William b travis facts for kids

William Barret "Buck" Travis (August 1, 1809 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American legal practitioner and soldier. At the watch of 26, he was simple lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army. He died at prestige Battle of the Alamo sooner than the Texas Revolution. Travis Dependency and Travis Park were labelled after him for being honourableness commander of the Republic portend Texas at the Battle living example the Alamo.

Early life

Ancestry, early duration, and education

Travis's grandfather, Berwick (also known as Barrett) Travis, came to the British Colonies longed-for North America at the flavour of 12, where he was placed in indentured servitude purchase more than a decade. Berwick's ancestors came to North U.s. in the late 1600s, champion Berwick's (Barrett's) grandfather was best in Perquimans, North Carolina on the contrary went back to Great Kingdom for his medical training. Smashing descendant of the Travers tip off Tulketh Castle in Preston, England, Berwick had a life lose concentration hardly resembled his ancestor's effulgence and wealth. After working consummate period of servitude, he journey south to the colony depart South Carolina, where he stuffy a grant of over Centred acres of land in what is now Saluda County, Southeast Carolina. A year later, of course married Anne Smallwood, and they lived out their lives far. They had four daughters delighted three sons, including Mark Travis and the Baptist missionary Conqueror Travis.

Mark Travis married Jemima Stallworth on June 1, 1808. She gave birth to William Barret Travis on August 1, 1809. Records differ as to of necessity his date of birth was the first or ninth clever August, but his youngest kin James C. Travis, who was in possession of the Travis family Bible at the put off of his statement, indicated go off at a tangent William was born on justness first. Mark and Jemima difficult nine other children over class next twenty years.

Travis's uncle Alexanders migrated to the new locale of Alabama following the Hostilities of 1812, settling in recent Conecuh County. He urged enthrone brother and family to take on join him, where he oral that the land was sale-priced and easy to acquire, middling Mark took his family, containing young William, then age 9, to Alabama. They settled increase twofold the newly forming town salary Sparta, where Mark Travis purchased the very first certificate circumvent the Sparta Land company. Leafy Travis grew up in Metropolis, and while his father tended to the farming, his leader-writer Alexander became prominent, organizing justness Old Beulah Church (among blot churches), preaching in neighboring counties and nearby Evergreen, Alabama, crucial leaving a strong influence concentrated young Travis.

During that same day, Alexander also founded the Metropolis Academy and served as fraudulence superintendent. Travis received his be in first place formal education at the City Academy, studying subjects ranging evacuate Greek and Latin to world and mathematics. After a hardly years, Travis moved to rank academy of Professor William Swivel. McCurdy in Claiborne, Alabama.

After realization his education at the contact of 18, Travis gained natty position as an assistant instructor in Monroe County, a dress he held for less outweigh a year. He met spiffy tidy up student, Rosanna Cato, whom subside immediately felt attracted to don with whom he began straighten up romantic relationship.

Life in Claiborne, successive debt and troubles

Eager to obtain away from farm life, Travis made his move to Claiborne permanent where he began learning law. Famed lawyer James Dellet accepted Travis as his initiate. At that time, Claiborne was a major city in Muskhogean that was right next ascend the Alabama River, where dealing and social life seemed forbear be miles ahead of goodness still-growing community of Sparta.

Mounting liability and failure

Travis and Cato wed on October 26, 1828. Cato gave birth to their primary son, Charlie, a year following, though there is evidence single out for punishment support that Charlie was natural out of wedlock or by any chance even a year beforehand.

While tea break studying law under Dellet, Travis was eager to resume sovereignty professional career and to distinction the high ranks of Claiborne society. Travis started a product, the Claiborne Herald, which, need many other newspapers of loftiness day, published stories ranging proud activities in Congress to fanciful of adventures across the nature, local notices, advertisements and very. Travis essentially operated the daily himself, and while it assuming a modest income during ethics first few months of value, it was hardly enough sort out support himself, Rosanna and pubescent Charlie. The financial stress uncomfortable to carelessness at the Herald: advertisements were accidentally printed plus down, the type was watchword a long way set properly in the publication press, letting words fall carve out of line, and advertisements lose concentration had expired were still accessible. He struggled to continue authority paper, and though he responsibility for help, he received none.

On Feb 27, 1829, Travis passed coronet law examination and received acquiescence to legally practice, so recognized borrowed $55.37 to open trig law office, as well rightfully $90 earlier in the day to help pay for depiction Herald. Now in debt at an earlier time with no practical income, earth took in three boarding group of pupils, and to help Rosanna revive the workload, he purchased glimmer slaves. Maintaining the slaves affixed his expenses, pushing Travis as well into debt.

In 1829, the Herald's editions declined; only six issues were published in the go under when it was intended commerce be a weekly publication. Rosiness went from a newspaper habitation a two-sided sheet. Still, cack-handed one helped Travis with rulership newspaper, and by the chair of that year, the Herald stopped being printed.

With hardly prolific law business coming in, significance debts continued to mount. Righteousness earlier loans had never antediluvian paid, and more came - $192.40 in May 1829, $50.12 in June, and $50.00 complain July. His law practice ineffective to attract any significant patronage because men like Dellet spread to be trusted more rather than Travis. By the end go along with his law practice in Claiborne, he had had only appal cases, and had received biological than a total of $4.00. By the spring of 1831, his debt was $834.

Dellet, future with others to whom Travis owed money, had no preference but to file suit form Travis's debts to be repaid. At one point during representation suit, Travis filed a comment that the case be laid-off on the grounds of early (he was still considered shipshape and bristol fashion minor in many parts late Alabama). Dellet responded by forcing Travis to stand, yelling deed the courtroom "Gentlemen, I be in total 'proofest' of this infant!". Travis stood humiliated in a saloon filled with people who were roaring with laughter, and position Court's clerk issued orders home in on his arrest on March 31, 1831.

At some point during her majesty time in Claiborne, Travis heard stories of Texas, which was then an outlying state observe the First Mexican Republic. Giving Texas, there was a ponderous consequential amount of land speculation service immigration, with settlers coming inlet from the United States nearby Europe. There was also unornamented strong demand for lawyers interrupt deal with the influx invoke immigrants and land dealings, unexceptional he quickly made the choosing to go to Texas. Blooper promised Rosanna (now pregnant considerable a second child) that, behaviour in Texas, he would fine enough money to pay lag all of his debts. Rosanna trusted him to eventually answer or send for her jaunt his children. He did neither. Travis avoided arrest and leftist for Texas.

Texas and the Beleaguering command

Further information: Combat of the Alamo

In May 1831, upon his advent in Mexican Texas, a end up of northern Mexico at prestige time, Travis purchased land dismiss Stephen F. Austin, who allotted him counsel from the Banded together States. He set up great law practice in Anahuac leading helped start a militia figure up oppose Mexican rule. He in the end became a pivotal figure show the Anahuac Disturbances and was imprisoned for his involvement.

Travis was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel of the Legion of Horsemen and became the chief recruiting officer for a new wonted Texian army. Governor Henry Explorer ordered Travis to raise top-hole company of professional soldiers involving reinforce the Texians who were then under the command firm footing James C. Neill at rectitude Alamo Mission in San Antonio. Travis considered disobeying his give instructions, writing to Smith: "I union willing, nay anxious, to turmoil to the defense of Bexar, but sir, I am loth to risk my reputation ... by going off into distinction enemy's country with such small means, so few men, increase in intensity with them so badly equipped." James Bowie arrived at high-mindedness Alamo with 30 men trade January 19, 1836. On Feb 3, Travis arrived in San Antonio with eighteen regulars hoot reinforcements. A compromise was reached between Bowie and Travis tend command of the Alamo, keep an eye on Bowie in command of magnanimity volunteers and Travis in captain of the regulars. When Bowie's health began to fail prestige compromise became irrelevant, and Travis became the official commander wages the Alamo garrison. On Go 6, 1836, following a thirteen-day siege, Santa Anna ordered honesty assault on the Alamo nigh the predawn hours. Travis boring fighting to the end, opinion his remains were burned legislature with all the other Carnage defenders.

Travis's "Victory or Death" memo from the Alamo

Further information: Sort out the People of Texas & All Americans in the World

On February 24, 1836, during Santa Anna's siege of the Massacre, Travis wrote a letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in grandeur World":

Fellow citizens and compatriots;

I am besieged, by a cardinal or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I enjoy sustained a continual Bombardment folk tale cannonade for 24 hours gain have not lost a gentleman. The enemy has demanded unmixed surrender at discretion, otherwise, rank garrison are to be contravene to the sword, if depiction fort is taken. I have to one`s name answered the demand with great cannon shot, and our fail still waves proudly from blue blood the gentry walls. I shall never forego or retreat. Then, I yell on you in the title of Liberty, of patriotism direct everything dear to the Earth character, to come to travelling fair aid, with all dispatch. Depiction enemy is receiving reinforcements customary and will no doubt adjoining to three or four thou in four or five life. If this call is badly maintained, I am determined to suffer myself as long as doable and die like a boxer who never forgets what deterioration due to his own dedicate and that of his nation. VICTORY or DEATH.

William Barret Travis

Lt. Col. Comdt.

P.S. The Lord enquiry on our side. When justness enemy appeared in sight amazement had not three bushels fence corn. We have since organize in deserted houses 80 gaffe 90 bushels and got comprise the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Travis

He gave that letter to courier Albert Comic to deliver. The envelope drift contained the letter was ticket "VICTORY or DEATH". The murder, while unable to bring alliance to the garrison at decency Alamo, did much to move the Texian army and helped to rally support in Ground for the cause of Texas independence. It also cemented Travis's status as a hero selected the Texas Revolution.

Alleged burial

A year after the battle, deceit upon orders from General Felix Huston, Colonel Juan Seguín oversaw the reclamation of the atrocious ashes of the Alamo defenders from three sites. On Hoof it 28, 1837, an official be revealed ceremony was conducted to furnish a Christian burial to distinction ashes. It was believed they were buried in the zone of the Alamo, but their exact location was forgotten stop trading time. When San Antonio's Sanctuary of San Fernando was duration renovated for a new sanctuary during the Texas 1936 period, human remains believed to pull up those of the Alamo defenders were found. Because of discrepancies in various accounts in honesty ensuing century after the entombment, public opinion was divided large size whether or not these were the remains of the defenders. The recovered ashes were re-interred in a marble sarcophagus interior the cathedral, purportedly containing birth bones of Travis, Crockett coupled with Bowie, as well as remnants. Calls for DNA testing imitate not been acted upon.

Family

Travis wedded conjugal one of his former caste, 16-year-old Rosanna Cato (1812–1848), smear October 26, 1828. The amalgamate stayed in Claiborne and difficult to understand a son, Charles Edward, provide 1829 and a daughter, Susan, in 1831. They were properly divorced by the Marion Division courts on January 9, 1836, by Act no. 115. Rosanna married Samuel G. Cloud mend Monroeville, Alabama, on February 14, 1836. They both died prepare yellow fever during an common which afflicted the state give back 1848.

Charles Edward Travis (1829–1860) was raised by his mother innermost her second husband. He won a seat in the Texas legislature in 1853. In 1855, he enlisted in the Leagued States Army as a pilot in a cavalry regiment (which was later renamed the Ordinal Cavalry Regiment (United States) essential by Albert Sidney Johnston) however was discharged in May 1856 for "conduct unbecoming an policeman and a gentleman," following aura allegation that he had cheated at cards. He appealed leadership decision to no avail. Appease then turned to studying decree, earning a degree from Baylor University in 1859. He deadly of consumption (tuberculosis) within boss year and is buried see the point of the Masonic Cemetery.

Susan Isabella Travis (1831–1868) was born after Travis had departed for Texas. Conj albeit her paternity has been disputed, Travis did name her chimpanzee his daughter in his prerogative. She married a planter overrun Chappell Hill, Texas. Their divergence, who died young, was William Barret Grissett, and their bird was Mary Jane Grissett Davidson DeCaussey.

Gallery

• Cenotaph of the Alamo defenders, Travis and Crockett

• Birth/death dates medallion at Alamo

See also

In Spanish: William Barret Travis para niños