After studying the time from 1826 to 1861, including Romantic era literature, the French Revolutions of 1830 and 1848, the Mexican War, the Missouri Compromises of 1820 and 1850, and the battle of the admission or not of slave states, we also studied about the Texas Revolution.
Having portrayed Davy Crockett at our dialectic Texas Revolution Becoming History presentation, my son chose William Barret Travis for our rhetoric presentation.
Wanting to get involved in the Texas fight for independence, this lawyer participated in the amphibious attack on Anahuac, just missed the Come and Take It battle of Gonzales, then arrived at the Alamo, which is likened to the Battle of Thermopylae.
Presenting Charlotte Bronte who journeyed from England to tell us about her book, Jane Eyre.
Presenting Peggy Rabb, of the newly formed 1837 Texan town, La Grange, in Fayette County.
Opening the program, Col. Travis set the stage:
FEBRUARY 24, 1836 – VICTORY OR DEATH LETTER
To the people of Texas and to 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 wall – 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 an dispatch – The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this can 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
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 & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
Travis
Taking the message from Col. Travis, Albert Martin saluted the colonel and galloped away.
ENTR’ACTE – TEXIAN DINNER
Since chili originated in San Antonio, that was our Texian dinner, including cornbread and cobbler.
CHARLOTTE BRONTE VISITS FROM ENGLAND
During dinner my daughter shared about the Charlotte Bronte, who like her sisters, wrote Romantic literature which is creepy, dark, emotional, irrational, and nature based.
We all agreed that her book, Jane Eyre, wasn’t as creepy as her sister Emily’s book, Wuthering Heights.
Although my daughter is busy with college, she wanted to participate, so she chose an author that she remembered from previous studies then did a quick review to refresh her memory.
And I even had time to sew her a new gown for the era in her favorite color!
My son and I had fun batting our research against each other in our first-person interpretations, which was completely unplanned.
ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE
I told Travis that I understood he fit the image that Alexis de Tocqueville, author of the classic Democracy in America, has of an American.
My son choked on his chili.
I explained that I had heard that Tocqueville described Americans patriotism as being quite zealous, even beginning with personal greed before moving to patriotism.
Travis explained he looked hard for a battle in which to fight, and now that he was at the Alamo, he was determined not to surrender.
NAPOLEONIC?
When I asked if Jim Bowie was Napoleonic, Travis looked at me oddly.
Well, I had heard that a Frenchman had entered the garrison (the Alamo) and while listening to Bowie’s depiction of certain doom, the Frenchman gave him such a look that caused Bowie to ask if he seemed Napoleonic.
Apparently, Bowie knew that this Frenchman had fought under Napoleon.
The Frenchman declared that Napoleon would never have gotten himself into such a position.
Travis asked me if I was referring to Rose.
“Yes,” I declared, wondering how he knew that!
Travis explained that they have much ammunition (and they did. My son was amazed at how much gunpowder was left after the siege.)
Also, Travis said they had excellent sharp shooters, like Davy Crockett, picking off the Mexican army one by one.
(This was indeed a huge asset. After the siege, Santa Anna gloated over the victory to which his generals pretty much muttered, “Another victory like that and we’ll all be dead.”)
MARCH 2, 1836 TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DECLARED AT WASHINGTON ON THE BRAZOS
And thus, on March 2, 2013, we commemorated Texas Independence, declared on March 2, 1836, the day that delegates of the Constitutional Convention met in Washington County declared: that people of Texas do now constitute a free, Sovereign, and independent Republic, and are fully invested with all the rights and attributes which properly belong to independent nations; and, conscious of the rectitude of our intentions, we fearlessly and confidently commit the issue to the decision of the Supreme arbiter of the destinies of nations.
Raising my glass with all joining me, we toasted Texas Independence, on this second day of March 1836 as we reviewed Texas history:
1820 – MOSES AUSTIN EMPRESARIO FOR SPAIN
The only residents of Texas were Indians ravaging the land. French tried a few times to sneak in through Louisiana.
The Spanish only managed to bring in one group of colonists, the Canary Islanders to settle in San Antonio de Bexar.
Then Moses Austin contracted with the Spanish government for him to become an empresario, or land agent, where he would bring in families to settle and work the land in East Texas.
1821 – STEPHEN AUSTIN EMPRESARIO FOR MEXICO
After negotiating the deal, Moses Austin died, so his son, Stephen Austin, continued his father’s work.
By that time Mexico was in charge and a new contract was negotiated.
The settlers would be given so much land per person in each family, counting slaves, and would be tax exempt for several years, but they must become Catholic.
Three hundred Americans who agreed to these terms met Austin in Louisiana, where he led them across the Sabine River into East Texas to settle the land, as agreed with the Mexicans to bring stability to the Texan wilderness.
1821 – THE OLD THREE HUNDRED FIRST AMERICANS TO SETTLE TEXAS
Appropriately, they are called, The Old Three Hundred.
Other empresarios brought Americans to settle Texas, while Austin brought over several more groups.
Through the 1820’s, the Texians were content with the Mexican laws and with their Texas opportunity.
Then Santa Anna seized power in Mexico and took away the rights of the Texian settlers.
(American settlers were called Texians, the Hispanic settlers from Mexico where called Tejanos. There were many great Tejanos.)
Of all the rights that were taken away, the one thing that angered the pioneers the most was that in 1830, Santa Anna refused to allow more Americans to enter Texas.
Austin traveled to Mexico City to negotiate, which was fruitless after many months.
When he left for Texas, he was captured on the road and returned to Mexico City, where he was thrown into prison for many months.
This made the Tejanos angry, so they with the Texians formed conventions to settle the matter.
Santa Anna was angered. War began.
MARCH 5, 1836 LINE IN THE SAND
As we left the dinner table and mingled a bit, Travis whispered some quick stage directions in my ear.
“Hurry!” I told everyone. “Meet with Travis quickly!”
We all came running to hear Travis explain that only 32 men from Gonzales arrived to help the few Alamo defenders.
That was not enough. Nearly 200 defenders of the Alamo against nearly 5000 of Santa Anna’s army?
The fate of the Alamo was obvious.
Travis took his sword and drew a line in the sand (yes this is legend….but it is a good legend) and declared that despite the obvious fate of all who remain, he was determined to fight to the end. Who else would join him?
All joined him…everyone that is, but that Frenchman, Rose. He left. He died a couple of years later.
APRIL 21, 1836 TEXAS INDEPENDENCE SECURED
The day after Travis drew the line in the sand, Santa Anna destroyed the Alamo, staying true to his threat of no quarter.
On April 21, 1836, Texas General Sam Houston captured Santa Anna, securing Texas Independence.
1837 LA GRANGE, TEXAS SETTLED IN MEMORY OF LAFAYETTE
Peggy Rabb was, along with her husband Andrew, one of the original Three Hundred families to settle in East Texas on the Colorado River, endured much hardship, basically seeking survival from the marauding Indians.
During the Texas Revolution, her husband was delegate to the Convention of 1833 for Fayette County (more on that below).
Her sister-in-law, married to one of the other Rabb brothers, wrote a journal of their experiences of hardship and running away from Santa Anna.
A year later in 1837 Peggy and her husband’s beloved plot of land, midway between the cities of Austin and Houston, officially became part of the town of La Grange in the county of Fayette.
Not only this, but Andrew, whose family came from Pennsylvania, helped to make this happen.
During the American Revolution, her husband’s grandfather had served under Pennsylvania’s General Mad Anthony Wayne, who served under General Lafayette, of whom the family was quite fond.
When Lafayette arrived in America in 1824-1825 for his grand tour of each of the states, the Rabb family was beginning to settle in Texas.
Since Texas was not part of America, Lafayette did not visit that land.
Yet the Rabb family knew of Lafayette’s journeys through America and was thrilled.
Truely Lafayette Fever spread through each state he visited…and then some.
Lafayette died in 1834.
Emotions ran high in America…and in Texas.
To honor this great man of whom the Rabb family had great memories, they named their county after Lafayette, and they named their town, La Grange, after Lafayette’s home.
The streets of the town were named after the American heroes: Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette, and Madison, and after the Texan heroes: Crockett, Milam and Fannin.
TEXAS FLAG
Later Andrew served two different terms in the Republic of Texas Congress.
The state flag of Texas which we all know today, was the flag of the Republic of Texas.
We were once our own sovereign nation, then in 1846 when we became part of America, we became the Lone Star State.
