William Barret Travis (August 9, 1809 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th century American lawyer and
soldier. At the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Texan Army. He died at the Battle of the Alamo
during the Texas Revolution.
Family life
Travis was born in Saluda County, South Carolina, to Mark and Jemima Travis in 1809; records differ as to
whether his date of birth was the first or ninth of August, but the Travis family Bible indicates that he was born
on the ninth. When he was nine, his uncle Alexander Travis, a prominent Baptist preacher, called on his family
to move to the town of Sparta in Conecuh County, Alabama, where he received much of his education.[2] He
later enrolled in a school in nearby Claiborne, where he eventually worked as an assistant teacher.[3]
Travis then became an attorney and, at age 19, married one of his former students, 16-year-old Rosanna Cato
(1812–1848), on October 26, 1828. The couple stayed in Claiborne and had a son, Charles Edward, in 1829.[3]
Travis began publication of a newspaper that same year, the Claiborne Herald. He became a Mason, joining the
Alabama Lodge No.3 - Free and Accepted Masons, and later joined the Alabama militia as adjutant of the
Twenty-sixth Regiment, Eighth Brigade, Fourth Division.
His marriage soon failed for unknown reasons, Travis fled Alabama in early 1831 to start over in Texas, leaving
behind his wife, son, and unborn daughter.[3] Travis and Rosanna were officially divorced by the Marion
County courts on January 9, 1836, by Act no. 115. Their son was placed with Travis's friend, David Ayres, so
that he would be closer to his father.
Rosanna married Samuel G. Cloud in Monroeville, Alabama, on February 14, 1836; she subsequently married
David Y. Portis in 1843 in Texas (they both died of Yellow Fever in 1848).
Texas
Birth/Death dates plaque at Alamo
In May 1831, upon his arrival in Mexican Texas, a part of northern Mexico at the time, Travis purchased land
from Stephen F. Austin and began a law practice in Anahuac. He played a role in the growing friction between
American settlers and the Mexican government and was one of the leaders of the War Party, a group of
militants opposed to Mexican rule. He became a pivotal figure in the Anahuac Disturbances, which helped to
precipitate the war.[4]
The Texas Revolution began in October 1835 at the Battle of Gonzales. In November, Travis played a small
role in the Siege of Bexar. On December 19, Travis was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the Legion of
Cavalry and became the chief recruiting officer for the Texan army. His command was to consist of 384 men
and officers, divided into six companies. Despite his rank, Travis had to recruit the men who were to serve
under his command, but he had difficulty in finding willing colonists to enlist. "Volunteers can no longer be had
or relied upon", he wrote to acting governor Henry Smith.
Smith ordered Travis to raise a company to reinforce the Texans at the Alamo Mission in San Antonio. Travis
considered disobeying his orders, writing to Smith: "I am willing, nay anxious, to go to the defense of Bexar,
but sir, I am unwilling to risk my reputation ... by going off into the enemy's country with such little means, so
few men, and with them so badly equipped."[5]
On February 3 Travis arrived in San Antonio with eighteen men as reinforcements. On February 12, as the next
highest ranking officer, Travis became the official commander of the Alamo garrison. He took command of the
regular soldiers from Col. James C. Neill, of the Texan army. Neill had to leave to care for his ill family, but he
promised to be back in twenty days. James Bowie (1795–1836) would command the volunteers as Travis
commanded the regulars.[6]
The Mexican army, under dictator/General Antonio López de Santa Anna, began its attack on the mission on
February 23, 1836. In a brief letter to the alcade of Gonzales, Andrew Ponton, Travis wrote:
"The enemy in large force is in sight... We want men and provisions ... Send them to us. We have 150
men & are determined to defend the Alamo to the last."
In a letter to the Texas Convention on March 3: "...yet I am determined to perish in the defence of this place,
and my bones shall reproach my country for her neglect."
In Travis' last letter out of the Alamo, March 3 to David Ayres:
"Take care of my little boy. If the country should be saved, I may make him a splendid fortune; but if the
country should be lost, and I should perish, he will have nothing but the proud recollection that he is the
son of a man who died for his country."
There is a legend that, one to three days before the final Mexican assault, Travis gathered all of the Alamo's
defenders in the main plaza of the fort. Announcing that reinforcements would not be coming, Travis
unsheathed his sword and drew a line in the dirt. He then told those men who were willing to stay and die with
him to cross the line; those who wanted to leave could do so without shame. Most of the Alamo's defenders
subsequently crossed the line, leaving only two men behind. One soldier, Bowie, was confined to a cot with
typhoid, but asked to be carried across the line. The other was a French veteran of the Napoleonic Wars named
Moses Rose. Rose, who later declared, "By God, I wasn't ready to die," scaled a wall that night and escaped,
thus preserving the story of Travis's line in the sand. This account was told by Rose to numerous people later in
his life.
On March 6, 1836, following a thirteen-day siege, Travis, Bowie, David Crockett, and James Bonham were
killed in a predawn attack along with about 188-250 other defenders during the Battle of the Alamo. The
Mexicans overran the fort, surrounded it, used ladders to climb over the walls and broke down the fort's
defenses. There are reports that Travis died early in the assault, of a single gunshot wound to the forehead while
defending the north wall. Joe, a freed former slave to Travis, who was present during the final assault as a
noncombatant, stated afterward that he saw Travis stand on the wall and fire into the attackers. He saw Travis
shoot and kill a Mexican soldier climbing over the wall from a ladder, with Travis falling immediately
afterward. This is the only dependable account of Travis' death.
When Santa Anna came into the fort he asked the alcalde of San Antonio, Francisco A. Ruiz, to identify the
bodies of the rebel leaders to him. Ruiz later said that the body of Travis was found on a gun carriage on the
north wall. Within a few hours of the final gunshots being fired, Santa Anna ordered a company of dragoons to
gather wood and burn all the Texans' bodies. By five o'clock that evening, the bodies of Travis, Crockett, Bowie
and Bonham were burned along with the other defenders.
Travis's famous letter from the Alamo
Plaque in front of the Alamo
On February 24, 1836, during Santa Anna's siege of the Alamo, Travis wrote a letter addressed "To the People
of Texas and All Americans in the World":
Fellow citizens and compatriots;
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual
Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and 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 & everything dear to the
American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily
and 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 and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to
his own honor & that of his country. Victory or Death.
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt.
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 80 or 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".[5] The letter, while unable to bring aid to the garrison at the Alamo, did much to motivate
the Texan army and helped to rally support in America for the cause of Texan independence. It also cemented
Travis's status as a hero of the Texas Revolution.
Chance for help
As late as March 3, Travis had every bit of optimism of reinforcements with the arrival of messenger James
Bonham. He carried a letter from Robert M. "Three-Legged Willie" Williamson, which stated that help was
coming in the form of 60 volunteers from San Felipe, 300 volunteers (and four cannons) from James Fannin,
and another contingent of 300 volunteers by March 1. ( ...For God's sake hold out until we can assist you...")
The "line in the sand"
What is not disputed about the Battle of the Alamo is that by March 3, 1836, Travis understood the situation his
garrison faced, and it was more than bleak; in fact, the situation was hopeless. It is alleged that he called the
troops of his garrison together either on that day or on March 4, 1836, and told them, "We must die. Our
business is not to make a fruitless effort to save our lives, but to choose the manner of our death." With that,
taking example from "the 13 of the Fame" act done by Francisco Pizarro a couple of centuries before, it is
alleged he made a sweep with his sword and drew a line in the sand, asking all who would stay to cross it and
those not willing not to cross it. Only Moses Rose, a French-born former soldier in Napoleon Bonaparte's
Grande Armée, did not cross. Rose has since been known as the Coward of the Alamo.[7]
It is a fact that Moses Rose, by his own later accounts, was the only soldier who chose to depart, which he did
by sneaking through Mexican lines in the late-night hours of March 5, 1836. Allegedly, it was Rose who first
said that Travis drew the line. Susannah Dickinson, widow of Alamo defender Capt. Almaron Dickinson, was
present during the siege and battle and confirmed that this did happen. But no reliable written accounts support
this. Whether or not Travis actually did draw the line in the sand is still disputed. However, what is known, by
Rose's own accounts, is that Travis did give the members of the garrison a choice of staying or going, and by
Rose's own accounts only Rose chose the latter.[7]
Travis's children
Charles Edward Travis (1829–1860) was raised by his mother and her second husband. He won a seat in the
Texas legislature in 1853. In 1855, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a captain in a cavalry regiment (which was
later renamed the 5th Cavalry Regiment (United States) commanded by Albert Sidney Johnston) but was
discharged in May 1856 for "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman" following an allegation that he
had cheated at cards.[8]
He appealed the decision to no avail and then turned to studying law, earning a degree from Baylor University
in 1859. He died of consumption (tuberculosis) within a year and is buried beside his sister.[9]
Susan Isabella Travis was born in 1831, after Travis had departed for Texas. Although her paternity has been
questioned, Travis did name her as his daughter in his will. In 1850 she married a planter from Chapell Hill, and
they had one daughter.
William Barret Travis
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. JosÈ 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.
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 LÛpez 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.
MartÌn 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.
Portrait of William B.Travis
by Wiley Martin, December 1835
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.