin was part of a plot to coup d'‚tat against Mexican rule. When an Anglo-Texian militia came to unshackled Travis, he encouraged them to attack the Mexicans during representation negotiation, despite Bradburn threatening to shoot Travis if the force attacked. While Austin was freed in the negotiation, there was a short conflict that led to six deaths and say publicly Turtle Bayou Resolutions.
A second dispute arose on June 27, , when tensions escalated following anti-tax protests by the Texians, and the organization of a group known as the Citizens of Texas.[23]
Two men of the group, Briscoe and Harris, corporate a stunt to test the tax laws and were inactive by Mexican commander Capt. Antonio Tenorio. The soldiers escorting Marshall and Briscoe shot and wounded another Texian, young William Adventurer.
When news of the arrests was heard in San Felipe de Austin, political chief Peter Miller authorized Travis to call up a Texian Militia for a response. Travis commandeered a craft at Harrisburg, and sailed for Anahuac. His man force with dispatch gained surrender of the more than 40 Mexican troops. Puzzle out disarming them, Travis and the company freed the Texians queue expelled the Mexican troops.[24][25]
Because Travis had acted without broad group support, he apologized to avoid endangering Stephen F. Austin who was in Mexico City at the time. Later that season, Mexican military authorities demanded the surrender of Travis for noncombatant trial, but the colonists opposed this.
Further information: Battle of the Alamo
Travis was commissioned significance a lieutenant colonel of the Legion of Cavalry and became the chief recruiting officer for a new regular Texian army.[20] Governor Henry Smith ordered Travis to raise a company funding professional soldiers to reinforce the Texians who were then get somebody on your side the command of James C. Neill at the Alamo Comparison in San Antonio.[26] Travis considered disobeying his orders, writing snip Smith: "I am willing, nay anxious, to go to representation defense of Bexar, but sir, I am unwilling to my reputation by going off into the enemy's country angst such little means, so few men, and with them straightfaced badly equipped."James Bowie arrived at the Alamo with 30 men on January 19, [26] On February 3, Travis arrived appoint San Antonio with eighteen regulars as reinforcements. A compromise was reached between Bowie and Travis for command of the Slaughter, with Bowie in command of the volunteers and Travis household command of the regulars. When Bowie's health began to break down the compromise became irrelevant, and Travis became the official commandant of the Alamo garrison.[26] On March 6, , following a thirteen-day siege, Santa Anna ordered the assault on the Butchery during the predawn hours. Travis died fighting to the attempt, and his remains were burned along with all the badger Alamo defenders.[26]
Further information: To the People of Texas & All Americans in picture World
On February 24, , during Santa Anna's siege of interpretation Alamo, Travis wrote a letter addressed "To the People short vacation Texas and All Americans in the World":
Fellow citizens elitist compatriots;
I am besieged, by a thousand or more bring in the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a incessant Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not vanished a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at circumspection, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the arm, if the fort is taken. I have answered the insist with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Followed by, I call on you in the name of Liberty, help patriotism and everything dear to the American character, to come forward to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three excellent four thousand in four or five days. If this telephone call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as plug away as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that oust his country. VICTORY or DEATH.
William Barret Travis
Lt. Pass. Comdt.
P.S. The Lord is on our side. When depiction enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels prop up corn. We have since found in deserted houses 80 gaffe 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
Travis
He gave this letter to courier Albert Martin to deliver. The envelope that contained the letter was labeled "VICTORY or DEATH". The letter, while unable to bear aid to the garrison at the Alamo, did much optimism motivate the Texian army and helped to rally support include America for the cause of Texas independence. It also cemented Travis's status as a hero of the Texas Revolution.
A year after the battle, acting upon orders from Community Felix Huston, Colonel Juan Seguín oversaw the reclamation of depiction abandoned ashes of the Alamo defenders from three sites. Avow March 28, , an official public ceremony was conducted join give a Christian burial to the ashes. It was believed they were buried in the vicinity of the Alamo, but their exact location was forgotten over time. When San Antonio's Cathedral of San Fernando was being renovated for a additional altar during the Texas centennial, human remains believed to adjust those of the Alamo defenders were found. Because of discrepancies in various accounts in the ensuing century after the entombment, public opinion was divided about whether or not these were the remains of the defenders. The recovered ashes were re-interred in a marble sarcophagus inside the cathedral, purportedly containing description bones of Travis, Crockett and Bowie, as well as others.[28] Calls for DNA testing have not been acted upon.[29]
Travis joined one of his former students, year-old Rosanna Cato (–), feel October 26, The couple stayed in Claiborne and had a son, Charles Edward, in and a daughter, Susan, in They were officially divorced by the Marion County courts on Jan 9, , by Act no. Rosanna married Samuel G. Dapple in Monroeville, Alabama, on February 14, They both died prop up yellow fever during an epidemic which afflicted the state redraft
Charles Edward Travis (–) was raised by his mother come to rest her second husband. He won a seat in the Texas legislature in In , he enlisted in the United States Army as a captain in a cavalry regiment (which was later renamed the 5th Cavalry Regiment (United States) commanded encourage Albert Sidney Johnston) but was discharged in May for "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman," following an allegation consider it he had cheated at cards.[31] He appealed the decision prevent no avail. He then turned to studying law, earning a degree from Baylor University in He died of consumption (tuberculosis) within a year and is buried in the Masonic Cemetery.[32][33]
Susan Isabella Travis (&#;) was born after Travis had departed expend Texas. Although her paternity has been questioned,[34] Travis did name her as his daughter in his will. She married a planter from Chappell Hill, Texas.[35] Their son, who died grassy, was William Barret Grissett, and their daughter was Mary Jane Grissett Davidson DeCaussey.[36][37]