Read Online The Men Who War the Star: The Story of the Texas Rangers by Charles M. Robinson III - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Charles M. Robinson III
Tags: Fiction
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information that 2,000 Mexicans under command of [Ramírez y] Sesma have arrived in Bexar [San Antonio] and have taken possession of the Public Square, compelling the American troops (150 in number) to confine themselves to the Alamo. The American troops are determined to defend the place to the last and have called upon their fellow-citizens for help.
Yr. obt. servt.,
R. M. Williamson,
Comd’g the Rangers. 42
Williamson’s title was impressive but empty. The three companies were scattered, and until they assembled as a unit, he had no authority.
The same was not true, however, of the Gonzales Ranging Company of Mounted Volunteers, recently organized by the citizens under command of Lt. George Kimball. Because they were a strictly voluntary force with no sanction other than the support of the local community, they did not fall under Williamson’s jurisdiction. In common with so many other ad hoc Ranger companies of the period, “they were voluntary combinations of freemen held together by the cohesive power [of] patriotism,” according to nineteenth-century Ranger and historian John Henry Brown. The company was composed of only twenty-two men, and initially no one had expected a fight anytime soon. Nevertheless, Travis’s call spurred them to action and they prepared to ride to San Antonio. 43
Travis, meanwhile, had written a second letter, which, until recent years, could be recited by virtually every schoolchild in Texas.
Comandancy of the Alamo—.
Bexar, Feby. 24th 1836—
To 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.
P.S. The Lord is on our side—When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn—We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of beeves—
Travis 44
The letter was given to Capt. Albert Martin of Gonzales, who reached his hometown late in the afternoon of the next day. Travis’s new plea added a sense of urgency, and several more volunteered for the Gonzales Rangers, including Martin himself, who intended to go back and rejoin the garrison. At 2 P.M. on February 27, the company assembled and, led by Kimball and Martin, rode out toward San Antonio. Because Mexicans blocking the road ahead might force them to cut across open country, Captain Smith served as their guide. An experienced frontiersman and old San Antonio hand, he knew the country better than anyone. Picking up more men on the way, the company had risen to thirty-two men by sunset February 29 as it neared the Alamo.
In the distance, they saw the shadowy form of a horseman, who politely inquired if they wanted him to guide them through the Mexican lines into the fort. They accepted, but as they fell in behind the man, Smith was uneasy. The rider kept too far ahead, and his English was simply too precise. It was a trap. Someone suggested killing the man, but before they could shoot, the rider spurred off into the darkness.
Listening now for the sound of men and equipment on either side of their column, the Gonzales Rangers edged through the
Yr. obt. servt.,
R. M. Williamson,
Comd’g the Rangers. 42
Williamson’s title was impressive but empty. The three companies were scattered, and until they assembled as a unit, he had no authority.
The same was not true, however, of the Gonzales Ranging Company of Mounted Volunteers, recently organized by the citizens under command of Lt. George Kimball. Because they were a strictly voluntary force with no sanction other than the support of the local community, they did not fall under Williamson’s jurisdiction. In common with so many other ad hoc Ranger companies of the period, “they were voluntary combinations of freemen held together by the cohesive power [of] patriotism,” according to nineteenth-century Ranger and historian John Henry Brown. The company was composed of only twenty-two men, and initially no one had expected a fight anytime soon. Nevertheless, Travis’s call spurred them to action and they prepared to ride to San Antonio. 43
Travis, meanwhile, had written a second letter, which, until recent years, could be recited by virtually every schoolchild in Texas.
Comandancy of the Alamo—.
Bexar, Feby. 24th 1836—
To 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.
P.S. The Lord is on our side—When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn—We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of beeves—
Travis 44
The letter was given to Capt. Albert Martin of Gonzales, who reached his hometown late in the afternoon of the next day. Travis’s new plea added a sense of urgency, and several more volunteered for the Gonzales Rangers, including Martin himself, who intended to go back and rejoin the garrison. At 2 P.M. on February 27, the company assembled and, led by Kimball and Martin, rode out toward San Antonio. Because Mexicans blocking the road ahead might force them to cut across open country, Captain Smith served as their guide. An experienced frontiersman and old San Antonio hand, he knew the country better than anyone. Picking up more men on the way, the company had risen to thirty-two men by sunset February 29 as it neared the Alamo.
In the distance, they saw the shadowy form of a horseman, who politely inquired if they wanted him to guide them through the Mexican lines into the fort. They accepted, but as they fell in behind the man, Smith was uneasy. The rider kept too far ahead, and his English was simply too precise. It was a trap. Someone suggested killing the man, but before they could shoot, the rider spurred off into the darkness.
Listening now for the sound of men and equipment on either side of their column, the Gonzales Rangers edged through the
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