| 1 | 1 | | 89R13352 BPG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Cain H.R. No. 221 |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, February 24, 2025, marks the 189th anniversary of |
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| 9 | 9 | | Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis's letter from the Alamo, |
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| 10 | 10 | | providing a fitting opportunity to acknowledge the enduring legacy |
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| 11 | 11 | | of his request for aid during the fight for Texas independence; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, In 1836, Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis led |
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| 13 | 13 | | 150 Texas rebels in their brave stand at the Alamo against the |
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| 14 | 14 | | vastly greater forces of Mexican General Antonio López de Santa |
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| 15 | 15 | | Anna; on February 24, the second day of the siege, Colonel Travis |
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| 16 | 16 | | penned a letter addressed "to the people of Texas and all Americans |
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| 17 | 17 | | in the world," conveying that his valiant band was surrounded by a |
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| 18 | 18 | | thousand enemy soldiers demanding surrender, and he warned that the |
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| 19 | 19 | | fort was under continual bombardment and that enemy numbers were |
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| 20 | 20 | | increasing; calling urgently for reinforcements, he acknowledged |
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| 21 | 21 | | the grave peril of the situation, closing with the defiant words |
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| 22 | 22 | | "Victory or Death"; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Colonel Travis entrusted the letter to Captain |
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| 24 | 24 | | Albert Martin of Gonzales; the following day, Captain Martin passed |
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| 25 | 25 | | the dispatch on to Lancelot Smither, who departed for San Felipe on |
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| 26 | 26 | | the cold and windy evening; Mr. Smither delivered the missive to |
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| 27 | 27 | | the town's citizens committee within 40 hours; although several |
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| 28 | 28 | | copies were made, and the letter was published in newspapers as |
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| 29 | 29 | | early as March 2, little help reached the defenders of the Alamo; |
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| 30 | 30 | | General Santa Anna's troops broke through on March 6, and Colonel |
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| 31 | 31 | | Travis died alongside all of his men; and |
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| 32 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Shortly after the Texas Revolution, the original |
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| 33 | 33 | | letter was presented to the Travis family; a great-grandson of |
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| 34 | 34 | | Colonel Travis, John G. Davidson, sold the letter for $85 in 1893 to |
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| 35 | 35 | | the Texas Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and |
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| 36 | 36 | | History; this was the predecessor agency to the Texas State Library |
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| 37 | 37 | | and Archives Commission, which maintains stewardship of the |
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| 38 | 38 | | significant artifact today; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, One of the most famous epistles in American history, |
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| 40 | 40 | | the William B. Travis letter is a testament to the love of liberty |
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| 41 | 41 | | and spirit of sacrifice that exemplified the Texas Revolution, and |
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| 42 | 42 | | the noble phrase "Victory or Death" will continue to inspire Texans |
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| 43 | 43 | | in generations to come; now, therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 45 | 45 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 189th anniversary of Lieutenant |
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| 46 | 46 | | Colonel William B. Travis's letter from the Alamo and commend the |
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| 47 | 47 | | Texas State Library and Archives Commission for its preservation; |
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| 48 | 48 | | and, be it further |
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| 49 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 50 | 50 | | prepared for the commission as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 51 | 51 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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