The Travis Letter: Sovereignty or Death

The modern implications of the Travis letter

Sovereignty or Death

Victory or Death letter returns to the Alamo

By Stephen L. Wilmeth

             In one of the most famous Texas documents, the Victory or Death letter penned by William B. Travis in the chaos of facing the threat of death within the walls of the Alamo, a hopeful post script was added. It read:

            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 and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

 Travis

            From the Alamo to Benghazi

            The desperation of those men within the Alamo, who sought nothing more than personal sovereignty, was likely elevated in the perspective of our view from outside looking in. Travis’ post script offered a glimpse of new found hope predicated on the discovery of food that had not been available to those ‘Texian’ defenders.

            Travis believed it was a clear sign God was with them.

            Absolutely, the hope for help to arrive continued to weigh heavily as the body of the letter described, but a signal had been received. With God’s blessings all obstacles were made less overwhelming. The men turned their full attention to their front and prepared to face the enemy. They were resolute and composed for what was to come.

            Was there any difference in the fate of the defenders in the Benghazi attack? In the case of our SEALS, they were not overtly seeking sovereignty, but they were defending sovereignty. After all, American sovereignty must be the object of their eventual deaths or we must ask the greater question of why we were even there.

            When they heard the sounds of the assault on the Embassy from afar, their response was automatic. Their training, their instincts, and their loyalty to their American vows demanded their full and unconditional commitment. There was no difference in their actions from their counterparts 177 years ago in Texas behind the walls of the Alamo.

            Like their counterparts, they signaled for help. There will be no Victory or Death letter for history to honor in their memory, but there were three calls for assistance. In the end, they died just like the men in the Alamo. They died while the leaders they were sworn to follow watched streaming video from the White House. Their president would eventually refer to the episode culminating in their deaths as a “bump in the road”.

            In their honor, let’s substitute a stanza of a poem penned by an anonymous Marine brother as the post script to their Victory or Death letter. It is:

The Battling Boys of Benghazi

“Just two of us, foes by the score, but we stood fast to bar the door.

Three calls for reinforcements, but all were denied,

So, we fought and we fought and we fought … ‘till we died.”

           

The Travis Letter

            From a historical perspective, the ‘Texians’ lit a fire that resulted in Texas declaring its independence from Mexico within days of their deaths. What was it that actually stirred such a flame? Surely the Alamo set the flame blazing more brightly, but that wasn’t the genesis of the rebellion.

            The rebellion was fanned by the pompous and cavalier attitude of the Mexican elite toward the settlers of Texas. The Mexican government, ensconced in its metastasized governing mockery that elevates the condescension of honor and the bastardization of truth to an art form, failed to adhere to its made promises to the wrong folks. The disregard and dismissal of those promises of constitutional liberty, trial by jury, and the right to bear arms created a ‘Texian’ buzz saw.  

            In fact, the issue of arms was so central to the very lives of those people it became a center piece in their Texas Declaration of Independence. Their words became:

“Our arms are our essential defence, the rightful property of Freemen and formidable only to tyrannical governments.”

            Repeatedly, Texans would be required to defend their lives and their way of life solely on their own volition and their only means of defense. It wasn’t just Mexico that posed the threat. The United States government would eventually and repeatedly leave them standing in a hailstorm without recourse.

            Without question, though, the Travis letter is a monumental reminder of the native guts and single mindedness that exploded in the days following the Alamo slaughter. The letter is immensely important to share.

            It read:

Commandancy of the The Alamo

Bejar, Feby. 24^th, 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. (Post Script herein followed in original letter)

            Sovereignty or Death

            After 177 years, the Travis letter is being returned to that sacred ground on which it was penned, The Alamo. It became a well traveled missive the State of Texas finally bought for $85. Humor from the original combatants in some celestial discussion about the earthly value of those words notwithstanding, the letter is home where it belongs.

            There is, however, more than a common thread between those now long deceased heroes and their modern counterparts. Tyranny, if allowed, reappears time and again.

            The Alamo warriors would fully understand the modern strife their descendents face in another encroachment of promises to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Federal lands ranchers have and continue to be vilified, minimized, and strangled in a polarized partnership with the federal government and the environmental movement. Their real life foes offer the same condescension and criticism of their existence as another historically abused segment of society, the post war share croppers.

            History now supports the contention of societal abuse those people endured. They were disallowed to own their lands, they remained constantly at risk of decisions they were not party to, and they existed in a perpetual state of inability to plan anything long term. Few infrastructure advantages were available to them. They were maligned and battered by a corrupt system. Only in their disappearance has their plight been elevated and revealed completely. The United States failed them miserably. What they endured was a crime, and, in fact, they were the post war slavery element of our society. More than half of them were white.  

            Suppose, in the heat of this modern battle, another Travis letter appeared to anyone who would read and understand the critical circumstances that exist. The fate of the federal lands rancher hangs by a thread. If the federal government allows their destruction, their fate is worse than death. At least the Alamo warriors did not die in vain.

            What would the letter say?

            It would read:

Stewards of Western Ranges

Any Sunday, April, 2013

To the People of the United States and to All Americans of the World

Fellow Citizens and compatriots,

We are besieged by thousands of agents intent on our destruction. We have endured a sustained and continuous assault for over 40 years. The enemy has demanded a surrender of our life, liberty, happiness, and stewardship of lands.  They demand a termination of our existence. We have answered with all we can bring to bear. Our flag has been at half mast in a widening front.  Our numbers have declined as our defense has weakened. The recruitment of future stewards has plummeted. We have lost the ability to plan.  Now, we call on you in the name of Liberty, patriotism and everything dear to the American character to come to our aid with all dispatch. We don’t want dollars … we want Freedom. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and they continue to increase. If this call is neglected, we are determined to sustain ourselves as long as possible and die as the proud stewards we once were. Sovereignty or Death.

American federal land ranchers

In God we Trust

Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New Mexico. “When natural law is manipulated and debauched, tyranny reappears.”