Texas Almanac, 1968-1969 Page: 59
[706] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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FALL OF THE ALAMO
TRAVIS' LETTER FROM THE ALAMO.-
On Feb. 24, 1836, 11 days before the final
storming of the Alamo, Colonel Travis dis-
patched an appeal for aid which, while fail-
ing to bring support to the little band at the
Alamo because of slow communications, did
much, nevertheless, to rally Texans to the
cause of freedom. Seemingly, Travis wrote
several copies and dispatched them by cour-
ier to different points. An original in Travis'
handwriting is in the State Library, Austin.
This letter, among the most heroic of all
historic documents, is printed below with
boldface type designating those parts of the
letter that were underscored by Travis for
emphasis:
Text of Letter
Commander 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 sus-
tained continual Bombardment & cannonade
for 24 hours & have not lost a man-The
enemy has demanded a surrender at discre-
tion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to
the sword, if the fort is taken-I have an-
swered 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 pa-
triotism & everything dear to the American
character, to come to our aid, with all des-
patch-The enemy is receiving reinforce-
ments 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 sol-
dier 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 en-
emy appeared in sight we had not three
bushels of corn-We have since found in de-
serted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into
the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
TRAVIS.
On March 6, 4,000 to 5,000 Mexicans
charged the Alamo to the strains of the "De-
guello" signifying no quarter to the defend-
ers. Their great number enabled the Mexi-
cans to enter the Alamo and surrounding
buildings. The little band of Texans died
fighting to the last man. The only survivors
were Mrs. Almeron Dickenson, whose hus-
band was killed in the battle, and a few chil-
dren, slaves and Mexicans in the service of
the Texans. Among those who died were Wil-
liam Barret Travis, James Bowie, David
Crockett and James B. Bonham.
Ill.fated Expedition
Instead of rescuing those in the Alamo,
the Provisional Council authorized an expe-
dition against Matamoros. It was headed by
Col. J. W. Fannin, Col. Francis W. Johnson
and Dr. James Grant. Fannin, in command
of the main body, marched to Goliad. Colonel
Johnson, with a small force, continued on
toward Matamoros, but was met near San
Patricio by a Mexican force under Colonel
Urrea and defeated, Feb. 27, 1836. All except
Johnson and a few of his men were killed or
captured.
On March 2, Grant with another small
force was intercepted by Mexicans near
Agua Dulce and practically wiped out. At
Goliad Fannin started for the Alamo but
turned back when he learned that the place
had been surrounded.
Battle of Coleto, Goliad Massacre
Fannin was ordered to retreat from Go-
Had after the fall of the Alamo but delayed
because he had sent a detachment to defend
Refuglo against a force of Mexicans thatwas threatening it. He began his retreat
March 19, but found himself surrounded by
Mexicans, and gave battle on Coleto Creek.
The outnumbered Texans surrendered, under
honorable terms, but returned to Gollad and
on March 27, were slaughtered under orders
from Santa Anna.
Defeat at Refugio
Colonel Fannin had sent about 150 men
under Lt. Col. William Ward to Refugio
which was threatened by a Mexican force.
A scouting detachment under Capt. Amon B.
King was surprised by the Mexicans March
4, and all but a few were killed or captured.
Colonel Ward defended Refugio March 14,
but, greatly outnumbered, withdrew toward
Victoria. Some of Ward's group escaped but
many were killed. Those captured were sent
to Goliad and slain in the general massacre
on March 27.
Declaration of Independence
Despite the reverses, Texans showed a
growing spirit of resistance. Several local
assemblies declared Texas an independent
state, notably one at Goliad, Dec. 20, 1835.
When it became apparent that the pro-
visional government had failed, a convention
met at Washington-on-the.Brazos March 1,
1836. Here on March 2 it declared Texas in-
dependent. A Constitution was adopted.
David G. Burnet was named provisional
president. Sam Houston was again chosen
as commander-in-chief of the Army. This took
place during the battle of the Alamo.
President Burnet set up his government
at Harrisburg. Houston started for San An-
tonio, but at Gonzales, on March 13, learned
of the fate of the Alamo. At Gonzales he had
found something fewer than 400 men. He sent
orders to Fannin to retreat from Goliad and
himself fell back beyond the Colorado above
Columbus. It was his intention to make a
stand here; his force was strengthened by
the arrival of volunteers and he spent sev-
eral days drilling his men. Hearing of the
loss of Fannin's force, however, he retreated
across the Brazos at San Felipe and marched
to Hempstead.
The "Runaway Scrape"
The successive tragedies at San Antonio,
San Patricio, Agua Dulce, Goliad, Refugio
and Victoria, and the retreat of the Texas
Army across the Brazos created panic. The
flight of the colonists from the path of the
oncoming Mexican Army came to be known
as the "Runaway Scrape.," It created con-
fusion in military as well as civil population.
Houston had difficulty holding men whose
families had been left behind west of the
Brazos.
Santa Anna swept eastward with his
army, thinking that the war was over. As
he approached Harrisburg, President Bur-
net with his staff moved to Galveston Island.
Houston's army, which had been by-
passed and left in the rear of the Mexican
Army, moved southeastward and on April
20, took a position opposite Santa Anna's
camp at the junction of the San Jacinto
River and Buffalo Bayou.
Battle of San Jacinto
The arrival of General Cos with 400 Mexi-
cans on the following day increased Santa
Anna's force to about 1,600. Houston had un-
der his command between *700 and 800.
*Total number of men recruited in the
army of the Texas Republic was about 2,000,
with an additional 1,000 available, according
to the records of the General Land Office of
Texas.
The Texans attacked suddenly during the
afternoon of April 21 while the "Napoleon
of the West," as Santa Anna called himself,
took his siesta. The Texans charged to the
music of "Won't You Come to the Bower?"
and with the battle cry, "Remember the
Alamo; Remember Goliad."
The Mexicans were routed with a loss
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Texas Almanac, 1968-1969, book, 1967; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth113809/m1/61/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.