The people of Texas and all the Americans of the world

The Mexican Constitution of 1824 softened the country's immigration policy, allowing foreigners to settle within a number of regions, such as Mexican Texas . A large number of people poured into this territory: according to the 1834 census, the population of Texas consisted of 7,800 Mexicans and 30,000 English-speaking residents, mainly from the United States ^{[1] [~ 1]} . Among the immigrants was William Barrett Travis, originally from Alabama, who had previously worked as a teacher, newspaper publisher and lawyer. ^[2] A reading enthusiast, Travis read novels in one day. His literary tastes were inclined mainly to the genres of romantic adventures and history, in particular to the novels by Walter Scott , Benjamin Disraeli and Herodotus's “History” ^[3] . Subsequently, some historians operated on this fact, drawing a link between the books he read and his melancholy behavior ^{[3] [4]} .

In May 1831, Travis opened a law office in the Texas city of Anaguac ^[5] . Almost immediately after that, he and his partner Patrick Jack had a conflict with local military commander Juan Davis Bradburn . Their subsequent actions caused the Anaguan riots in May 1832 ^[5] . According to historian William Davis, Bradburn “overreacted and made heroes from two local rebels, whose actions before that had no power even for their people” ^[6] . Bradburn was forced to resign and leave Texas ^[5] .

The Anaguac riots ^{[~ 2]} coincided with the Mexican Civil War. The Texans joined the proponents of federalism, advocating for a stronger role for state governments, as opposed to a centralized government that established policies at the national level. The federalists won and elected General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna as president. By 1835, Santa Anna began to take power into her own hands, in response, the federalists raised an armed uprising in several Mexican states. Travis, who was a passionate opponent of centralism, led the attack on Anaguac and forced the Mexican garrison to surrender. Many Texans believed that Travis's actions were imprudent, and he was forced to apologize for them. But despite the fact that the Mexican government issued an arrest warrant for Travis, local authorities did not comply with it ^[7] .

The Texans began to increasingly lose touch with the government of Santa Anna, who posed himself as a dictator. The Texas Revolution began in October and an interim government was appointed by the delegates. Travis received the rank of lieutenant colonel of the new regular army, he was offered to lead the cavalry squadron ^[8] . He participated in the siege of Behar, where he proved himself to be “an impulsive, sometimes naughty officer” ^[9] .

By the end of 1835, the Texans knocked out all of the Mexican armed forces from Texas. Believing that the war was over, many Texans left the army and returned home ^[10] . In January 1836, the interim government actually broke up, the legislature expressed no confidence in the governor, Henry Smith , who dismissed it in response. No one in Texas could be sure who really was in power ^[11] .

After the crisis arose in the Texas government, rumors began to spread that Santa Anna would personally lead the invasion of Texas to crush the rebellion ^[12] . Despite this news, the Texas army continued to decline. Residents of Texas were divided into those who continued the struggle for independence, and those who were in favor of a return to the federalist government of Mexico. Due to confusion, many Texans remained at home or returned home from the army ^[13] . At the Alamo mission in San Antonio de Bejara (now San Antonio), a garrison of fewer than 100 remained. His commander James Neil feared that his small group would not be able to withstand the invasion of Mexican troops ^[14] . In response to Neil's constant requests for reinforcements, Governor Smith sent 30 people to Alamo under Travis, who arrived there on February 3 ^[15] .

Travis took command of the Alamo on February 11 , when Neil took a leave of absence ^{[16] [~ 3]} . On February 23, Santa Anna arrived in Bejar at the head of the approximately 1,500 Mexican army ^[17] 150 Texas soldiers were not ready for such a development. ^{[18] [19]} . When the Mexicans began to advance on the Alamo, the Texans quickly drove the cattle into the complex and asked for food in nearby houses. Many residents of San Antonio de Bejara, when they learned about the approach of the Mexican army, left their homes ^[20] . The Mexican army launched a siege of the Alamo and raised a blood red flag, which meant there would be no mercy. Travis responded in one gulp from the largest Alamo cannon. ^[17]

The first night of the siege was quiet enough, and the next day, Mexican artillery began shelling the Alamo. The Mexican Colonel Juan Almonte wrote in his diary that as a result of the bombing, two Alamo cannons were disabled, including a massive 18-pound gun. However, the Texans quickly returned the guns to combat condition ^[21] . Soon after, Travis, asking for reinforcements, wrote an open letter addressed to the "people of Texas and all the Americans of the world."

The people of Texas and all the Americans of the world :

Fellow citizens and compatriots - I have been besieged by a thousand or more Mexicans under the command of Santa Anna - I am subjected to constant bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a single person. The enemy demands surrender of their own free will, otherwise, if they take the fort, the garrison will betray the sword - I answered this demand with a shot from a cannon, and our flag still flies proudly over the walls. I will never give up and never back down. Now I urge you, in the name of Freedom, patriotism and all that is dear to the American character, to come to our aid as soon as possible - the enemy receives reinforcements daily and, without a doubt, will reach three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is ignored, I am determined to defend myself for as long as possible, and die as a soldier who does not forget that there is a duty to his honor and his country - Victory or death .

William Barrett Travis

lieutenant colonel commandant

PS The Lord is on our side - When the enemy appeared in sight, we did not have even three bushels of grain— Since then we have found 80 or 90 bushels in abandoned houses and brought 20 or 30 heads of cows outside the walls.

Travis

Original text

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

PS 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 & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Travis ^[22]

The phrase “I will never surrender and never back down” was emphasized once, and the phrase “Victory or Death” - three times. ^[22]

Travis entrusted the letter to the courier Albert Martin, who, under cover of night, rode a horse 110 kilometers to the nearest town - Gonzalez ^[23] . During the trip, Martin added two postscripts to the letter. Martin’s main concern was that the Mexicans had already attacked the Alamo, since he heard cannon shots after he left the fort. Therefore, he ended his first postscript with the phrase “Hurry up to all who can catch it” ( English “Hurry on all the men you can in haste” ) ^[24] . The second postscript is difficult to read, since the letter was bent along one of the lines of the text and worn out, as a result of which several words were erased ^[25] . However, the essence of the letter did not change from this, and Martin intended to gather reinforcements and return to the fort as soon as possible ^[24] .

Martin handed the letter to Lancelot Smithers ^[26] , and when the Mexican army arrived in Bejar, Smithers immediately began preparing reinforcements in Gonzalez. Smiters added his text under the postscripts of Martin to inspire people to gather in Gonzalez, to perform in Alamo from there ^[24] .

Before leaving Gonzalez, Smiters handed Andrew Ponton, the city's alcalde , a letter that read:

To all Texas residents:
In short, there are now 2,000 Mexican soldiers in Bejar, and 150 Americans in Alamo. At their head is Sesma ^{[~ 4]} , and by the best estimates that can be expected, they do not intend to give any mercy. If every man cannot become a man, then all the people in the Alamo will be killed.

They will have enough reserves for no more than 8 or 10 days. They said they would protect him or die on this earth. The provisions, ammunition, and people, or your people, will be killed in the fort. If you do not advance, then Texas is dead. I left Behar on the 23rd at 4 in the morning. By order
W.V. Travis [author's spelling]
L. Smithers

Original text

To All the Inhabitants of Texas:

In a few words there is 2000 Mexican soldiers in Bexar, and 150 Americans in the Alamo. Sesma is at the head of them, and from best accounts that can be obtained, they intend to show no quarter. If every man cannot turn out to a man every man in the Alamo will be murdered.

They have not more than 8 or 10 days provisions. They say they will defend it or die on the ground. Provisions, ammunition and Men, or suffer your men to be murdered in the Fort. If you do not turn out out Texas is gone. I left Bexar on the 23rd at 4 PM By order of
WV Travis [sic]

L. Smithers

Ponton sent a copy of this letter to Colonel Henri Roger, commander of the Vigilance and Security Committee in Nakodoche , who saved the letter and sent a copy with his comments to Dr. John Sibley , Chairman of the Texas Vigilance and Security Committee ^[27] .

Smithers acted quickly and delivered Travis's letter to San Felipe de Austin in less than 40 hours. During a hasty meeting, city leaders made a series of decisions to support the defenders of the Alamo. Following the meeting, leaflets with a reproduction of Travis's letter were printed. After distributing 200 copies of the leaflets, newspaper publishers Joseph Baker and Thomas Borden made at least four different reproductions of the letters in the newspapers, resulting in more than 500 additional copies ^{[27] [28]} . The latest newspaper version included a message from Governor Henry Smith, in which he urged the settlers to "fly to the aid of your compatriots and prevent them from being killed by mercenary enemies ... A call was sent to EVERYONE who is able to carry weapons to collect immediately, or in fifteen days the heart of Texas will be a place of war. ” ^[29] On March 2, the letter was printed in the Texas Republican . It also appeared in another major Texas newspaper, Telegraph and Texas Register , three days later ^[28] . As a result, the letter was reprinted in many editions of the USA and Europe ^[21] .

This letter was one of several that Travis sent during the siege of Alamo. The content of all of them was similar - the Mexican army invaded Texas, Alamo was surrounded, the Texans needed more people and ammunition for defense. However, help was not expected from the Texas government. This situation showed the complete inefficiency of the interim government and, on March 1, the delegates to the 1836 Convention decided to create a new government. Most of the delegates believed that Travis exaggerated the problems he faced ^[30] .

Many Texas residents did not share the vision of the congregation on this issue. After the letter was distributed in Texas, many settlers left their homes to gather in Gonzalez, where Colonel James Fannin was supposed to arrive with the remnants of the Texas armed forces ^{[31] [~ 5]} . On February 27, one of the groups of 32 people, without waiting for the rest, advanced to Alamo ^{[32] [33]} . According to the research of the historian Thomas Rix Lindley, on March 4, additional reinforcements in the amount of 50-60 people reached Alamo ^[34] .

On March 6, almost all of the Texans defending the Alamo were killed after an attack by the Mexicans; Travis was probably one of the first to die ^{[35] [36]} . Unaware of the fall of the Alamo, reinforcements continued to gather. The news of the defeat reached Gonzalez on March 11, when more than 400 people were there ^[37] . The day before, the new commander of the Texas Army, General Sam Houston, arrived in Gonzalez. Upon hearing of the fall of the Alamo, Houston took control of the assembled volunteers. The following month, he was in a hurry to organize an army that defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto , putting an end to the Texas Revolution ^[38] .

The letter also influenced the choice of the interim president of the proclaimed Republic of Texas , David Burnett . After reading one of the leaflets with a copy of the letter, Burnet headed for Travis in Alamo. After stopping in Washington-on-Brazos to gather reinforcements during the 1836 Convention, Burnet became interested in their discussions, and he remained at the meeting as a spectator ^[39] . On March 2, the Convention declared independence from Mexico, but delegates feared for the safety of the leadership of the new country. Talking with many of the delegates, Burnett expressed a desire to serve as the first president of the new republic, even if this makes him a target for Santa Anna ^[39] . Due to the fact that most of the main candidates for this position were not present at the meeting because of war-related matters, Burnett was nominated for the presidency, and in the end he defeated his only rival, Samuel Karosn, with an advantage of 29 votes to 23 ^[40] .

After the end of the Texas Revolution, the original Travis letter was handed over to his family in Alabama. It is known that after the hostilities Travis's wife was visited by several famous Texans, but historians find it difficult to say which of them delivered her a letter. Travis's daughter, Susan (who at the time of her father’s death was 5 years old) then passed it on to her descendants, as a result it was inherited by her great-grandson John Davidson. In February 1891, Davidson leased a letter to the Texas Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and History. ^[41] Two years later, he proposed that the state of Texas acquire a letter from him for $ 250, which was half the amount that the state had for the annual acquisition of historical manuscripts. After negotiations, Davidson agreed to sell the letter for $ 85, and on May 29, 1893, the letter officially became state property ^[41] .

For several decades, the letter was put on public display under glass with other manuscripts and artifacts of the Texas Revolution. Subsequently, it was placed with the Bible of the Travis family and a copy of his will ^[41] . In 1909, the letter moved to the Texas State Library and since then has only been taken out of its building twice: ^[41] it was among 143 documents borrowed by the Committee on Historical Exhibitions for the Texas Centenary Exhibition in 1936 , and was briefly exported for the exhibition in 1986 ^{[ 42]} . At the moment, the original letter is not exhibited, in its place an exact facsimile copy is placed, above which is a portrait of Travis ^[42] .

Four copies of the original 1836 leaflets are also known. One of them was put up for auction in 2004 , where it was estimated at $ 250,000 ^[43] .

The letter is considered one of the most important documents in Texas history ^[22] , some historians have referred to it as a “masterpiece of American patriotism” ^[44] or even as “one of the greatest declarations and challenges in English” ^[45] . It is rare to find a book on the defense of the Alamo mission or on the Texas Revolution , which would not have printed the text of the letter or extract from it ^[25] . Full writing is also present in almost all Texas history textbooks for primary and secondary classes ^[13] . Postscripts are found in print media much less frequently ^[25] . Despite their inextricable relationship with writing, even the Texas minimum school curriculum includes only writing itself ^[46] .

Almost immediately after arriving in Texas, Travis attempted to influence military propaganda in Texas ^[13] . The tone of his letters varied greatly - from restrained careless reports to the interim government to more eloquent appeals to a wide audience ^[47] . With limited time and room for persuading people, Travis was successful, which some historians have called the “ emotional urge of people ” ^[48] .

It is possible that Travis gained experience in selecting the language that convinced the audience from a previous work of a journalist ^[47] . According to some historians, Travis chose this writing method not only to show his urgent need for reinforcements, but also to aggravate disputes inside Texas that would provoke everyone to take up arms ^[13] . He chose the “unequivocal and defiant” language ^[49] , which resulted in a “very strong” letter ^[50] . The letter is also called the Texas Informal Declaration of Independence ^{[51] [~ 6]} . Some scholars believe that the words were inspired by the famous cry of Patrick Henry during the American Revolution - “Freedom or Death!” ^[52]

Critics ridicule mainly the emotionality of the letter, noting that it clearly manifests “a passion for romance and chivalry,” which is often found among fans of Walter Scott's work ^[2] .

• Joe Tom Davis. Legendary Texians. - Austin, TX: Eakin Press, 1982.- 192 p. - ISBN 0-890-15336-1 .
• William Davis. Lone Star Rising: The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic. - New York, NY: Free Press, 2004 .-- 354 p. - ISBN 0-684-86510-6 .
• JR Edmondson. The Alamo Story: From Early History to Current Conflicts. — Plano, TX: Republic of Texas Press, 2000. — 439 p. — ISBN 978-0585241067 .
• Michael R. Green. To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World // Southwestern Historical Quarterly. — April 1988. — Т. 91 .
• Stephen L. Hardin. Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution. — Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1994. — 373 p. — ISBN 978-0292731028 .
• Thomas Ricks Lindley. Alamo Traces: New Evidence and New Conclusions. — Lanham, MD: Republic of Texas Press, 2003. — 320 p. — ISBN 1556229836 .
• Martha Menchaca. Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican Americans . — Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2001. — 375 p. — ISBN 978-0292752542 .
• James McEnteer. Deep in the Heart: The Texas Tendency in American Politics. — Portsmouth, NH: Praeger Publishers, 2004. — ISBN 9780275983062 .
• Mary Deborah Petite. 1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence. — Mason City, IA: Savas Publishing Company, 1999. — 186 p. — ISBN 188281035X .
• Randy Roberts, James Stuart Olson. A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory. — New York: The Free Press, 2001. — 356 p. — ISBN 0684835444 .
• Susan Prendergast Schoelwer. Alamo Images: Changing Perceptions of a Texas Experience. - Dallas, TX: The DeGlolyer Library and Southern Methodist University Press, 1985 .-- 223 p. - ISBN 0870742132 .
• Timothy J. Todish, Terry Todish, Ted Spring. Alamo Sourcebook, 1836: A Comprehensive Guide to the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. - Austin, TX: Eakin Press, 1998 .-- 215 p. - ISBN 9781571681522 .

• William Barrett Travis' Letter from the Alamo , 1836 (Eng.) . Date of treatment June 27, 2009. Archived August 14, 2011.