By: Dr. Richard Bruce Winders, Alamo Director of History & Curation
Two men shared command of the Alamo when government and rebel forces first exchanged shots on February 23, 1836. But after illness confined the more experienced and popular James Bowie to his bed, too sick to participate in the fighting, sole command of the Alamo fell to twenty-six-year-old William Barret Travis. One of the best known Alamo defenders, Travis is a central character in the story of the epic battle.
Born in 1809, Travis spent his early years in the Edgefield District of South Carolina. At age nine, his family moved to Alabama. An eager student, Travis attended schools in both Sparta and Claiborne, advancing in his studies enough to become an assistant to his teachers. Although still only in his teens, Travis began studying law under the direction of James Dellet, Claiborne’s leading attorney. On October 26, 1826, Travis, then only seventeen-years-old, married Rosanna Cato, a former student. A son, Charles Edward Travis, was born to the couple on August 8, 1829.
Unusually willing to accept so much responsibility of one still so young, Travis worked hard at becoming a productive and respected member of his community. He set up his own law practice, joined the fraternal order of Masons, accepted a commission in the Alabama militia, and even published a local newspaper. A mountain of debt, however, accumulated as he struggled to provide for Rosanna and Charles. Unable to meet his public and private obligations, he fled to Texas, leaving his son and pregnant wife behind in Alabama.
Travis had gone to Texas to take advantage of the opportunities offered. There he could find a new start and rebuild his life and reputation. On May 21, 1831, Stephen F. Austin accepted Travis as a colonist and issued land to him. Travis settled in Anahuac, a settlement located on Galveston Bay, and opened a law office. This time he found success as clients sought his services. The respect that had eluded him in Alabama came as he met and formed friendships with many of Texas’ most influential men. He later moved to San Felipe de Austin, the capital of Austin’s colony, where he was elected to the ayuntamiento, a body similar to a city council. By the time of the Texas Revolution, Travis’ reputation was such that others asked for his advice and naturally expected him to assume a position of leadership in a time of crises.
Travis’ personal life, however, remained somewhat unsettled. In 1834, Rosanna filed for divorce when after several years he failed to return, claiming she had been abandoned. A divorce was granted the couple the following year. His son Charles came to Texas to live with his father, who boarded him with David Ayers, a close friend. With the issue of his failed marriage finally resolved, the future looked promising for the successful young attorney.
Travis played an active role in several important disputes between the colonists and the Mexican government prior to the actual outbreak of hostilities in 1835. In 1832, while still residing at Anahuac, the commander of the Mexican garrison, Colonel John Davis Bradburn, arrested Travis and his law partner for participating in a prank that challenged his authority. Friends of the two men finally forced their release, but not before the affair escalated into a serious incident between troops of the Centralist government and the colonists. In 1835, Travis led a detachment of Texans back to Anahuac to drive out the Centralist garrison. Although the “Peace Party” (Texans who wanted to maintain Texas’ position in the Mexican Federation) deplored such aggressive actions, the “War Party” (Texans who favored independence even if it meant war) had found a leader.
The disturbances of 1832 and 1835, of which Travis had been a key figure, caused the Centralist government under Santa Anna to send reinforcements to Texas. But instead of quelling the coming revolt, the military crackdown had the opposite effect and drove the colonists further away. Travis quickly took up arms soon following the opening skirmish of the revolution that occurred at Goliad on October 2, 1835. He commanded a volunteer cavalry company during the Siege of Béxar. His company captured a horse herd containing approximately 300 mounts on November 10, 1835. Travis left San Antonio before the final assault on the city was and not present when Texans captured the town in early December. The newly formed provisional government offered Travis a commission as major in a regiment of artillery it planned to raise. He declined the appointment, but accepted command of a cavalry battalion when it was offered.
Governor Henry Smith, head of the provisional government, ordered Lieutenant Colonel Travis back to San Antonio. He arrived at the Alamo with fewer than 30 recruits. Colonel James C. Neill, the commander of the Alamo, turned the post over to Travis while he left on furlough to visit his family. The volunteers, under the command of James Bowie, refused to acknowledge Travis’ authority over them, making it necessary for Travis to share command with Bowie. The full weight of command fell on Travis after Bowie became ill and was confined to his quarters. According to his slave, Joe, Colonel Travis was one of the first Texan casualties on the morning of March 6, killed with a single shot to the head while defending the north wall.
In his role as commander of the Alamo, Travis repeatedly attempted to rally help for his besieged garrison. His letters, carried out by couriers, give us a glimpse of life inside the Alamo during the thirteen-day-long siege. The writings of this highly literate and passionate young man are some of the most stirring pieces in American History. Had he lived, Travis most certainly would have gone on to high office in the newly born Republic of Texas.
