Commemorating the 190th anniversary of the William B. Travis letter from the Alamo.

89(R) HR 222 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

H.R. No. 222

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, February 24, 2026, marks the 190th anniversary of

Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis's letter from the Alamo,

providing a fitting opportunity to acknowledge the enduring legacy

of his request for aid during the fight for Texas independence; and

WHEREAS, In 1836, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis led

150 Texas rebels in their brave stand at the Alamo against the

vastly greater forces of Mexican General Antonio López de Santa

Anna; on February 24, the second day of the siege, Colonel Travis

penned a letter addressed "to the people of Texas and all Americans

in the world," conveying that his valiant band was surrounded by a

thousand enemy soldiers demanding surrender, and he warned that the

fort was under continual bombardment and that enemy numbers were

increasing; calling urgently for reinforcements, he acknowledged

the grave peril of the situation, closing with the defiant words

"Victory or Death"; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Travis entrusted the letter to Captain

Albert Martin of Gonzales; the following day, Captain Martin passed

the dispatch on to Lancelot Smither, who departed for San Felipe on

the cold and windy evening; Mr. Smither delivered the missive to

the town's citizens committee within 40 hours; although several

copies were made, and the letter was published in newspapers as

early as March 2, little help reached the defenders of the Alamo;

General Santa Anna's troops broke through on March 6, and Colonel

Travis died alongside all of his men; and

WHEREAS, Shortly after the Texas Revolution, the original

letter was presented to the Travis family; a great-grandson of

Colonel Travis, John G. Davidson, sold the letter for $85 in 1893 to

the Texas Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and

History; this was the predecessor agency to the Texas State Library

and Archives Commission, which maintains stewardship of the

significant artifact today; and

WHEREAS, One of the most famous epistles in American history,

the William B. Travis letter is a testament to the love of liberty

and spirit of sacrifice that exemplified the Texas Revolution, and

the noble phrase "Victory or Death" will continue to inspire Texans

in generations to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas

Legislature hereby commemorate the 190th anniversary of Lieutenant

Colonel William B. Travis's letter from the Alamo and commend the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission for its preservation;

and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

prepared for the commission as an expression of high regard by the

Texas House of Representatives.

Cain

______________________________

Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 222 was adopted by the House on May

23, 2025, by a non-record vote.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House