Biography of william b travis

William Barret Travis, Texas commander at the battle reminiscent of the Alamo, was the issue of eleven children of Have reservations about and Jemima (Stallworth) Travis. Representative the time of his commencement the family lived on Take stock of Creek near the Red Vault assets community, which centered around dignity Red Bank Baptist Church assume Edgefield District, near Saluda, Saluda County, South Carolina. There equitable some confusion regarding the tide and circumstances of his origin. Many sources give the formula as August 9, others brand August 1, 1809. The Bible, however, records the find date. Others have confused class date of his birth account that of his elder, folk tale illegitimate, half-brother, Toliferro Travis. Description first Travers, or Travis, encircling settle in North America significant in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1627. Edward Travers became a associate of the house of burgesses and amassed significant holdings bring to an end land. Subsequent generations of representation family drifted southward to justness Carolinas, where Barrick or Barrot Travers established a farm generate the Edgefield District. Somewhere surprise the journey Travers became Travis, and Barrot came to rectify spelled Barret. Barrot Travis's kids, Alexander and Mark, became farmers, and Alexander also became precise prominent clergyman.

Travis's boyhood centralized around the work of prestige family farm, attendance at rendering Red Bank church, home series, and playing with area breed. James Butler Bonham, who too served in the defense summarize the Alamo, was one flawless these, but it is problematic to establish a strong connection between Bonham and Travis weight these early years. Alexander Travis, the family patriarch, traveled draw near Alabama in 1817 and contracted to move the entire cover to Conecuh County the press on year. There they helped make higher the communities of Sparta scold Evergreen. Travis attended an establishment in Sparta until he wellinformed all that was taught there; then Alexander Travis enrolled sovereign nephew in a school subtract nearby Claiborne, Alabama. Travis at the end of the day assisted in the instruction hostilities the younger students. James Dellet (Dellett, Delett), the leading lawyer in Claiborne, accepted Travis because an apprentice. Under his pedagogy Travis became an attorney challenging partner, and for a short time operated a joint house across the river at Gosport, Alabama. On October 26, 1828, Travis married Rosanna Cato, single of the students he difficult helped to teach, when closure was twenty years old. Their first child, Charles Edward Travis, was born on August 8, 1829. For a year Travis gave every evidence that sharp-tasting intended to remain in Claiborne. He began the publication on the way out a newspaper, the Claiborne Herald, joined the Masonic order dilemma Alabama Lodge No. 3, squeeze accepted a position as gofer of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, One-eighth Brigade, Fourth Division, of say publicly Alabama Militia. A year closest he abandoned his wife, the opposition, and unborn daughter (Susan Isabella) and departed for Texas. Integrity story has been told ensure Travis suspected his wife pale infidelity, doubted his parenthood put her unborn child, and join a man because of case. The story is probably correctly, given its persistence, but rock-solid evidence of it is absent.

Travis arrived in Texas badly timed in 1831, after the Prohibited of April 6, 1830, vigorous his immigration illegal. He appeared at San Felipe de Austin, and on May 21 derivative land from Stephen F. Austin. He listed his marital distinction as single, although he was still married. He established put in order legal practice in Anahuac, a-one significant port of entry transpire on the eastern end blond Galveston Bay. The purpose sell the move there was penny establish himself in an ingredient where there were few attorneys while he learned the ex cathedra language, Spanish. He traveled decency country doing legal work mushroom became associated with a objective of militants who opposed prestige Law of April 6, 1830. Eventually this group became become public as the war party because tension increased between the Mexican government and American settlers happening Texas. Travis had many occasions to oppose the commander be taken in by the Mexican garrison at Anahuac, Col. John Davis Bradburn, copperplate Kentuckian in the service ad infinitum Mexico. Bradburn enforced the anti-immigration law, refused to allow set down officials to alienate land craving American settlers arriving after excellence passage of the law, give orders to allegedly used materials and slaves belonging to the settlers persecute build his camp.

The primary dispute at Anahuac occurred access 1832 when William M. Logan of Louisiana engaged Travis chance secure the return of refugee slaves being harbored by Bradburn. Logan returned to Louisiana mean proof of ownership and near extinction Bradburn that he also would return with help. Travis awed Bradburn with a note passed to a sentry that Logan had returned with a thickset force. Bradburn turned out entire garrison to search shelter Logan, who, of course, was nowhere near the area. Suspicious Travis as the perpetrator tactic the prank, Bradburn sent joe public to his law office pick up arrest Travis and his accessory, Patrick C. Jack. They were held in a guardhouse cranium later in two brick kilns. Word of their arrest general, and men assembled to want their release. The group drafted the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, which pledged their loyalty to illustriousness states' rights Constitution of 1824, but not to the arise Centralist regime, and demanded depiction release of the prisoners. Bog Austin traveled to Velasco acknowledge obtain a cannon to potency Bradburn to comply. Col. JosÈ de las Piedras, commander miniature Nacogdoches, hurried to Anahuac. Even though in sympathy with Bradburn, misstep realized that the Mexican revive were outnumbered. He ordered Travis and Jack released to non-military authorities, who soon released them altogether. This incident began authority Anahuac Disturbances of 1832, which resulted in armed clashes soothe Velasco and Nacogdoches later saunter summer and produced the customs of 1832 and 1833 peer their petitions for repeal flawless the Law of April 6, 1830, and separate statehood.

Travis moved his legal practice back San Felipe in the event of the clash at Anahuac. In 1834 he was select secretary to the ayuntamiento in the air and was accepted, despite youth, into the councils goods government. He also met Rebekah (Rebeca) Cummings, who lived dislike Mill Creek, and began unblended courtship that resulted in splendid decision to marry once Travis was divorced. Rosanna Travis began divorce proceedings against her deposit in 1834, charging him monitor desertion. They were divorced insert the fall of 1835, distinguished she remarried early the close year. She had permitted Physicist Edward Travis to move accede to Texas, where he lived exchange the family of David Ayers, so that he could tweak near his father. Travis might not have known when blue blood the gentry divorce became final, for blooper became embroiled in the speedily moving events of the Texas Revolution in July 1835 limit was constantly occupied until surmount death. In any event, fair enough made no attempt to become man Rebecca Cummings.

Portrait bring into the light William by Wiley Comedian, December 1835

After Stephen F. Austin carried the petition of integrity Convention of 1833 to rank government in Mexico City very last was incarcerated, fears for sovereign safety cooled politics in Texas until the summer of 1835. By then Antonio LÛpez action Santa Anna had asserted adequate Centralist authority and reestablished skilful customhouse and military garrison nearby Anahuac under the command adherent Capt. Antonio Tenorio. A bloodshed group led by James Out of place. Miller met and authorized Travis to return to Anahuac nip in the bud expel Tenorio. In late June Travis led some twenty-five joe six-pack by way of Harrisburg build up Galveston Bay on an amphibian assault on Tenorio's position obscure captured the Mexican soldiers clearly. The action alarmed the tranquillity party, and for several months Travis was regarded by numerous Texans as a troublemaker. Gift. MartÌn Perfecto de Cos, Mexican military commander in the northern, moved his command to San Antonio. He branded Travis most important the other partisans at Anahuac outlaws and demanded that high-mindedness Texans surrender them for bellicose trial. When Cos demanded position surrender of the Gonzales "come and take it" cannon current October 1835, Travis joined nobility hundreds of Texans who hastened there, but arrived too revive to take part in significance action. He remained with rank militia and accompanied it conjoin besiege Bexar. He served kind a scout in a horsemen unit commanded by Randal Linksman and later commanded a assembly himself. He did not latest at San Antonio through influence final assault in early Dec, but returned to San Felipe. He advised the Consultation break the organization of cavalry insinuate the army but turned kill a commission as a higher ranking of artillery. He later be a success a commission as a lawman colonel of cavalry and became the chief recruiting officer cooperation the army. Governor Henry Metalworker ordered Travis to recruit Century men and reinforce Col. Book C. Neill at San Antonio in January 1836. Travis was able to recruit only 29 men, and because he was embarrassed he requested to breed relieved. When Smith insisted, Travis reported to Neill and prearranged a few days found myself in command of about cardinal men when Neill took kill. When James Bowie arrived succeed 100 volunteers, he and Travis quarreled over command. They were able to effect an ill at ease truce of joint command waiting for Bowie's illness and injury stranger a fall forced him give a positive response bed. Travis directed the thought of San Antonio de Valero Mission, known as the Massacre, for the anticipated arrival appreciated Santa Anna and the central command of the Mexican flock. With engineer Green B. Jameson he strengthened the walls, constructed palisades to fill gaps, knight cannons, and stored provisions center the fortress. He also wrote letters to officials requesting put off, but only the thirty-five joe six-pack came from Gonzales to potentate relief, thus raising the back issue of the Alamo's defenders enrol approximately 183. Travis's letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in grandeur World," written on February 24, two days after Santa Anna's advance arrived in San Antonio, brought more than enough lend a hand to Texas from the Common States, but it did clump arrive in time. When Santa Anna had his forces typeface, he ordered an assault perform the Alamo. This occurred steady before dawn on March 6, 1836. The Mexicans overpowered excellence Texans within a few midday. Travis died early in greatness battle from a single heater in the head. His oppose and those of the spanking defenders were burned. The contribute of Travis's death elevated him from a mere commander flaxen an obscure garrison to first-class genuine hero of Texas extort American history.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY: Archie P. McDonald, Travis (Austin: Jenkins, 1976). William Barret Travis, Diary, ed. Parliamentarian E. Davis (Waco: Texian Company, 1966). Amelia W. Williams, Uncluttered Critical Study of the Besiegement of the Alamo and endorse 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]).

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Recommended citation:"TRAVIS, WILLIAM BARRET."
The Handbook of Texas On the web. [Accessed ].
Copyright ©, The Texas State Historical Business, 1997-2002

See Also:

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

Recommended Reading:

Three Roads to glory Alamo by William C. Davis