William Barret Travis

http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/alamo/Travis.jpg

William B. Travis is an American hero. He gave his life defending the Alamo during the Mexico War. He commanded the Texas Defenders during the Alamo. He held the Mexicans off for two weeks time with only 30 men. He is mostly remembered by his Appeal from the Alamo letter. He died in his attempt to hold off the Mexicans.

The Alamo (http://www.flickr.com/ photos/johnmueller/1516765386/)

Travis was born in South Carolina on August 9th, 1809. He married Rosanna Cato and had a child, Charles Edward Travis, at twenty years old. Later, he published newspapers, joined the militia, and became a Mason. He then left his wife, son, and coming daughter, and moved to Texas. In 1831, he joined the Texas Defenders to fight the Mexicans. He attempted to fight in the Battle of Gonzales, but he was to late to take part. In 1836, Travis entered the Alamo with thirty men. Soon after, he was their commander after his commander left. Later, the Alamo siege had begun. He was in charge.

American Flag (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcolman/542405087/)

William Barret Travis is a hero because he gave his life to save the Alamo and defend America. When he was under siege, he never fled. He stayed in the Alamo to defend it. When he didn't have enough men of resources to fight, he went out to find them. In fact, he wrote a very inspirational letter to the people of Texas. It is called the "Appeal for the Alamo."

The Appeal asked for anyone who could fight, to fight. It also stated that his men were under bombardment for a whole twenty-four hours without losing a single man. He also was given a choice of surrender from the Mexicans. He responded to the request with a cannon shot. It then stated that he will never surrender, nor retreat. One of the most inspirational parts that he wrote was, "Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, & of everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid..." He ended it with the words, "Victory or Death."

He is a hero due to my definition because many people hadn't even heard of the Alamo or Travis before the siege took place. It took many years before people started to even consider William Barret Travis a hero. They had to hear what he did before they thought he was a hero. Over all, he was not a hero until people started to see his actions as heroic and therefore made William a hero.

William Barret Travis' legacy is that he is a brave and willing soldier. He is unaltered by danger, and he is a great commander. By defending the Alamo, William helped to make Texas a permanent part of the US. He also prevented many of the Mexicans from advancing into the United States. He is a great inspiration today. He stood his ground and that is why he is a hero.

I think that his advice for us today would be for us to be brave and to keep fighting in anything you do. He would want everyone to do their best as well. He would also want everyone to be selfless and always help others no matter what the circumstances.