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N0KFQ > TODAY 29.06.16 16:35l 61 Lines 2764 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 98145_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Jun 29
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Sent: 160629/1428Z 98145@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1835
Texan William Travis prepares for war with Mexico
Determined to win independence for the Mexican State of Texas,
William Travis raises a volunteer army of 25 soldiers and
prepares to liberate the city of Anahuac.
Born in South Carolina and raised in Alabama, William Travis
moved to Mexican-controlled Texas in 1831 at the age of 22. He
established a legal practice in Anahuac, a small frontier town
about 40 miles east of Houston. From the start, Travis disliked
Mexicans personally and resented Mexican rule of Texas
politically. In 1832, he clashed with local Mexican officials and
was jailed for a month. When he was released, the growing Texan
independence movement hailed him as a hero, strengthening his
resolve to break away from Mexico by whatever means necessary.
Early in 1835, the Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
overthrew the republican government and proclaimed himself
dictator. Rightly fearing that some Texans would rebel as a
result, Santa Anna quickly moved to reinforce Mexican control and
dispatched troops to Anahuac, among other areas. Accustomed to
enjoying a large degree of autonomy, some Texans resented the
presence of Santa Anna's troops, and they turned to Travis for
leadership.
On this day in 1835, Travis raised a company of 25 volunteer
soldiers. The next day, the small army easily captured Captain
Antonio Tenorio, the leader of Santa Anna's forces in Anahuac,
and forced the troops to surrender. More radical Texans again
proclaimed Travis a hero, but others condemned him for trying to
foment war and maintained that Santa Anna could still be dealt
with short of revolution. By the fall of 1835, however, conflict
had become inevitable, and Texans prepared to fight a war of
independence.
As soon as the rebels had formed an army, Travis was made a
lieutenant colonel in command of the regular troops at San
Antonio. On February 23, 1836, Travis joined forces with Jim
Bowie's army of volunteers to occupy an old Spanish mission known
as the Alamo. The following day, Santa Anna and about 4,000 of
his men laid siege to the Alamo. With less than 200 soldiers,
Travis and Bowie were able to hold off the Mexicans for 13 days.
On March 6, Santa Anna's soldiers stormed the Alamo and killed
nearly every Texan defender, including Travis.
In the months that followed, "Remember the Alamo" became a
rallying cry as the Texans successfully drove the Mexican forces
from their borders. By April, Texas had won its independence.
Travis, who first hastened the war of independence and then
became a martyr to the cause, became an enduring symbol of Texan
courage and defiance.
73 - K.O., n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
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