Something big happened 172 years ago today, and it was prefigured by the last letter of Lt. Col. William B. Travis:
Commandancy of the Alamo
Bexar, Feby. 24th 1836To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world –
Fellow citizens & compatriots — I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna — I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man — The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken — I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls — I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch — The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country –
Victory or Death.
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt.
After a 12-day siege, the fort fell to the Mexican assault and its defenders passed into immortality.
Remember the Alamo!
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I wrote this years ago, and I think I might have posted it hear once, but I couldn’t find it:
The men from Gonzales
They gathered on that morn
So cold and damp and cloudy
So lonely so forlorn
To the west they knew they
Must make three days ride
To a place called the Alamo
Where their fate would lay inside
The sons looked on their fathers
In the buckskins that they wore
While they gather ball and powder
They’d need to do their chore
And the men tried to hide
The fears they felt inside
Then they gathered family to them
And told them not to cry
And we won’t forget these men
Or the reason for their ride
And we won’t forget their widows
Or their children or their cries
The men from Gonzales
The rode for you and men
The men from Gonzales
They died to make us free
I still can’t imagine a modern day politician being associated with something like this. I can imagine them saying it or writing it, but in no way would they live it. BTW, did they have don’t ask, don’t tell, women in the military, powder puff generals, and a contingent set aside to protect VIP’s and the press at the Alamo? I can’t seem to recall.
Thank you, Matt. Everyone in Texas needs to read this, citizen or visitor.
Ironic we have the same situation today.. except a Mexican Army is already within the walls.. Only today nobody wants to do anything about it..
Here’s a face to put with the name:
http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01547/Pics/William%20Travis.jpg
James Butler Bonham, also from Saluda County, South Carolina, was Travis’ cousin.
What a remarkable letter.
Todays version of alarm would read, “After an 8-year siege under GWB, America fell to the illegal immigrant assault and its citizens passed into obscurity.”
Remember the Alamo! (indeedy)
I thought maybe this was a new letter written by a Sheriff in one of the border counties until I saw the signature at the bottom…
7.
Too funny
I’ll give it a rewrite for 2008.
To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world –
Fellow citizens & compatriots — We are besieged by millions and millions illegal Mexican aliens, under the watchful blessing of Jorge Traitor Bushnandez and Pancho V. Perry— We have sustained a continual Bombardment as our borders have been breached and the dam is broken.
Our own government has demanded a surrender from all Americans otherwise, our phony leaders will let the invasion continue until America is taken.
Jorge Bushnandez cowers at the feet of Felipe Calderon and continues to lick his boots , while his own feet are propped up on his illegal alien free ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Jorge and Pancho V Perry, sit with their thumbs up their noses, while the Mexican flag is hoisted above the American flag time and time again.
It looks as if America has surrendered. Our liberties are being taken away & everything dear to the American character has been plundered and pillaged.
The illegal aliens continually receive reinforcements courtesy of The President, the Governor, Congress, the ACLU, our Courts and from every form of government in between.
Our phony leaders are determined to let the invasion continue for long as possible, for they do not honor their Oaths, or their duty to this once great nation and state.
–Signed, the forgotten American Citizen..A Foreigner in his own Country!!
We will not forget the Alamo, nor will we forget these men who willingly gave their lives for Texas. We fight on.
#11, AW
Amen.
Let us never forget.
– Ken
An excellent reminder. I recall when in the service the number of jokes that us Texans endured (native born and a long family history in the state). A fellow Texan leaned over to a friend of mine (hails from outside Beaumont) and me as we were being bombarded with the latest ones and said: “They are just jealous. You never hear any of them brag about their states.” We enjoyed a great laugh then. The Alamo is just one of the many reasons we have to be proud of our home state.
My typical answer (except to drill instructors) about steers and queers was that we kept the steers, got rid of the queers, and sent them to your state, and I don’t see any horns on you, so we know which group you’re in.
My favorite memory of the Texas jokes was the TI in class during basic, AF, so San Antonio, of course. He was from the east coast somewhere and was about to start in on the jokes when he first asked how many of us were from Texas. Imagine the look on his face when out of a 52 man flight nearly 40 of us raised our hands. LOL The joke session never started.
My grandmother’s favorite was her telling of a story of a group that got lost trying to find some lost people in a cave somewhere (she never told me where). Needless to say, they got lost and her group was sent in to find them. They did, and being mostly Texans the commander told them that the next time he wanted something done that he would just send the Texans because they were just too ornery to quit. LOL
Back in 1991 we had the honor of hosting Col. Wes Fox, USMC. Colonel Fox had at that time around 40 years in the Marine Corps. He was at that time the Commanding Officer of Officers Candidate School. He also happened to be a Medal of Honor recipient:
http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/vn_mc_fox.html
Colonel Fox said he was never in any unit in the Marine Corps from squad sized on up where he there weren’t one or more Marines from Texas. He also said he couldn’t remember a better bunch of men.