Travis's Last Letter & Ultimate Sacrifice

Considered to be one of the most heroic documents in Texas history, this call to arms, written by Col. William Barret Travis, was carried through enemy lines by  Captain Albert Martin on February 24, 1836. After receiving his orders from Travis, Martin began his 70 mile journey to Gonzales’ posthaste. Hearing relentless cannon fire as he made his way, Martin added postscript to Travis’ letter describing the urgency of the attack.

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     Arriving on the afternoon of February 25th, Martin passed the dispatch to Lancelot Smither, who had arrived from the Alamo the day before with an estimate of Mexican troop strength. Smither left Gonzales that very night, riding nearly 90 miles in 40 hours to San Felipe de Austin. Adding his own postscript, Smither urged fighting men to gather at Gonzales. Upon his arrival Smither had the letter printed on broadsheets and distributed. The Brazoria Texas Republican was the first newspaper to carry Travis’ letter, in its March 2nd issue. 

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     Capt. Martin returned to the Alamo on February 29th with a group of thirty-two Texian Militia Gonzales Rangers led by Commander George Kimble. At 3:00 AM on March 1st, under the cover of darkness, the group slipped through Santa Anna’s lines and entered the fort. The “Immortal 32” was the only relief force to arrive before the final assault. 

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     After nearly two weeks of fighting, the final battle came during the early morning hours of Sunday, March 6, 1836.  In near-freezing conditions, Santa Anna’s men carried tall ladders up to the walls of the mission, attacking from all four sides. Although the Mexicans suffered a tremendous loss of life, they continued to scale the walls until they were able to overrun the north wall of the mission. Once the Mexican troops were inside the walls, the siege broke down to hand-to-hand combat in the courtyard and buildings of the mission. 

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     At the end, 187 of the defenders were dead with only 15 noncombatants spared, which included women, children, and servants. Santa Anna, a Freemason himself, ordered the captured American defenders put to death. The men, who either died during the battle or were executed afterwards, were burned in three funeral pyres, or outdoor crematories, near the Alamo. Though the battle was lost, the Texans had managed to kill 1,500 of the attackers. “Remember the Alamo” became the war cry of the Texans as they sought revenge against Santa Anna.

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On March 6, 1976, The Grand Lodge of Texas placed a bronze marker at the Alamo, honoring the Freemasons who died there. The plaque reads:

 

HONORING THESE MASONS

JAMES BONHAM

JAMES BOWIE

DAVID CROCKETT

ALMARON DICKENSON

WILLIAM BARRET TRAVIS

AND THOSE UNIDENTIFIED MASONS

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE 

BATTLE OF THE ALAMO, MARCH 6, 1836

 

     One of the few who survived the massacre at the Alamo was Mrs. Almeron Dickenson (Suzanna) and her daughter Angelina. She was interviewed by Santa Anna , who gave her a blanket and two dollars in silver before releasing them. Ledge says Susanna was advised by her husband to display his Masonic apron over herself and the child during and after the battle and Santa Anna even offered to adopt her child. It is said she declined the offer declaring that she would “crawl and work her fingers to the bone to support the baby, but that she would rather see the child starve than given into the hands of the author of so much horror.” 

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     Santa Anna sent Susanna and her daughter, accompanied by Juan N. Almonte’s servant Ben, to Sam Houston with a letter of warning dated March 7. On the way, the pair met Joe, William Barret Travis’s slave, who had been freed by Santa Anna. The party was discovered by Erastus (Deaf) Smith and Henry Wax Karnes. Smith guided them to Houston in Gonzales, where they arrived after dark about March 12, 1836.