The Life of William B. Travis

• Born--William Barret Travis (WBT) was born August 1, 1809 on his father's plantation near Saluda, South Carolina, the oldest son of Mark and Jemima Travis. The Travis family came from a heritage that traced back to the Jamestown, Virginia area.

• Boyhood--When he was 9, his family moved to a farm near Sparta, Alabama, in Conecuh County. This was where he was educated.

• Education--WBT graduated from Sparta Academy, in Sparta, Alabama (he also attended one or more other schools in the area), and then studied law while working in the offices of one of the prominent attorneys of the area, James Dellet.

• Marriage--On October 26, 1828, at the age of 19, he was wed to Rosanna E. Cato and had two children--Charles Edward and Susan Isabella.

• Early soldier--He was a member of the Alabama militia, receiving a commission as Adjutant in January, 1830.

• On to Texas--WBT left Alabama in 1831 and went to settle in Texas. He filed his first claim for land on May 21, 1831. At this time, Texas was Mexican territory, but many Americans were allowed to settle in the area as a part of Mexican land development. The Americans had to give their allegiance to Mexico and obey Mexican laws. WBT settled in the port city of Anahuac (on Galveston Bay, along the coast east of modern-day Houston, and near the mouth of the Trinity River), and started a law practice with Patrick C. Jack. He also became good friends with "Three-legged Willie" Williamson, who was to become a Texas legend. During this time he learned Spanish and studied Mexican law.

• The 1831 Anahuac Disturbance--At this time there was conflict between the American settlers and the Mexican government. The dictator Santa Anna had taken over the government, and had overturned the Mexican Constitution of 1824. This constitution was supported by the American settlers, and they were angry that their liberties and freedom were no longer guaranteed. The Mexicans, in turn, were determined to stop more Americans from settling in Texas, because they were difficult to control. While in Anahuac WBT gained fame in a dispute with John Davis Bradburn, the local military leader. Bradburn was an officer in the Mexican army assigned to enforce new regulations from the central government, including the stopping of immigration of Americans into Texas. Bradburn was heavy-handed in his actions and caused resentment among the Americans. Travis was one of many who protested Bradburn's actions, and was jailed along with his law partner P.C. Jack. The situation was very volatile until Bradburn was relieved from his duties by military authorities. The Anahuac incident caused a political split in Texas: some settlers favored working peacefully with the Mexican government, while others felt there was a need to fight for independence from Mexico. True to his character, Travis was only partly involved at the beginning, but he soon moved to the center of the conflict, just as he would in a few years later when he took command at the Alamo.

• 1832-1835 in San Felipe, Texas--WBT moved to San Felipe de Austin in 1832 after the Bradburn incident, and continued the practice of law. San Felipe was inland from the coast, west of modern-day Houston, and was a political center for the region. The city had been founded by Stephen F. Austin, who was one of the early American leaders in the movement to bring Americans to Texas. WBT quickly became a respected member of the community and moved to the center of Texas politics and society.

• The 1835 Anahuac Disturbance--In the summer of 1835, Travis was again involved in a dispute that involved the port at Anahuac. The situation began with the Mexican government's attempts to enforce the collection of customs duties, which had been ignored by the Americans. Travis and other volunteers manned a vessel named the Ohio in the coastal waters and sailed into Anahuac on June 27, 1835, capturing the Mexican garrison and supplies. There was a dramatic night encounter between Travis and the Mexican commander, Captain Antonio Tenorio, who had sought safety in a thicket with his troops. Travis walked brazenly out into the open moonlight to confront the Mexicans and request their surrender. The Mexicans did surrender, and Travis became a hero, and was again at the center of the conflict.

• The months before the Texas Revolution--Throughout the summer and fall of 1835, events were progressing toward rebellion on the part of the Texans, and WBT was actively involved in the political and military movements. War began in late 1835 at Bejar (pronounced "Bay-er" and now known as San Antonio), with a siege of the city by angry Texans.

• Autumn, 1835: The Battle of Bejar (San Antonio)--Travis joined Stephen F. Austin at the Bejar siege in the fall of 1835. Bejar was held by the Mexican General Cos, who was the brother-in-law of Santa Anna. During the siege, in early November, 1835, Travis led a raiding party to capture horses from the Mexicans, and returned with some 300 animals, a feat for which he was well commended. Travis returned to San Felipe by early December for recruiting purposes and for other matters. On December 5 the Texans attacked Bejar under the leadership of Ben Milam and captured the city on December 10. The Mexican forces were sent south, but the tables were to be turned in a few short months as Santa Anna gathered an army and returned to San Antonio in February, 1836.

• The Texas Revolution--Beginning with the siege of Bejar and ending with the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, the Texas settlers fought the Mexican army to win their independence from Mexico. They signed a Declaration of Independence on March 3, 1836 in the small town of Washington-on-the-Brazos, a small town on the Brazos River (west of modern-day Houston).

  After the Texans captured Bejar (December, 1835), they established a garrison in the old mission named the Alamo. The soldiers there included such great American legends as Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. This was considered an outpost to defend the southern flank of Texas. As the Mexican forces under Santa Anna moved north, their first major encounter with the Texans was at the Alamo. There was a siege of the mission by the Mexicans for nearly two weeks, and then on the morning of March 6, 1836, the Mexicans attacked in waves again and again, and finally swarmed over the battlements and engaged the surviving Texans in hand-to-hand combat. After the battle some 1600 Mexican soldiers lay dead and another 500 were wounded. The Texas garrison had been obliterated. One of the few survivors was a woman, Mrs. Susanna Dickinson, who was released to carry the message to Americans in Texas that Santa Anna was coming.

  Santa Anna then considered the Texas army defeated, and he split his soldiers into separate groups to make a sweep of Texas and remove all Americans from Mexican territory. Another Texas garrison at the town of Goliad surrendered to the Mexican forces, and many of the Texans were then executed, even though they had surrendered honorably. Santa Anna marched to the northeast looking for the remaining force of Texas soldiers under General Sam Houston. Houston retreated until he saw a favorable area for a battle at the mouth of the San Jacinto River along Galveston Bay. Houston attacked during the midday siesta across an open field with more than 800 soldiers and calvary against a Mexican army of 1600. The Mexicans were caught by surprise, and many of them lost their lives as the Texans shouted "Remember the Alamo! Remember the Alamo!" Santa Anna was captured, and Houston forced him to sign a treaty granting Texas independence. The war for Texas was won.

Travis at the Alamo

• February 3, 1836--Travis returned to Bejar in early February where he joined the Texas garrison at the Alamo, which was under the combined leadership of Jim Bowie and Colonel James C. Neill. Neill was in charge of the regular Texas army, and Travis reported to him on February 3. Bowie commanded a group of volunteers. Shortly after this Neill left Bejar because of a family illness and Travis was left in charge of the regular army troops. At first his authority over the garrison was split with Bowie, but Bowie became ill and Travis became the main commander.

• February 8, 1836--Davy Crockett arrived at the Alamo with 12 Tennessee Mounted Volunteers

• February 24, 1836--Santa Anna arrived at Bejar with the first part of his army and the siege of the Alamo began.

• February 24, 1836--Travis wrote his famous letter to "the people of Texas and all Americans of the world" requesting reinforcements (see the section entitled "A Letter to a Nation." This was but one of many requests by Travis for reinforcements.

• March 5, 1836--Legend has it that Travis drew a line in the sand and gave every man the choice to cross the line and join him in a fight to the death to defend the Alamo. All but one man crossed.

• March 6, 1836--The battle of the Alamo. Travis died during the early part of the battle with a bullet to the head. He was observed on the ramparts firing in defiance. In a matter of hours, all the American defenders were killed and the Mexicans claimed the victory.