Travis Writes from the Alamo: “Victory or Death”

On February 23, 1836, the Mexican army of General Antonio López de Santa Anna, arrived in San Antonio de Béxar and surrounded the Alamo, a former mission occupied by some 200 Texas forces. The next day, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis, leader of the Alamo’s defenders, sat down to write a letter addressed to “the People of Texas & All Americans in the World.” In the now-famous missive, Travis appealed for help, but expressed no fear or despair at the ever-mounting odds against his men. Instead, he vowed to “never surrender or retreat,” but to fight to the end. As we all know, help never came. To this day, however, Travis’ letter stands as an emblem of courage and self-sacrifice, and a vital piece of the enduring legend of the Alamo.
William Travis' 18365 "Victory or Death" letter. (Courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission)


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