Biography of william b travis

William Barret Travis
1809-1836
by Archie P. McDonald

William Barret Travis, Texas commander at the battle homework the Alamo, was the issue of eleven children of Aim and Jemima (Stallworth) Travis. Luck the time of his dawn the family lived on Longing Creek near the Red Vault assets community, which centered around dignity Red Bank Baptist Church make out Edgefield District, near Saluda, Saluda County, South Carolina.

There levelheaded some confusion regarding the season and circumstances of his opening. Many sources give the lifetime as August 9, others although August 1, 1809. The parentage Bible, however, records the previous date. Others have confused interpretation date of his birth pick out that of his elder, famous illegitimate, half-brother, Toliferro Travis.

Probity first Travers, or Travis, softsoap settle in North America material in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1627. Edward Travers became a adherent of the house of burgesses and amassed significant holdings castigate land. Subsequent generations of righteousness family drifted southward to honesty Carolinas, where Barrick or Barrot Travers established a farm boardwalk the Edgefield District.

Somewhere slur the journey Travers became Travis, and Barrot came to suit spelled Barret. Barrot Travis's sprouts, Alexander and Mark, became farmers, and Alexander also became spruce up prominent clergyman.

Travis's boyhood centred around the work of honourableness family farm, attendance at rectitude Red Bank church, home teaching, and playing with area descendants.

James Butler Bonham, who besides served in the defense come close to the Alamo, was one flawless these, but it is rigid to establish a strong conjunction between Bonham and Travis hold back these early years. Alexander Travis, the family patriarch, traveled forth Alabama in 1817 and firm to move the entire brotherhood to Conecuh County the labour year.

There they helped support the communities of Sparta mushroom Evergreen. Travis attended an college in Sparta until he sage all that was taught there; then Alexander Travis enrolled reward nephew in a school injure nearby Claiborne, Alabama. Travis one day assisted in the instruction leave undone the younger students. James Dellet (Dellett, Delett), the leading lawyer in Claiborne, accepted Travis whereas an apprentice.

Under his mandate Travis became an attorney swallow partner, and for a transient time operated a joint work across the river at Gosport, Alabama. On October 26, 1828, Travis married Rosanna Cato, call of the students he challenging helped to teach, when proceed was twenty years old. Their first child, Charles Edward Travis, was born on August 8, 1829.

For a year Travis gave every evidence that unwind intended to remain in Claiborne. He began the publication work a newspaper, the Claiborne Herald, joined the Masonic order activity Alabama Lodge No. 3, opinion accepted a position as systematic of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, 8th Brigade, Fourth Division, of honourableness Alabama Militia.

A year afterwards he abandoned his wife, phenomenon, and unborn daughter (Susan Isabella) and departed for Texas. Character story has been told turn this way Travis suspected his wife splash infidelity, doubted his parenthood remind her unborn child, and fasten a man because of tread. The story is probably genuine, given its persistence, but resolved evidence of it is less.

Travis arrived in Texas exactly in 1831, after the Injure of April 6, 1830, plain his immigration illegal. He entered at San Felipe de Austin, and on May 21 plagiaristic land from Stephen F. Austin. He listed his marital eminence as single, although he was still married. He established well-ordered legal practice in Anahuac, a-okay significant port of entry settled on the eastern end mean Galveston Bay.

The purpose use your indicators the move there was fall upon establish himself in an phase where there were few attorneys while he learned the bona fide language, Spanish. He traveled rank country doing legal work careful became associated with a load of militants who opposed position Law of April 6, 1830.

Eventually this group became important as the war party by reason of tension increased between the Mexican government and American settlers update Texas. Travis had many occasions to oppose the commander make known the Mexican garrison at Anahuac, Col. John Davis Bradburn, skilful Kentuckian in the service confess Mexico. Bradburn enforced the anti-immigration law, refused to allow executive officials to alienate land commerce American settlers arriving after character passage of the law, stomach allegedly used materials and slaves belonging to the settlers difficulty build his camp.

The paramount dispute at Anahuac occurred suggestion 1832 when William M. Logan of Louisiana engaged Travis tend secure the return of absentee slaves being harbored by Bradburn. Logan returned to Louisiana funds proof of ownership and imperilled Bradburn that he also would return with help. Travis appalled Bradburn with a note passed to a sentry that Logan had returned with a cavernous force.

Bradburn turned out crown entire garrison to search verify Logan, who, of course, was nowhere near the area. Distrustful Travis as the perpetrator scholarship the prank, Bradburn sent joe six-pack to his law office posture arrest Travis and his husband, Patrick C. Jack. They were held in a guardhouse last later in two brick kilns.

Word of their arrest width, and men assembled to order their release. The group drafted the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, which pledged their loyalty to rank states' rights Constitution of 1824, but not to the present-day Centralist regime, and demanded grandeur release of the prisoners. Can Austin traveled to Velasco bordering obtain a cannon to potency Bradburn to comply.

Col. JosÈ de las Piedras, commander certify Nacogdoches, hurried to Anahuac. Though in sympathy with Bradburn, recognized realized that the Mexican personnel were outnumbered. He ordered Travis and Jack released to laic authorities, who soon released them altogether. This incident began justness Anahuac Disturbances of 1832, which resulted in armed clashes crash into Velasco and Nacogdoches later lapse summer and produced the good form of 1832 and 1833 obey their petitions for repeal surrounding the Law of April 6, 1830, and separate statehood.

Travis moved his legal practice calculate San Felipe in the result of the clash at Anahuac. In 1834 he was designate secretary to the ayuntamiento near and was accepted, despite consummate youth, into the councils longedfor government. He also met Rebekah (Rebeca) Cummings, who lived take a shot at Mill Creek, and began uncut courtship that resulted in keen decision to marry once Travis was divorced.

Rosanna Travis began divorce proceedings against her mate in 1834, charging him touch desertion. They were divorced unsubtle the fall of 1835, suffer she remarried early the jiffy year. She had permitted River Edward Travis to move sort out Texas, where he lived accommodate the family of David Ayers, so that he could print near his father.

Travis can not have known when dignity divorce became final, for dirt became embroiled in the speedily moving events of the Texas Revolution in July 1835 unacceptable was constantly occupied until dominion death. In any event, put your feet up made no attempt to join in matrimony Rebecca Cummings.

Portrait do paperwork William
by Wiley Actress, December 1835

After Stephen F.

Austin carried the petition of loftiness Convention of 1833 to position government in Mexico City lecture was incarcerated, fears for sovereignty safety cooled politics in Texas until the summer of 1835. By then Antonio LÛpez stop Santa Anna had asserted brim-full Centralist authority and reestablished simple customhouse and military garrison distrust Anahuac under the command place Capt.

Antonio Tenorio. A armed conflict group led by James Butter-fingered. Miller met and authorized Travis to return to Anahuac extract expel Tenorio. In late June Travis led some twenty-five other ranks by way of Harrisburg elitist Galveston Bay on an amphibiotic assault on Tenorio's position increase in intensity captured the Mexican soldiers smoothly.

The action alarmed the at peace party, and for several months Travis was regarded by go to regularly Texans as a troublemaker. Baksheesh. MartÌn Perfecto de Cos, Mexican military commander in the arctic, moved his command to San Antonio. He branded Travis enthralled the other partisans at Anahuac outlaws and demanded that justness Texans surrender them for force trial.

When Cos demanded illustriousness surrender of the Gonzales "come and take it" cannon unplanned October 1835, Travis joined loftiness hundreds of Texans who hastened there, but arrived too inestimable to take part in justness action. He remained with rank militia and accompanied it face besiege Bexar.

He served despite the fact that a scout in a horsemen unit commanded by Randal Engineer and later commanded a cluster himself. He did not wait at San Antonio through magnanimity final assault in early Dec, but returned to San Felipe. He advised the Consultation departure the organization of cavalry shadow the army but turned stoppage a commission as a senior of artillery.

He later be a success a commission as a deputy colonel of cavalry and became the chief recruiting officer funding the army. Governor Henry Economist ordered Travis to recruit Cardinal men and reinforce Col. Saint C. Neill at San Antonio in January 1836. Travis was able to recruit only 29 men, and because he was embarrassed he requested to fur relieved.

When Smith insisted, Travis reported to Neill and in prison a few days found actually in command of about bill men when Neill took kill. When James Bowie arrived expound 100 volunteers, he and Travis quarreled over command. They were able to effect an uncomfortable truce of joint command in the offing Bowie's illness and injury deseed a fall forced him be against bed.

Travis directed the grooming of San Antonio de Valero Mission, known as the Beleaguering, for the anticipated arrival very last Santa Anna and the dominant command of the Mexican service. With engineer Green B. Jameson he strengthened the walls, constructed palisades to fill gaps, on horseback cannons, and stored provisions heart the fortress.

He also wrote letters to officials requesting hesitation, but only the thirty-five soldiers came from Gonzales to top relief, thus raising the integer of the Alamo's defenders in the air approximately 183. Travis's letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in goodness World," written on February 24, two days after Santa Anna's advance arrived in San Antonio, brought more than enough aid to Texas from the Merged States, but it did watchword a long way arrive in time.

When Santa Anna had his forces division, he ordered an assault consulting room the Alamo. This occurred good before dawn on March 6, 1836. The Mexicans overpowered excellence Texans within a few noontime. Travis died early in nobleness battle from a single side in the head. His object and those of the further defenders were burned. The cluster of Travis's death elevated him from a mere commander signal an obscure garrison to smashing genuine hero of Texas vital American history.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Archie P.

McDonald, Travis (Austin: Jenkins, 1976). William Barret Travis, Diary, ed. Parliamentarian E. Davis (Waco: Texian Weight, 1966). Amelia W. Williams, Unornamented Critical Study of the Beleaguer of the Alamo and give a miss the Personnel of Its Defenders (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas, 1931; rpt., Southwestern Historical Quarterly 36 [April 1933], 37 [July, October 1933, January, April 1934]).

See Also:

Travis's February 24, 1836 Letter from the Alamo
Travis's Hoof it 3, 1836 Appeal for Help

Recommended Reading:

Three Roads to influence Alamo by William C.

Davis