William Travis - Biography of Texas Soldier By Christopher Minster Biography of William Travis: William Barret Travis (1809-1836) was an American teacher, lawyer and soldier. As a young man, he immigrated to Texas, where he soon became embroiled in the fight for independence from Mexico. He was in command of the Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo , where he was killed along with all of his men. According to legend, he drew a line in the sand and challenged the defenders of the Alamo to cross it and fight to the death: whether this actually happened is not certain. He is considered a great hero in Texas. Early Life of William Travis: Travis was born on August 1, 1809 in South Carolina and grew up in Alabama. At the age of nineteen he was a schoolteacher in Alabama and married one of his students, sixteen year old Rosanna Cato. Travis later trained and worked as a lawyer and published a short-lived newspaper. Neither profession made him much money, and in 1831 he fled to the west, staying one step ahead of his creditors.

continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge He left Rosanna and their young son behind: by then the marriage had soured anyway and neither Travis nor his wife were sad that he went. He chose to head to Texas for a new start: his creditors could not pursue him into Mexico. Travis and the Anahuac Disturbances: Travis found plenty of work in the town of Anahuac defending slaveholders and those who sought the recapture of runaway slaves: this was a sticky point at the time in Texas, as slavery was illegal in Mexico but many of the Texas settlers practiced it anyway. Travis soon ran afoul of Juan Bradburn, an American-born Mexican military officer. When Travis was jailed, the local populace took up arms and demanded his release. In June of 1832, there was a tense standoff between angry Texans and the Mexican army: it eventually turned violent and several men were killed. A higher-ranking Mexican official than Bradburn arrived and defused the situation. Travis was free, and he soon found he was a hero among separation-minded Texans. Return to Anahuac: In 1835 Travis again was involved in trouble in Anahuac.

In June, a man named Andrew Briscoe was jailed for arguing about some new taxes. Travis, infuriated, rounded up a gang of men and they rode on Anahuac, supported by a boat with a lone cannon. He ordered the Mexican soldiers out: not knowing the strength of the rebel Texans, they agreed. Briscoe was freed and Travis’ stature grew enormously with those Texans who favored independence: his fame only grew when it was revealed that Mexican authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest. William Travis Arrives at the Alamo: Travis missed out on the Battle of Gonzales and the Siege of San Antonio , but he was still a dedicated rebel and anxious to fight for Texas. After the Siege of San Antonio, Travis - by then a militia officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel - was ordered to collect up to 100 men and reinforce San Antonio, at the time being fortified by Jim Bowie and other Texans. The defense of San Antonio centered on the Alamo, a fortress-like old mission church in the center of town. Travis managed to round up about 40 men, paying them out of his own pocket, and he arrived at the Alamo on February 3, 1836.

Discord at the Alamo: By rank, Travis was technically the second-in-command at the Alamo. The commander there was James Neill, who had fought bravely at the siege of San Antonio and who had vigorously reinforced the Alamo in the intervening months. About half the men there, however, were volunteers and therefore answered to no one: these men tended to listen only to James Bowie. Bowie generally deferred to Neill, but did not listen to Travis. When Neill left in February to attend to family matters, the differences between the two men caused a serious rift among the defenders. Eventually two things would unite Travis and Bowie (and the men they commanded) - the arrival of the diplomatic celebrity Davy Crockett and the advance of the Mexican army, commanded by General Antonio López de Santa Anna . Sending for Reinforcements: Santa Anna's army arrived in San Antonio in late February, 1836 and Travis busied himself sending dispatches to anyone who could help him. The most likely reinforcements were the men serving under James Fannin in Goliad, but repeated pleas to Fannin brought no results.

Fannin did set out with a relief column, but turned back due to logistical difficulties (and, one suspects, the suspicion that the men in the Alamo were doomed). Travis wrote to Sam Houston , but Houston was having troubles controlling his army and was not in any position to send aid. Travis wrote the political leaders, who were planning another convention, but they moved too slowly to do Travis any good: he was on his own. The Line in the Sand and the Death of William Travis: According to popular lore, sometime on March fourth Travis called together the defenders for a meeting. He drew a line in the sand with his sword and challenged those who would stay and fight to cross it: only one man refused (an ailing Jim Bowie reportedly asked to be carried across). This story is uncertain as there is little historical evidence to support it. Still, Travis and everyone else knew the odds and chose to remain, whether he actually drew a line in the sand or not. On March sixth the Mexicans attacked at dawn. Travis, defending the northern quadrant, was one of the first to fall, shot by an enemy rifleman. The Alamo was overrun within two hours, all of its defenders captured or killed.

Legacy of William Travis: Were it not for his heroic defense of the Alamo and his death, Travis would most likely be a historical footnote. He was one of the first men truly committed to Texas' separation from Mexico, and his deeds in Anahuac are worthy of inclusion on any accurate time-line of events that led to Texas' independence. Still, he was not a great military or political leader: he was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time (or the right place at the right time, if you prefer). Nevertheless, Travis showed himself to be a capable commander and brave soldier when it counted. He held the defenders together in the face of overwhelming odds and did what he could to defend the Alamo. In part because of his discipline and work, the Mexicans paid very dearly for their victory that March day: most historians put the casualty count at around 600 Mexican soldiers to some 200 Texan defenders. He showed true leadership qualities and might have gone far in post-independence Texas politics had he survived. Travis' greatness lies in the fact that he obviously knew what was going to happen, yet he remained and kept his men with him.

His final missives show clearly his intent to stay and fight, even though he would likely lose. He also seemed to understand that if the Alamo were crushed, that the men inside would become martyrs for the cause of Texas Independence - which is precisely what happened. Cries of "Remember the Alamo!" echoed out all over Texas and the USA, and men took up arms to avenge Travis and the other slain Alamo defenders. Travis is considered a great hero in Texas, and many things in Texas are named for him, including Travis County and William B. Travis High School. His character appears in books and movies and anything else related to the Battle of the Alamo. Travis was portrayed by Laurence Harvey in the 1960 film version of The Alamo, which starred John Wayne as Davy Crockett, and by Patrick Wilson in the 2004 film of the same name . Source: Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: the Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. New York: Anchor Books, 2004. Line in the Sand Alamo History. Line in the Sand by Mike Cox By March 5, 1836, Col.

William Barrett Travis had known for several days that his situation inside the old Spanish mission called the Alamo had become hopeless. Several thousand soldiers under the command of Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna had Travis and some 189 other defenders surrounded. The young Texas colonel - only 26 - was a lawyer, not a professional military man, but Travis knew enough history to understand that in a siege, the army on the outside usually prevails over the army on the inside. So he gathered his fellow defenders that Saturday afternoon and gave them a speech. "We must die," he began. "Our business is not to make a fruitless effort to save our lives, but to choose the manner of our death." He saw three possibilities: Surrender and summary execution, trying to fight their way out only to be "butchered" by Mexican lancers or "remain in this fort�resist every assault, and to sell our lives as dearly as possible." Then, with a flourish, Travis drew his sword and slowly marked a line in the dirt.

"I now want every man who is determined to stay here and die with me to come across this line." Young Tapley Holland made his decision quickly, proclaiming "I am ready to die for my country!" as he jumped over the line. It's hard to picture it as a stampede - the men knew they were voting to die - but all but two of them walked over the line. Co-commander Jim Bowie, lying sick on a cot, asked some of his men to carry him across. Only Louis Moses Rose, a French soldier of fortune, remained behind. That night, Rose slipped out of the Alamo and managed to make it through the enemy lines. He ended up in Louisiana and supposedly lived until 1850. Every Texan knows what happened the morning after Rose made his escape. In the predawn of March 6, Santa Anna's forces breached the walls and killed every Texas combatant. No one disputes the outcome of the battle, but historians are still fighting over whether the sword story is true. Unfortunately for die-hard Texans, the current thinking is that it probably did not happen.

On the other hand, so far as is known, anyone who could have vouched for the story died in the final assault that morning 170 years ago this March 6. The dramatic tale did not appear in print until 1873, nearly 40 years after the battle. The man who wrote the story for the Texas Almanac - William Physick Zuber - later admitted that while he reconstructed major portions of Travis' speech, he included only one paragraph of fiction. Unfortunately, he did not say which paragraph that was. Zuber might have been inspired by what happened in December 1835. Ben Milam , during the Texian siege of San Antonio de Bexar, did draw a line and urge his fellow revolutionaries to follow him in attacking the soldiers of Mexican Gen. Martin Perfecto de Cos. "Who will follow old Ben Milam ?" he asked. The Texans won the battle but Milam lost his life in the effort. But other than Zuber's telling of the tale, which he said he heard from his parents, who had given Rose shelter for a time after his escape from the Alamo , no documentation has been found to support it.

What is irrefutable is that the story of Travis drawing a line with his sword - be it truth or legend - gave Texas, America and eventually, the world, one of its most enduring metaphors. Travis' line in the dirt - people did not start saying sand until the first President Bush used the term in 1990 before the first Gulf War - is a story equal to Homer or Shakespeare, as compelling as almost anything in the Bible or from the best Hollywood screen writer. As J. Frank Dobie put it, "It is a line that not all the piety nor wit of research will ever blot out. It is a grand canyon cut into the bedrock of human emotions and historical impulses." The line-in-the-sand metaphor gets its power because it represents something that is absolutely true: Making a courageous decision often comes with a high price. On the upside, that courageous decision usually proves to be the right one, even if it takes years for people to appreciate it. Think Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. It might cost your life or your office, but chances are, someday you will be remembered for doing the right thing by crossing that figurative line in the sand.

� Mike Cox American Experience | Remember the Alamo | People & Events | PBS "God and Texas -- Victory or Death!" -- William Travis, March 3, 1836 Settler and Agitator William Barret Travis arrived in San Felipe de Austin in 1831 after abandoning a wife and two children in Alabama. He set up a law practice in Anahuac and quickly became acquainted with other Anglo settlers who were agitating against Mexican rule. In 1835 Travis took matters in his own hands when he attacked the Mexican garrison at Anahuac with a group of twenty-five men. The act fueled the wrath of Mexican president Antonio de Lopez Santa Anna against the Anglo colonies of Texas. And it made matters especially difficult for the Tejano leaders of the state. Default Commander Travis' aggressive tactics established him as one of the ringleaders among a growing "war faction" in the Anglo colonies. The other men in his group, including William and John Wharton, were young, single, and native Southerners like himself. Despite his hotheaded personality, Travis became a lieutenant colonel of cavalry in the Army of the People under Sam Houston in late 1835.

By the following January, Travis had orders to recruit men to assist in the fortification of the Alamo , which was then under the command of Colonel James C. Neill. Soon, however, Neill departed the fort to attend to his sick family. Though he was only twenty-six years-old -- and quite inexperienced -- Travis became the default commander of the regular army troops. James Bowie , popular among the men but not a commissioned officer, took over the command of the volunteer soldiers. Under Siege Travis was quick to call for reinforcements, knowing full well that the oncoming Mexican army would far outnumber the Alamo forces, which numbered fewer than 200 men. Despite sending many impassioned pleas to Texas delegates to the Independence Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos, Travis received little help. On March 1, the seventh day of the siege, thirty-two volunteer soldiers from Gonzales managed to get through the Mexican cordon to join the rebel army. Ammunition, food, and other supplies were dangerously low. A Legend in Death Popular legend has it that on March 5, Travis drew a line in the sand with his saber and asked those men who were committed to defending the Alamo to the death to cross.

Mexican soldier José Enrique de la Peña's diary tells a different story: that Travis was considering an honorable surrender. In either case, it is evident that Travis and his men did not surrender the fort, and indeed fought to the end. Travis was among the first men to die when, on the morning of March 6, he was shot from his post atop the Alamo wall. He was survived by his slave, Joe, who later recounted his experience inside the Alamo and the circumstances of Travis' death. Texan William Travis prepares for war with Mexico - Jun 29, 1835 - HISTORY.com Texan William Travis prepares for war with Mexico Share this: Texan William Travis prepares for war with Mexico Author Texan William Travis prepares for war with Mexico URL Publisher A+E Networks Determined to win independence for the Mexican State of Texas, William Travis raises a volunteer army of 25 soldiers and prepares to liberate the city of Anahuac. Born in South Carolina and raised in Alabama, William Travis moved to Mexican-controlled Texas in 1831 at the age of 22. He established a legal practice in Anahuac, a small frontier town about 40 miles east of Houston.

From the start, Travis disliked Mexicans personally and resented Mexican rule of Texas politically. In 1832, he clashed with local Mexican officials and was jailed for a month. When he was released, the growing Texan independence movement hailed him as a hero, strengthening his resolve to break away from Mexico by whatever means necessary. Early in 1835, the Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna overthrew the republican government and proclaimed himself dictator. Rightly fearing that some Texans would rebel as a result, Santa Anna quickly moved to reinforce Mexican control and dispatched troops to Anahuac, among other areas. Accustomed to enjoying a large degree of autonomy, some Texans resented the presence of Santa Anna’s troops, and they turned to Travis for leadership. On this day in 1835, Travis raised a company of 25 volunteer soldiers. The next day, the small army easily captured Captain Antonio Tenorio, the leader of Santa Anna’s forces in Anahuac, and forced the troops to surrender. More radical Texans again proclaimed Travis a hero, but others condemned him for trying to foment war and maintained that Santa Anna could still be dealt with short of revolution.

By the fall of 1835, however, conflict had become inevitable, and Texans prepared to fight a war of independence. As soon as the rebels had formed an army, Travis was made a lieutenant colonel in command of the regular troops at San Antonio. On February 23, 1836, Travis joined forces with Jim Bowie’s army of volunteers to occupy an old Spanish mission known as the Alamo. The following day, Santa Anna and about 4,000 of his men laid siege to the Alamo. With less than 200 soldiers, Travis and Bowie were able to hold off the Mexicans for 13 days. On March 6, Santa Anna’s soldiers stormed the Alamo and killed nearly every Texan defender, including Travis. In the months that followed, “Remember the Alamo” became a rallying cry as the Texans successfully drove the Mexican forces from their borders. By April, Texas had won its independence. Travis, who first hastened the war of independence and then became a martyr to the cause, became an enduring symbol of Texan courage and defiance. Related Videos Texas, The Lone Star State: “A line in the sand” (Col.

Travis in 1836; Pres. Bush in 1990) This site is edited by Barry Popik . Technical matters are handled by Grant Barrett of Double-Tongued Word Wrester Dictionary . Entry from December 27, 2006 “A line in the sand” (Col. Travis in 1836; Pres. Bush in 1990) There have been many historical “lines in the sand.” The Spanish explorer Pizarro is said to have a “line in the sand” to his troops in Peru. Lieutenant Colonel William Travis is said to have drawn a line on the floor with his sword at the Alamo in March 1836. All who wanted to stay at the Alamo and fight would have to cross the line. Colonel Bowie was too sick to cross, but was pulled across in a cot. All crossed the line except one person, who escaped (and told the story). President George Bush (in 1990) said that he drew “a line in the sand” against Iraq invading Saudi Arabia.

The Alamo reference must have been known to Prsident Bush when the statement was made, just before the start of the first Gulf War. Alamo City Guide The Battle Of The Alamo Unsheathing his sword during a lull in the virtually incessant bombardment Colonel William Barret Travis drew a line on the ground before his battle-weary men. In a voice trembling with emotion he described the hopelessness of their plight and said, “those prepared to give their lives in freedom’s cause, come over to me.” Without hesitation, every man, save one, crossed the line, Colonel James Bowie, stricken with pneumonia, asked that his cot be carried over. A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Money by Randy W. Roberts and James Stuart Olson New York: Simon and Schuster 2001 Pg. 155: She remembered that on March 5, 1836, Travis addressed his troops. She forgot exactly what he said but recalled vividly that “he drew a line on the floor with the point of his sword and asked all who were willing to die for Texas to come over on his side.” All but two stepped over the line.

One of the two “sprang over the wall and disappeared.” The other was Bowie, and he was just too weak to step at all. “He made an effort to rise, but failed, and with tears streaming from his eyes he said: “Boys, won’t none of you help me over there?” Crockett and a few others came to his aid. “At the time,” she commented, “we all knew that we were doomed, but not one was in favor of surrendering.” Madam Candelaria was not the only person—or even the first—to mention Travis’s last speech to his men. WIlliam P. Zuber, who at the time of his death, in 1913, was the last surviving member of General Sam Houston’s army, told a similar story. (...) Pg. 156: Did Zuber invent the Rose story? Perhaps. Even he later confessed that he had invented some of Travis’s speech, though he insisted that the story was true and his rendition of the address was faithful to the actual one. In truth, there probably has been a Louis Rose at the Alamo, and he undoubtedly did depart the mission before the final battle.

But historians have traditionally regarded the Rose-Zuber account of the line episode with hearty skepticism, charging that it is too melodramatic and too improbably to be true. The idea that Rose told Zuber’s parents, they told him, and he waited until 1873 to tell the world seemed far fetched at best, a damn lie at worst. And the critics might just be right. But they also just might be wrong. The idea of clarifying a choice by scratching a line in the dirt and then asking men to cross to one side or another was hardly novel. Southerners often voted in this method, and Ben Milam supposedly rallied Texans to take Bexar in December 1835 with just such an action. Certainly it was a melodramatic gesture, but it was a melodramatic age and Travis was far more melodramatic than most. Duel of Eagles: The Mexican and U.S. Fight for the Alamo by Jeff Long New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1990 Pg. 233: In those days, militia officers (like Capt.

Abraham Lincoln in 1832) were frequently elected by soldiers who physically voted with their bodies, crossing a line or standing in a group to show their support for a man or an issue. Some of the men crossing Travis’s line had already rossed a similar line drawn by Ben Milam in December. The sight of a military unit mustering to one side or another of a line in the dirt would have struck no one as extraordinary. Rather it appealed tot heir democratic tastes. They viewed it for what it was, an election. Wikipedia: Battle of the Alamo Line in the sand A legend exists that on March 3, March 4, or March 5, Lieutenant Colonel Travis drew a line in the sand with his sword and invited all those who were willing to stay, and presumably to die, to cross over the line. Allegedly, the invalid Jim Bowie was carried across the line at his request. According to one variant of the story, all but one defender crossed the line. Louis Rose, said to be a French soldier who had fought under Napoleon in Russia before arriving in Texas, allegedly slipped out of the Alamo.

After evading the Mexican forces by moving at night, Rose is said to have taken shelter with the family of William P. Zuber to whom he told the tale of his escape. In 1873, Zuber (his son) published a version of the story, which has not been historically documented. The phrase “drawing a line in the sand” has remained part of English jargon for taking a stand with no compromise. vol. 3; 3rd edition Pg. 11: Pizarro drew a line upon the sand with his sword, permitting such as wished to return home to pass over it, only thirteen of all the daring veterans in his service had resolution to remain with their commander (1). (1) Herrera dec. 3 lib. x. c. 2, 3. Zarate, lib. i. c. 2. Xerez, 181. Gomara Hist. c.109. History of the Conquest of Peru by William Prescott 1847 PP. 87-88: A ray of hope was enough for the courageous spirit of Pizarro. It does not appear that he himself had entertained, at any time, thoughts of returning.

If he had, these words of encouragement entirely banished them from his bosom, and he prepared to stand the fortune of the cast on which he had so desperately ventured. He knew, however, that solicitations or remonstrances would avail little with the companions of his enterprise; and he probably did not care to win over the more timid spirits who, by perpetually looking back, would only be a clog on his future movements. He announced his own purpose, however, in a laconic but decided manner, characteristic of a man more accustomed to act than to talk, and well calculated to make an impression on his rough followers. Drawing his sword, he traced a line with it on the sand from east to west. Then turning towards the south, “Friend and comrades!” he said, “on that side are toil, hunger, nakedness, the drenching storm, desertion, and death; on this side, ease and pleasure. There lies Peru with its riches; here, Panama, and its poverty. Choose, each man, what best becomes a brave Castilian. For my part, I go to the south.” So saying, he stepped across the line.

He was followed by the brave pilot Ruiz; next by Pedro de Candia, a cavalier, born, as his name imports, in one of the isles of Greece. Eleven others successively crossed the line, thus intimating their willingness to abide the fortunes of their leader, for good or for evil. Fame, to quote the enthusiastic language of an ancient chronicler, has commemorated the names of this little band, “who thus, in the face or difficulties unexampled in history, with death rather than riches for their reward, preferred it all to abandoning their honor, and stood firm by their leader as an example of loyalty to future ages.” Prescott must be quoting an earlier source. He refers to “an ancient chronicler” and Pizarro would have said something more akin to, “Alla esta Peru y aqui esta Panama. ...” 26 November 1853, Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, pg. 350: A couple of well-armed guides came upon us and insisted upon disturbing our meditations with their magpie chatter. (...) Talking did no good, they talked so much faster and in more languages than we.

I remembered the brave American adventurer, and drew a line in the sand; if they crossed that, I hardly know what terrors were to come upon them. And these stout, well armed men marched like lions to the line—there they stopped, and we were molested no more. 9 August 1990, New York Times, pg. A1: BUSH DRAWS “LINE” He Rules Out an Invasion of Kuwait—Troops Travis Writes from the Alamo: “Victory or Death” - History in the Headlines Travis Writes from the Alamo: “Victory or Death” May 18, 2015 By Sarah Pruitt William Travis' 18365 "Victory or Death" letter. Share this: Travis Writes from the Alamo: “Victory or Death” Author Travis Writes from the Alamo: “Victory or Death” URL Google On February 23, 1836, the Mexican army of General Antonio López de Santa Anna, arrived in San Antonio de Béxar and surrounded the Alamo, a former mission occupied by some 200 Texas forces. The next day, Lieutenant Colonel William B.

Travis, leader of the Alamo’s defenders, sat down to write a letter addressed to “the People of Texas & All Americans in the World.” In the now-famous missive, Travis appealed for help, but expressed no fear or despair at the ever-mounting odds against his men. Instead, he vowed to “never surrender or retreat,” but to fight to the end. As we all know, help never came. To this day, however, Travis’ letter stands as an emblem of courage and self-sacrifice, and a vital piece of the enduring legend of the Alamo. Who was William Barret Travis? Born and raised in South Carolina, he studied law and found work as a teacher before marrying young, at the age of 19. His wife, Rosanna Cato, was one of his students. In 1831, after working as an attorney and a newspaper editor, Travis made the decision to abandon his failing marriage and make a new start in Texas. (He was also likely facing mounting debts.) He left his wife, young son and unborn daughter in South Carolina and applied for a land grant in the new colony formed by Stephen F. Austin. Sketch of William Travis by Wyly Martin.

By 1834, after being arrested in a clash with troops from the local Mexican garrison in the community of Anahuac, Travis returned to San Felipe and joined the local government there. As simmering tensions with Mexico threatened to boil over into rebellion, Travis was one of the first to sign up for the Texan forces. At one point, Santa Anna personally ordered his arrest, boosting his profile exponentially among the Texas rebels. By late 1835, Travis had risen in the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel of cavalry in the Texan volunteer army. In December 1835, at the outset of their war for independence, Texans drove Mexican forces from San Antonio de Béxar and occupied the Alamo. The following month, Travis was ordered to reinforce Colonel James C. Neill at the former mission, entering with only 30 men (after being unable to raise the expected 100). After Neill left to care for his family, Travis and Col. James Bowie took command of the Alamo’s defenders. A vanguard of Mexican dragoons under General Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma arrived in San Antonio on February 23, followed by General Santa Anna himself later that day.

The Mexicans surrounded the Alamo, Travis began writing pleas for help. One of his messages, sent via courier to Gonzales (70 miles away), read: “We have 150 men and are determined to defend the Alamo to the last. Give us assistance.” A company of Texas Rangers in Gonzales answered the call, riding out to San Antonio on February 27. A total of 32 men riding with them entered the Alamo on March 1, and were the only reinforcements Travis and his fellow defenders would receive. On February 24, Travis wrote another letter, which would later be reprinted in newspapers around the country, as well as in Europe. It is arguably the most famous document in Texas history. (The original is now located in the Texas State Library and Archives in Austin.) Travis' letter. (Courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission) Commandancy of the The Alamo Bejar, Feby. 24th.

1836 Don Jelinek Chapter 1 The Travis Line LOUIS “MOSES” ROSE watched as his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Barret Travis, stared at his pitiful army: barely 250 men, most poorly clad, ammunition dwindling, powder scarce, food almost gone. Surrounding them outside all four walls of the Alamo stood a Mexican army of 6,000, officers with resplendent, multi-colored uniforms, and seemingly unlimited supplies of ammunition and food. Rose listened as Travis told his men, “My choice is to stay in this fort and die for my country!” Rose stared as Travis drew a line in the sand with his sword and challenged his men to cross it . . . and die with him. It was Saturday, March 5, 1836, a half mile from San Antonio, Texas, about two hours before sunset, on the twelfth and next-to-last day of the Siege of the Alamo. MOMENTS EARLIER, Travis had been checking the crumbling North Wall when silence jolted him to attention – the almost two week, almost nonstop, deafening bombardment by enemy artillery had suddenly ceased.

A yelp of joy from his men at the big cannon brought Travis on the run in time to see Mexican soldiers withdrawing from their positions, already out of range to ﬁre or be ﬁred upon. Seizing this rare moment of freedom from combat, Travis assembled his men, shoulder to shoulder, placing himself in front of the center, facing them. He stood silent for a few moments, overcome by anguish. Leaning on his riﬂe, Moses Rose studied his leader’s tormented face. “My brave companions . . . our fate is sealed,” Travis began and quickly unburdened himself. “Within a very few days – perhaps a very few hours – we must all be in eternity . . . . This is our certain doom.” As Travis paused to compose himself, Rose betrayed no emotion, unlike the men around him who whispered: “But isn’t help coming?” “Isn’t Colonel Fannin coming?” Unable to read or write, Rose’s custom was ﬁrst to listen and memorize, only later to digest and react. So he listened as Travis resumed his account, confessing to having unwittingly deceived his men as he himself had been deceived.

Offers of help were promised, Travis reminded his troops, but none came – except the 32 heroic men from Gonzalez! (A weak cheer went up.) Colonel Fannin, he related, had not responded to his many calls for help. Ammunition is perilously low, he added, mournfully. We are hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded by thousands of Mexican troops, and – here he paused again, almost unable to say the words – thus “we . . . must . . . die!” A gasp was heard up and down the line. The possibility of death was an everyday affair for these adventurers; the certainty of death was an unwelcome stranger. All eyes were on Travis. What do we do? We die gloriously! Travis answered their look. “When at last they shall storm our fortress,” Travis’ eyes ﬂashed, “let us kill them as they come! Kill them as they scale our walls! Kill them as they leap within! KILL them as they raise their weapons and as they use them! KILL them as they kill our companions!

And continue to KILL them as long as one of us shall remain alive!” Cheers erupted, louder and louder, as Travis, louder and louder, roared the word “KILL!” Kill them we will, thought Rose, and then we will all die. But he cheered also. Explaining the need for their sacriﬁce, Travis told his men: We must buy time so that “our countrymen at home can meet [the Mexicans] on fair terms, cut them up, expel them from the country, and thus establish their own independence . . . .” Our reward, said he, if one was necessary, will be everlasting immortality: “Our memory will be gratefully cherished by posterity till all history shall be erased and all noble deeds shall be forgotten.” “But,” offered Travis, “I leave every man to his own choice.” Surrender (Never! shouted Micajah Autry of Tennessee), attempt an escape (No! cried James Bonham of South Carolina) or die here with me (silence). At once Travis drew his sword from its sheath and held it in the air, staring at the forged metal as if it was Excalibur, pulled from its prison of stone by the future King Arthur.

Then, walking till he faced the man furthest to his right, Travis, with the point of his sword, began to draw a line in the sand and slowly continued the line until he reached the last man to his left. Then, with a ﬂourish, he replaced the sword in its sheath and positioned himself once again in the middle of the rank – the line in the sand a vast chasm, separating the leader from his men. No one spoke . . . or breathed. Travis lowered his voice to a whisper, as he proclaimed: “I now want every man who is determined to stay here and die with me to come across this line.” Then he shouted: “Who will be the ﬁrst? March!” Tapley Holland from Ohio leaped the line almost before the words were out of Travis’ mouth, booming, “I am ready to die for my country!” The others paused for but an instant until a blacksmith from Missouri silently walked across the line carrying his long riﬂe. Then a lawyer from Kentucky, followed by a doctor from Pennsylvania, a hatter from New York, a poet from North Carolina, a jockey from Arkansas.

Following them were farmers and ranchers from almost all of the 27 states that in 1836 made up the United States of America. Joining them were volunteers from across the sea: from Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The average age of the men inside the Alamo was 29, a lifetime ahead of them, but seemingly without a care they crossed the line to certain death. Next crossed the thirteen members of the Tennessee Company of Mounted Volunteers, mostly dressed in buckskin and fur cap – but only after an imperceptible signal from their leader, Davy Crockett. The famous Indian ﬁghter, bear hunter and former U.S. Congressman, who described himself as nothing more than a “high private” in this noble cause, nodded his assent and majestically sauntered across the Line with his Tennessee boys. Crossing next was Colonel James Bowie, famous for his exploits with the “Bowie” knife and joint commander with Travis until he took ill and became bedridden.

Bowie, who had been brought out on a cot from his sick room, called out: “Boys, I am not able to go to you, but I wish some of you would be so kind as to remove my cot over there.” And four men instantly ran to the cot and, each lifting a corner, carried it and their Colonel across the Line. Bowie’s men crossed after him. Thus encouraged, others who were injured were helped or hobbled across the Line. Their fate now set, those who were soon to die were euphoric, pounding each other on the back and shoulders, shouting curses at the enemy, and making patriotic speeches for their cause. Freed of worldly cares, only immortality awaited them. The baptism of death had turned into a raucous party, until, reminding them that there had been a choice after all – they observed that one lone man had not crossed. The bedlam turned to silence as they stared across the Line at Louis Rose, nicknamed “Moses” because at 51 he was the oldest among them. Rose had stood until every man but he had crossed the Line. Then he sank upon the ground, covered his face, and yielded to his own reﬂections.

For a time he was unconscious of what was transpiring around him. Rose then lifted himself to his full height and stared at his comrades, his best friends, virtually his only friends, all here in the Alamo Plaza, all on the other side of the Line – all staring at him . . . staring at him because until this moment they had assumed he was one of them: As volatile for independence as they, he’d risked his life in battle after battle ﬁghting for Texas. And he certainly looked like one of them in buckskin breeches, homemade Texas Jean jacket and broad-brimmed sombrero, a long gun and knife at his side. But he was not crossing the Line. Why not? Rose wondered also. Rose stared at them until they became a blur and then returned to his thoughts. Now was his time to reﬂect on Travis’ rhetorical ﬂourishes – words which, perhaps only to Rose, had offered a true choice: Surrender, Escape or Die!

As Rose stood alone, all eyes from the other side of the Line upon him, he nervously ﬁngered in his pocket his lucky memento – an 1813 European coin with the face of Napoléon Bonaparte. With his other hand he stroked the handle of his trusted “Bowie knife.” AT THAT MOMENT Rose was two men: One, a Frenchman, a former French soldier, a ﬁghter for the French Empire – Napoléon’s man, the follower of a deliberate and imaginative military genius. The other Rose was an American * , a Texan, an early ﬁghter in the battle for independence – Jim Bowie’s man, headstrong and impulsive. The two men named Moses Rose stood in one pair of Indian moccasins. The Texan pulled at the heart of the man; the Frenchman held his reason. Paralyzed with indecision, he stared at the Travis Line. Alone. The men of Travis’ army surely thought Rose mad as they watched him stare at a small coin, held between his thumb and second ﬁnger, raised to the sky to peer at.

It was the face of Napoléon that Rose looked to for guidance, 21 years after his Emperor’s ﬁnal defeat. Should I die with my friends, the wild Texans? Must I follow this enfant terrible, the 27-year-old Travis, who talks about dying for “honor and country” and signs his letters “Victory or Death!”? What would Napoléon do? What did Napoléon do? He fought against great odds but retreated when outnumbered or outgunned. He surrendered when there could be no victory, only death. And then he rose and fought again and again and again, as long as it was possible. To offer one’s life in vain, as a monument to posterity, was not Napoléonic, not the esprit of the French soldier. Momentary peace came over Rose as he returned the coin to his pocket. A French soldier does not throw away his life without hope of survival. I am no coward! Rose reassured himself, as he looked over at the men on the other side of the Line, all of whom by now considered him one. I came to ﬁght in Texas by choice. I was not conscripted.

But a French soldier does not die in vain, Napoléon had taught him. William Barrett Travis -- Biography 1809-1836 by Archie P. McDonald William Barret Travis, Texas commander at the battle of the Alamo, was the eldest of eleven children of Mark and Jemima (Stallworth) Travis. At the time of his birth the family lived on Mine Creek near the Red Bank community, which centered around the Red Bank Baptist Church in Edgefield District, near Saluda, Saluda County, South Carolina. There is some confusion regarding the date and circumstances of his birth. Many sources give the date as August 9, others as August 1, 1809. The family Bible, however, records the former date. Others have confused the date of his birth with that of his elder, and illegitimate, half-brother, Toliferro Travis. The first Travers, or Travis, to settle in North America landed in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1627. Edward Travers became a member of the house of burgesses and amassed significant holdings of land.

Subsequent generations of the family drifted southward to the Carolinas, where Barrick or Barrot Travers established a farm in the Edgefield District. Somewhere in the journey Travers became Travis, and Barrot came to be spelled Barret. Barrot Travis's sons, Alexander and Mark, became farmers, and Alexander also became a prominent clergyman. Travis's boyhood centered around the work of the family farm, attendance at the Red Bank church, home schooling, and playing with area children. James Butler Bonham, who also served in the defense of the Alamo, was one of these, but it is difficult to establish a strong relationship between Bonham and Travis in these early years. Alexander Travis, the family patriarch, traveled to Alabama in 1817 and decided to move the entire family to Conecuh County the next year. There they helped found the communities of Sparta and Evergreen. Travis attended an academy in Sparta until he learned all that was taught there; then Alexander Travis enrolled his nephew in a school in nearby Claiborne, Alabama. Travis eventually assisted in the instruction of the younger students.

James Dellet (Dellett, Delett), the leading attorney in Claiborne, accepted Travis as an apprentice. Under his instruction Travis became an attorney and partner, and for a brief time operated a joint office across the river at Gosport, Alabama. On October 26, 1828, Travis married Rosanna Cato, one of the students he had helped to teach, when he was twenty years old. Their first child, Charles Edward Travis, was born on August 8, 1829. For a year Travis gave every evidence that he intended to remain in Claiborne. He began the publication of a newspaper, the Claiborne Herald, joined the Masonic order at Alabama Lodge No. 3, and accepted a position as adjutant of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, Eighth Brigade, Fourth Division, of the Alabama Militia. A year later he abandoned his wife, son, and unborn daughter (Susan Isabella) and departed for Texas. The story has been told that Travis suspected his wife of infidelity, doubted his parenthood of her unborn child, and killed a man because of it. The story is probably correct, given its persistence, but hard evidence of it is lacking.

Travis arrived in Texas early in 1831, after the Law of April 6, 1830, made his immigration illegal. He arrived at San Felipe de Austin, and on May 21 obtained land from Stephen F. Austin. He listed his marital status as single, although he was still married. He established a legal practice in Anahuac, a significant port of entry located on the eastern end of Galveston Bay. The purpose of the move there was to establish himself in an area where there were few attorneys while he learned the official language, Spanish. He traveled the country doing legal work and became associated with a group of militants who opposed the Law of April 6, 1830. Eventually this group became known as the war party as tension increased between the Mexican government and American settlers in Texas. Travis had many occasions to oppose the commander of the Mexican garrison at Anahuac, Col. John Davis Bradburn, a Kentuckian in the service of Mexico. Bradburn enforced the anti-immigration law, refused to allow state officials to alienate land to American settlers arriving after the passage of the law, and allegedly used materials and slaves belonging to the settlers to build his camp.

The principal dispute at Anahuac occurred in 1832 when William M. Logan of Louisiana engaged Travis to secure the return of runaway slaves being harbored by Bradburn. Logan returned to Louisiana for proof of ownership and threatened Bradburn that he also would return with help. Travis alarmed Bradburn with a note passed to a sentry that Logan had returned with a large force. Bradburn turned out his entire garrison to search for Logan, who, of course, was nowhere near the area. Suspecting Travis as the perpetrator of the prank, Bradburn sent soldiers to his law office to arrest Travis and his partner, Patrick C. Jack. They were held in a guardhouse and later in two brick kilns. Word of their arrest spread, and men assembled to demand their release. The group drafted the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, which pledged their loyalty to the states' rights Constitution of 1824, but not to the current Centralist regime, and demanded the release of the prisoners. John Austin traveled to Velasco to obtain a cannon to force Bradburn to comply. Col. Josï¿½ de las Piedras, commander at Nacogdoches, hurried to Anahuac.

Although in sympathy with Bradburn, he realized that the Mexican forces were outnumbered. He ordered Travis and Jack released to civil authorities, who soon released them altogether. This incident began the Anahuac Disturbances of 1832, which resulted in armed clashes at Velasco and Nacogdoches later that summer and produced the conventions of 1832 and 1833 with their petitions for repeal of the Law of April 6, 1830, and separate statehood. Travis moved his legal practice to San Felipe in the aftermath of the clash at Anahuac. In 1834 he was elected secretary to the ayuntamiento there and was accepted, despite his youth, into the councils of government. He also met Rebecca (Rebeca) Cummings, who lived at Mill Creek, and began a courtship that resulted in a decision to marry once Travis was divorced. Rosanna Travis began divorce proceedings against her husband in 1834, charging him with desertion. They were divorced in the fall of 1835, and she remarried early the next year.

She had permitted Charles Edward Travis to move to Texas, where he lived with the family of David Ayers, so that he could be near his father. Travis may not have known when the divorce became final, for he became embroiled in the rapidly moving events of the Texas Revolution in July 1835 and was constantly occupied until his death. In any event, he made no attempt to marry Rebecca Cummings. Portrait of William B.Travis by Wiley Martin, December 1835 After Stephen F. Austin carried the petition of the Convention of 1833 to the government in Mexico City and was incarcerated, fears for his safety cooled politics in Texas until the summer of 1835. By then Antonio Lï¿½pez de Santa Anna had asserted full Centralist authority and reestablished a customhouse and military garrison at Anahuac under the command of Capt. Antonio Tenorio. A war group led by James B. Miller met and authorized Travis to return to Anahuac to expel Tenorio. In late June Travis led some twenty-five men by way of Harrisburg and Galveston Bay on an amphibious assault on Tenorio's position and captured the Mexican soldiers easily.

The action alarmed the peace party, and for several months Travis was regarded by many Texans as a troublemaker. Gen. Martï¿½n Perfecto de Cos, Mexican military commander in the north, moved his command to San Antonio. He branded Travis and the other partisans at Anahuac outlaws and demanded that the Texans surrender them for military trial. When Cos demanded the surrender of the Gonzales "come and take it" cannon in October 1835, Travis joined the hundreds of Texans who hastened there, but arrived too late to take part in the action. He remained with the militia and accompanied it to besiege Bexar. He served as a scout in a cavalry unit commanded by Randal Jones and later commanded a unit himself. He did not remain at San Antonio through the final assault in early December, but returned to San Felipe. He advised the Consultation on the organization of cavalry for the army but turned down a commission as a major of artillery. He later accepted a commission as a lieutenant colonel of cavalry and became the chief recruiting officer for the army. Governor Henry Smith ordered Travis to recruit 100 men and reinforce Col. James C. Neill at San Antonio in January 1836.

Travis was able to recruit only twenty-nine men, and because he was embarrassed he requested to be relieved. When Smith insisted, Travis reported to Neill and within a few days found himself in command of about fifty men when Neill took leave. When James Bowie arrived with 100 volunteers, he and Travis quarreled over command. They were able to effect an uneasy truce of joint command until Bowie's illness and injury from a fall forced him to bed. Travis directed the preparation of San Antonio de Valero Mission, known as the Alamo, for the anticipated arrival of Santa Anna and the main command of the Mexican army. With engineer Green B. Jameson he strengthened the walls, constructed palisades to fill gaps, mounted cannons, and stored provisions inside the fortress. He also wrote letters to officials requesting reinforcements, but only the thirty-five men came from Gonzales to his relief, thus raising the number of the Alamo's defenders to approximately 183.

Travis's letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World," written on February 24, two days after Santa Anna's advance arrived in San Antonio, brought more than enough help to Texas from the United States, but it did not arrive in time. When Santa Anna had his forces ready, he ordered an assault on the Alamo. This occurred just before dawn on March 6, 1836. The Mexicans overpowered the Texans within a few hours. Travis died early in the battle from a single bullet in the head. His body and those of the other defenders were burned. The nature of Travis's death elevated him from a mere commander of an obscure garrison to a genuine hero of Texas and American history. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Archie P. McDonald, Travis (Austin: Jenkins, 1976). William Barret Travis, Diary, ed. Robert E. Davis (Waco: Texian Press, 1966). Amelia W. Williams, A Critical Study of the Siege of the Alamo and of the Personnel of Its Defenders (Ph.D.

dissertation, University of Texas, 1931; rpt., Southwestern Historical Quarterly 36 [April 1933], 37 [July, October 1933, January, April 1934]). Recommended citation: "TRAVIS, WILLIAM BARRET." The Handbook of Texas Online. [Accessed ]. Copyright ï¿½, The Texas State Historical Association, 1997-2002 See Also: William B. Travis (1809-1836) William Barret Travis (1809-1836) Born in South Carolina on 9 August 1809, William Barret Travis will always be remembered as the Texas commander at the Battle of the Alamo . He spent his childhood in Saluda Co., SC, which was also the home of James Butler Bonham, another Alamo defender. Travis studied law and became a practicing attorney for a brief time before marrying Rosanna Cato at the age of nineteen. Within a year, when Travis was barely twenty years old, they had a son, Charles Edward Travis.

Remaining in the area, Travis began publication of a newspaper, became a Mason, and joined the militia. The marriage soon failed, however. Travis abandoned his wife, son, and an unborn daughter, and headed for Texas. After arriving in Texas in early 1831, Travis obtained land from Stephen F. Austin . He set up to practice law first in the town of Anahuac, and afterwards at San Felipe. When friction developed between Texas and Mexico, Travis was one of the first to join the Texas forces. When Mexican General Martin Perfecto de Cos demanded the surrender of the Texan's cannon that resulted in the Battle of Gonzales , Travis was one of hundreds to come to the its defense. He arrived too late, however, to take part in the action. On orders from Provisional Governor Henry Smith in January of 1836, Travis entered the Alamo with about 30 men. Within a few days, he found himself in command, when then commander James C. Neill took leave to care for his family. Travis commanded the Texas defenders during the Siege and Battle of the Alamo. His Appeal from the Alamo for reinforcements has become an American symbol of unyielding courage and heroism.

Although a few reinforcements arrived before the Alamo fell, Travis and over 180 defenders gave their lives for Texas independence on 6 March 1836. Remarkably, Travis was only twenty-six years of age at the time of his death. ______________________________________________________________________ Return to Lone Star Junction Home Page ______________________________________________________________________ History of William B. Travis, Commander of the Alamo WILLIAM BARRET TRAVIS COMMANDER OF THE ALAMO IN MARCH 1836 William Barret Travis was one of the gallant men that defended the Alamo in 1836 buying General Sam Houstor precious time to build and train an army to fight Santa Anna's army. This is a biography of the gallant man that commanded the Texian Army at the Alamo! BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM BARRET TRAVIS (1809-1836) William Barret Travis, Texas commander at the battle of the Alamo, was the eldest of eleven children of Mark and Jemima (Stallworth) Travis.

At the time of his birth the family lived on Mine Creek near the Red Bank community, which centered around the Red Bank Baptist Church in Edgefield District, near Saluda, Saluda County, South Carolina. There is some confusion regarding the date and circumstances of his birth (August 9, 1809 or August 1, 1809). The family Bible, however, records the former date. Travis attended an academy in Sparta until he learned all that was taught there; then Alexander Travis enrolled his nephew in a school in nearby Claiborne, Alabama. Travis eventually assisted in the instruction of the younger students. James Dellet (Dellett, Delett), the leading attorney in Claiborne, accepted Travis as an apprentice. Under his instruction Travis became an attorney and partner, and for a brief time operated a joint office across the river at Gosport, Alabama. On October 26, 1828, Travis married Rosanna Cato, one of the students he had helped to teach, when he was twenty years old. Their first child, Charles Edward Travis, was born on August 8, 1829.

For a year Travis gave every evidence that he intended to remain in Claiborne. He began the publication of a newspaper, the Claiborne Herald, joined the Masonic order at Alabama Lodge No. 3, and accepted a position as adjutant of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, Eighth Brigade, Fourth Division, of the Alabama Militia. A year later he abandoned his wife, son, and unborn daughter (Susan Isabella) and departed for Texas. The story has been told that Travis suspected his wife of infidelity, doubted his parenthood of her unborn child, and killed a man because of it. The story is probably correct, given its persistence, but hard evidence of it is lacking. Travis arrived in Texas early in 1831, after the Law of April 6, 1830, made his immigration illegal. He arrived at San Felipe de Austin, and on May 21 obtained land from Stephen F. Austin. He listed his marital status as single, although he was still married. He established a legal practice in Anahuac, a significant port of entry located on the eastern end of Galveston Bay.

The purpose of the move there was to establish himself in an area where there were few attorneys while he learned the official language, Spanish. Travis traveled around Texas doing legal work and became associated with a group of militants who opposed the Law of April 6, 1830. Eventually this group became known as the war party as tension increased between the Mexican government and American settlers in Texas. Travis had many occasions to oppose the commander of the Mexican garrison at Anahuac, Col. John Davis Bradburn, a Kentuckian in the service of Mexico. Bradburn enforced the anti-immigration law, refused to allow state officials to alienate land to American settlers arriving after the passage of the law, and allegedly used materials and slaves belonging to the settlers to build his camp. The principal dispute at Anahuac occurred in 1832 when William M. Logan of Louisiana engaged Travis to secure the return of runaway slaves being harbored by Bradburn. Logan returned to Louisiana for proof of ownership and threatened Bradburn that he also would return with help. Travis alarmed Bradburn with a note passed to a sentry that Logan had returned with a large force.

Bradburn turned out his entire garrison to search for Logan, who, of course, was nowhere near the area. Suspecting Travis as the perpetrator of the prank, Bradburn sent soldiers to his law office to arrest Travis and his partner, Patrick C. Jack. They were held in a guardhouse and later in two brick kilns. Word of their arrest spread, and men assembled to demand their release. The group drafted the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, which pledged their loyalty to the states' rights Constitution of 1824, but not to the current Centralist regime, and demanded the release of the prisoners. John Austinqv traveled to Velasco to obtain a cannon to force Bradburn to comply. Col. Josï¿½ de las Piedras, commander at Nacogdoches, hurried to Anahuac. Although in sympathy with Bradburn, he realized that the Mexican forces were outnumbered. He ordered Travis and Jack released to civil authorities, who soon released them altogether.

This incident began the Anahuac Disturbancesqv of 1832, which resulted in armed clashes at Velasco and Nacogdoches later that summer and produced the conventions of 1832 and 1833 with their petitions for repeal of the Law of April 6, 1830, and separate statehood. Travis moved his legal practice to San Felipe in the aftermath of the clash at Anahuac. In 1834 he was elected secretary to the ayuntamiento there and was accepted, despite his youth, into the councils of government. He also met Rebecca (Rebeca) Cummings, who lived at Mill Creek, and began a courtship that resulted in a decision to marry once Travis was divorced. Rosanna Travis began divorce proceedings against her husband in 1834, charging him with desertion. They were divorced in the fall of 1835, and she remarried early the next year. She had permitted Charles Edward Travis to move to Texas, where he lived with the family of David Ayers, so that he could be near his father.

Travis may not have known when the divorce became final, for he became embroiled in the rapidly moving events of the Texas Revolution in July 1835 and was constantly occupied until his death. In any event, he made no attempt to marry Rebecca Cummings. After Stephen F. Austin carried the petition of the Convention of 1833 to the government in Mexico City and was incarcerated, fears for his safety cooled politics in Texas until the summer of 1835. By then Antonio Lï¿½pez de Santa Anna had asserted full Centralist authority and reestablished a customhouse and military garrison at Anahuac under the command of Capt. Antonio Tenorio. A war group led by James B. Miller met and authorized Travis to return to Anahuac to expel Tenorio. In late June Travis led some twenty-five men by way of Harrisburg and Galveston Bay on an amphibious assault on Tenorio's position and captured the Mexican soldiers easily. The action alarmed the peace party, and for several months Travis was regarded by many Texans as a troublemaker. Gen. Martï¿½n Perfecto de Cos, Mexican military commander in the north, moved his command to San Antonio.

He branded Travis and the other partisans at Anahuac outlaws and demanded that the Texans surrender them for military trial. When Cos demanded the surrender of the Gonzales "come and take it" cannon in October 1835, Travis joined the hundreds of Texans who hastened there, but arrived too late to take part in the action. He remained with the militia and accompanied it to besiege Bexar. He served as a scout in a cavalry unit commanded by Randal Jones and later commanded a unit himself. He did not remain at San Antonio through the final assault in early December, but returned to San Felipe. He advised the Consultation on the organization of cavalry for the army but turned down a commission as a major of artillery. He later accepted a commission as a lieutenant colonel of cavalry and became the chief recruiting officer for the army. Governor Henry Smith ordered Travis to recruit 100 men and reinforce Col. James C. Neill at San Antonio in January 1836. Travis was able to recruit only twenty-nine men, and because he was embarrassed he requested to be relieved. When Smith insisted, Travis reported to Neill and within a few days found himself in command of about fifty men when Neill took leave.

When James Bowie arrived with 100 volunteers, he and Travis quarreled over command. They were able to effect an uneasy truce of joint command until Bowie's illness and injury from a fall forced him to bed. Travis directed the preparation of San Antonio de Valero Mission, known as the Alamo, for the anticipated arrival of Santa Anna and the main command of the Mexican army. With engineer Green B. Jameson, Travis strengthened the walls, constructed palisades to fill gaps, mounted cannons, and stored provisions inside the fortress. Travis also wrote letters to officials requesting reinforcements, but only the thirty-five men came from Gonzales to his relief, thus raising the number of the Alamo's defenders to approximately 183. Travis's letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World," written on February 24, two days after Santa Anna's advance arrived in San Antonio, brought more than enough help to Texas from the United States, but it did not arrive in time. When Santa Anna had his forces ready, he ordered an assault on the Alamo. This occurred just before dawn on March 6, 1836. The Mexicans overpowered the Texans within a few hours.

Travis died early in the battle from a single bullet in the head. His body and those of the other defenders were burned. The nature of Travis's death elevated him from a mere commander of an obscure garrison to a genuine hero of Texas and American history. BIBLIOGRAPHY: MH4>Archie P. McDonald, Travis (Austin: Jenkins, 1976). William Barret Travis, Diary, ed. Robert E. Davis (Waco: Texian Press, 1966). Amelia W. Williams, A Critical Study of the Siege of the Alamo and of the Personnel of Its Defenders (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, 1931; rpt., Southwestern Historical Quarterly 36 [April 1933], 37 [July, October 1933, January, April 1934).

Question: At which battle did the military leader William Travis draw the famous 'line in the sand'?
Answer: The Alamo