"In Search of the Heroes": The Cost of Freedom--William Barret Travis

Letter to a Nation

On February 24, 1836, the day after the Mexican Army arrived at San Antonio, William B. Travis wrote a letter asking for help and reinforcements. He had written other requests for aid, but this was different since the enemy had arrived and it was important for reinforcements to come quickly. This letter is one of the great pieces of both Texas and American history and speaks in immortal words of American courage.

This letter made its way to newspapers all across America, and the inspiring appeal helped to rally the support of the American people around the Texas cause. With this letter, WBT became a hero, and with his gallant stand to the death less than two weeks later, his heroism was given permanence.

In this text of the letter, the punctuation and words are as Travis wrote.

Commandancy of the Alamo-
Bejar, Feby. 24th, 1836

To the people of Texas & all Americans in the world--

Fellow citizens & compatriots--

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna -- I have sustained a continual bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man -- The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken -- I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & 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 & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & 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.

Vocabulary--The more difficult words include:
- Beeves--presumably a general reference a head of cattle (that is, a "beef").
- Commandancy--a reference to the office of the commander.
- Compatriot--a fellow countryman.
- Besiege--to surround and entrap with armed forces.
- Bombardment--an attack with artillery (at the time of the Alamo cannon balls were shot into the fort).
- Cannonade--a direct reference to a bombardment with cannon.
- Discretion--a free choice within certain legal bounds (apparently Santa Anna was allowing the Alamo defenders an opportunity to surrender by their own choice rather than being forced to give up their position).
- Garrison--a military post and the troops stationed at that post.
Some of these were characteristic of the times and would perhaps not be used today. Many other words can be taken from the letter to fit the vocabulary level of a particular group of students.
Speech--Have students memorize the letter and have a speech contest for the individual who can recite the letter with the best dramatic quality.
Letter from the Alamo--Have the students write a letter home from the Alamo. They can use their imagination to describe the conditions, as well of their fears of the impending battle. Suggest to the students that the men in the Alamo were not completely without hope. They knew that the odds were against them, and that they were likely to die. But they were not dead yet and victory, although difficult, was still possible.
Questions:
1. Why are the words VICTORY OR DEATH all in upper case letters (note that they had lower case letters, but were triple underlined in the original)?
  They are being said with defiance, as in a battle cry.
2. What is a Beeve?
  It is presumably a general reference a head of cattle (that is, a "beef").
3. The letter uses dashes in places to mark a new sentence. Also, there are ampersands in place of the word "and." Why did WBT use these marks and abbreviations?
  WBT commonly used these in his personal writings--in his diaries and letters. Also, in this case they add to the character of the writing, giving it a feeling of something done quickly, with urgency, as cannon balls were dropping.
4. If you were to read this letter without having any background information, would you consider it a letter from a recent war or an ancient war?
  The reference to cannonade indicates a time when cannon were used. Also the use of ampersands and archaic words such as "beeves" gives it a feeling of something written in earlier centuries, instead of something written just last year. A case can be made that the word usage and syntax of the letter is more like our modern American speech than of the speech of Shakespere, for example, from the 16th century, indicating a date more in the 19th century. In discussion of this question, students may note subtle cultural indicators in the letter.
5. Would people in our modern world take a stand of victory or death? Is there a time to take a stand for what is right? Does heroism have a cost today? The idea of a fight to the death was perhaps as shocking to people of that time as it is to us today. Otherwise, this letter would not have had the significance that it immediately attained and there would not have been cries to "Remember the Alamo." However, in discussions of this question there may be a wide variety of opinions. Also, a teacher should be sensitive to students who relate the question to themselves and ask whether they individually would take a stand of victory or death.
  This is an important question that relates not just to war, but to the moral choices and individual challenges that students face. There are many situations in which it is important to do what is right--not necessarily fighting to the death, but at least making choices that require courage. Is there a time to take a stand for what is right? Is there a time to just say no?