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Believing the war ended, many Texians resigned from the army and returned home. īy the end of 1835, Texians had expelled all Mexican troops from Texas. He participated in the siege of Béxar, where he proved to be "an impulsive, occasionally insubordinate, officer".

Travis was commissioned lieutenant colonel in the new regular army and asked to raise a cavalry company. In October, the Texas Revolution began and delegates appointed a provisional government. Texians became increasingly discontented with the government as Santa Anna positioned himself as a dictator. Although the Mexican government issued a warrant for his arrest, local authorities did not enforce it. Many Texas settlers thought Travis's action was imprudent, and he was forced to apologize. Travis, an ardent foe of centralism, led an attack on Anahuac in June 1835 and forced the Mexican garrison to surrender. In 1835, Santa Anna began consolidating power in response federalists launched armed rebellion in several Mexican states. The federalists prevailed, and their favored general, Antonio López de Santa Anna, was elected president. Texians aligned themselves with proponents of federalism advocating a stronger role for state governments, in opposition to a centralized government that set most policies at the national level. The Anahuac Disturbances coincided with a Mexican civil war. Bradburn was forced to resign his post and flee Texas. Davis, Bradburn "overreacted and made heroes of two local malcontents whose actions their own people otherwise had not been much inclined to sanction". Their subsequent actions were instrumental in causing the May 1832 Anahuac Disturbances. Almost immediately, he and his law partner, Patrick Jack, clashed with the local military commander, Juan Davis Bradburn. In May 1831, Travis opened a law office in Anahuac, Texas. Historians have speculated that Travis's choice of reading material may have affected his behavior -Travis was known for his melodramatic ways. His taste ran primarily to romantic adventure and history, especially the novels of Sir Walter Scott and Benjamin Disraeli and the historical works of Herodotus.

An avid reader, Travis often devoured a novel in a single day. Among the immigrants was William Barret Travis, an Alabama native who had variously worked as a teacher, a newspaper publisher, and a lawyer. People flocked to the area an 1834 census estimated the Texas population at 7,800 Mexicans and 30,000 English-speaking people primarily from the United States. The Mexican Constitution of 1824 liberalized the country's immigration policies, allowing foreigners to settle in border regions such as Mexican Texas. For many decades it was displayed at the Texas State Library the original letter was then placed in a dark space for conservation purposes, and the display is now an exact facsimile. Between 32 and 90 of them reached the Alamo before it fell the remainder formed the nucleus of the army which eventually defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.įollowing the end of the Texas Revolution, the original letter was delivered to Travis's family in Alabama, and in 1893, one of his descendants sold it to the State of Texas for $85 ($2,564 today). Partially in response to the letter, men from throughout Texas and the United States began to gather in Gonzales. It also appeared in the two main Texas newspapers and was eventually printed throughout the United States and Europe. Local publishers printed over 700 copies of the letter. Smithers added his own postscript and delivered the letter to its intended destination, San Felipe de Austin. Martin added several postscripts to encourage men to reinforce the Alamo, and then handed the letter to Launcelot Smithers. The letter was initially entrusted to courier Albert Martin, who carried it to the town of Gonzales some seventy miles away. The letter closes with Travis's vow of "Victory or Death!", an emotion which has been both praised and derided by historians. Fearing that his small group of men could not withstand an assault, Travis wrote this letter seeking reinforcements and supplies from supporters. On February 23, the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas had been besieged by Mexican forces led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The letter is renowned as a "declaration of defiance" and a "masterpiece of American patriotism", and forms part of the history education of Texas schoolchildren. Travis, commander of the Texian forces at the Battle of the Alamo, to settlers in Mexican Texas. To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World is an open letter written on February 24, 1836, by William B.