William Travis was a man born in 1809.
He studied law and became an attorney.
He was married and had children and ran a newspaper.
His marriage failed and so he headed to Texas
to open a lawyer practice. As a Texas land owner, he
joined the Texas
forces against Mexico. He had 30 men in his charge when he entered the Alamo and soon found himself in command. He sent several requests for reinforcements and
bravely fought against the Mexicans.
Unfortunately, he died at the war of the
Alamo in 1836.
Davy Crockett was a man who was born in 1786. His character was known as a fun loving hunter,
fisherman and story teller. His
career was political with the title of colonel and elected to the Tennessee state
legislature and U.S. Congress.
He was also a volunteer scout who achieved the ranks of lieutenant colonel. He was against the removal of the Indian people
and challenged Andrew Jackson politically on this issue.
He was a natural leader. However, he
lost his political standing, was in debt financially and his wife had left him. He hoped that a new life down at the Texas border would be a
fresh start to begin a new political career and be a land owner. However, his life ended in the battle at the Alamo in 1836 and he never did receive his payment. Instead he gained notoriety as his life became
famous through songs, cartoons, stories and eventually movies. He was often depicted wearing a raccoon hat and wore
buckskin clothing but in reality was a political gentleman.
In 1699, the land where the Alamo
was located today was populated by many cultures; Indians known as Payaya,
Sama, Pachaque, and several smaller tribes lived in a nomadic way of life. A
French exploration of Texas prompted Spain to come to Texas to build their
first permanent mission to expand their territory. The mission location was
moved several times. The duty of this mission was to convert the indigenous
population to catholic and also train them; farming carpentry, raising
livestock, stonework and weaving. It was hoped that these people would be loyal
supporters of to Spain. The tribes with the aid of firearms and horses fought
the Apaches and the Comanches Indian tribes the mission provided shelter and
safety from the invaders.
The mission soon became known as
a safe haven for warring troops and the catholic control was disbanded. The
mission becomes and outpost for military troops. 100 Military troops with their
families take up residence in the mission. They built the first hospital in
Texas. The Texan people living at the mission were few in numbers and accepted
immigrants from the United States. Together they fought for freedom from Spain.
Their number increased from 500 to 30,000 inhabitants. The gathering of these
people to be their own nation became a concern for the Mexican president.
One of the missions of the Alamo during
Antonio López de Santa Anna’s election as president, was to retrieve a cannon
to protect a Mexican town against the Comanche tribe. On October 2, 1835, the
colonists refused and taunted them saying “come and take it” and fired on the
men. This was the beginning of the Texas Revolution.
On February 23, 1836 the Mexican army
arrived to the Alamo to take over the land as Mexican soil. On March 2nd
independence of Texas was documented and declared. Unaware, the Alamo and its
200 Texan defenders continued to defend against the Mexican army. On March 6th
the Mexican soldiers breached the north wall and attacked the Alamo and
brutally killed many of the Texans, leaving them defeated. The battle lasted for only about 90 minuets. The battle of the
Alamo is the symbol of their resistance to Mexican oppression. This war was the
foundation for the independence of Texas.
