Subject: Travis
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997
From: Douglas Brown
I greatly have enjoyed your efforts to provide this information about the Alamo. My interest has been renewed lately as I have been telling my children that my Great Grandparents told us all before they died about their relative William Barrett Travis commander of the Alamo. My great grandfather was a Travis. He and all my relatives are from South Central Alabama. They lived next to their daughter (my grandmother) in Andalusia, Alabama. As I began my research into William Travis, I found one small reference to him living in Alabama for a brief period before moving on to Texas. It was unfortunate that he felt inclined to leave his wife and children. I was wondering if they possibly were abandoned in Alabama or in South Carolina.
I really have no clue how to trace my roots to find if indeed I am related to Travis. Do you have any suggestions on how I might learn more about him and his personal history? Would you recommend any books that my kids and I could read to learn more about the Alamo and Travis?
Despite some things in his past, it is clear to us all that he believed in freedom and was willing to die for it. I hope to teach my children more about this type of character and integrity that I believe has been forgotten in America today.
Thanks for all the information your site has already provided me and I look forward to hearing from you.
Doug Brown
Doug,
You might want to contact the good folks at Eakin Press in Austin. They have a good children's bio on Travis and other Alamo heroes and the adult bio on Travis by Archie McDonald. You can reach them at 1-800-880-8642.
William C. Davis' triple biography on Crockett, Bowie and Travis (which does a lot to redeem Travis based on good historical research) will be out this fall.
Travis did initially abandon his wife and son (he may not have known Roseanna was with child), but did send for his son, Charles Edward, who came to live with him in Texas until William's death at the Alamo. One of the Travis' last letters from the Alamo concerned the welfare of Charles. He also had one daughter, named Susan.
Travis' divorce became final around the time of the Alamo Siege, and Roseanna re-married. She and her new husband died of yellow fever around 1849. Susan and Charles Moved to Texas, where Susan married. Charles, did not marry, had a troubled career (he was cashiered as an officer out of the 2nd us cavalry) and died in 1860. Both he and Susan are buried in Chapel Hill, Texas.
There are no direct relations to William Barret Travis with the Travis Name since Charles did not have children. Any directs Come through Susan line. All other Travises are through his brothers.
William Barret Travis' home was in Claiborne, near Monroeville on the Alabama River in western Alabama.
Subject: Washington Post 8/17
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997
From: Nancy L. Slugg, Laurel, MD
I am a Texan who has recently moved to the D.C. area, and just accessed your very informative web site to refresh my memory of the Tejano participation in the Texas Independence struggle after reading the headline in the Travel section of the Washington Post of 8/17. The headline reads, "Forget the Alamo! Today's San Antonio has little to do with that symbol of doomed Anglo imperialism. It's a thriving capital of Hispanic culture, and a magnet for multicultural tourism."
Apparently the Post headline writer is more concerned with political correctness than with historical correctness. I'm glad web sites such as yours exist. Too bad the Post headline writer didn't visit it before planting his/her foot in his/her mouth! (By the way, the author of the article admits that he never even visited the Alamo during his visit!)
Sincerely,
Nancy Slugg
Subject: Dan Arnsan's Alamo Model
Date: Monday, 18 Aug. 1997
From: Kevin R. Young
I love the diorama and really like the concept behind it. Now a few comments:
I couldn't tell if you had the lunette in front of the gate. Also, there seems to be no second coral behind the barracks, the "L" shape barracks at the north, or statues in the niches of the church. None of the roofs seem to be thatched.
In regards to the beehive ovens (hornos), there weren't any! What those are (on Sánchez-Navarro's map) are comunes-or latrines! Gary admits the mistake, owing to a bad copy of the Sánchez-Navarro key. So, we do know where the bathrooms were! Moreover, John Wayne placed them correctly on his replica/set at Alamo Village! I also couldn't tell if the eagles on the Mexican flags were depicted correctly. The modern Mexican flag has the eagle bent over with wings folded. The 19th Century flag has the eagle rampant with spread wings.
Kevin R. Young
See Also: THE ALAMO -A Scale Model and a Model for Teaching Research Skills.
Subject: Alamo Model Details
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997
From: Dan Arnsan
Kevin,
Thanks for the feedback on my Alamo diorama.
I did, indeed, include the lunette in front of the main gate. Randell may have another photo that shows this detail a little better. The lunette is hidden in the shadows in the overhead views much like the horse corral behind the long barracks. I followed the example from the illustration in Walter Lord's A Time to Stand, which portrayed a stockade type wall. If you squint your eyes you will see it also in the shadows beyond the east wall.
I saw the thatched roofs for the first time in Steven Hardin's Texian Iliad. This is a change I plan to make in the future. I like the idea of adding a little texture to the model.
Now that Mr. Hardin feels that the ovens didn't exist, I will remove them. It's really rather sad- I liked those beehive ovens and reflecting on all the bread they may have baked. Latrines are not so worthy of reflection. I am happy that Mr. Wayne got this detail right.
My Mexican Army flags are wrong. This will be corrected after I cut the historically correct flags from The Texas Revolution flag sheet I purchased from the Toy Soldier Company (mentioned in the article). Thanks for bringing attention to this important detail.
Thanks again for the very useful feedback. This is exactly the kind of information I want to share with my students.
Dan Arnsan
Thanks for clearing up my questions. As you probably know, most of the "artist" recreations of the 1836 Alamo either copy each other, or, in the case of George Nelson and Gary Zaboly, are based on primary documentation. In that regard, the Labasita map, the two Sánchez-Navarro plats, the Jameson Key (since the map is now lost), combined with the Sutherland map, the Blake/Everett 1846 maps, and to some degree the Potter rendering, are the basic primary sources.
As for drawings, the Sánchez-Navarro (which was later copied by Berlandier, who also copied the two plats along with the Labasita), the Mary Maverick, the Jacob Blake, Edward Everett, T. Gentilze, Arthur Lee, Seth Eastman, Thomas Falconer, and the William Bollart drawings as the best collection of primary detail from the 1828-1850 period. Having the 1849 Daguerreotype pop up recently has helped.
Add to these the legitimate archaeology that has taken place on Alamo Plaza.
All of these were taken under consideration when we rebuilt the existing Wayne set at Alamo Village for Alamo...The Price of Freedom. Owing to interpretations, and the restraints placed on us by production and location, we tried to incorporate all of this into the rebuilt set (except the Daguerreotype, which had not been discovered yet).
The statue issue is an interesting one. Both Mary Maverick and Falconer show the statues, and Bollart mentions them (by the time he got there they were out of the niches and lying in a field). It is possible that the headless statue now on display at the Alamo is one of the originals. Herman Ehrenberg mentions them in his narrative (he was there in 1835), and they are mentioned in an earlier inventory of Mission Valero.
When we tried to reproduce the statues for Alamo...The Price of Freedom, we had a devil of a time trying to find statues large enough. We had a "find it" guy in Acuna, who after much talk, understood what we wanted (the first time, he produced this horrible modern monk statues). After we were finished talking with him, I suddenly got this nagging feeling that some cemetery or church further in the interior was about to lose it's statues. So I got him off the project. We found smaller ones close to San Antonio. They weren't really tall enough, but at least we got them into the upper niches, which Wayne never finished for some reason, and we had to complete. Of course, I now see larger versions all over the place-just couldn't find any ten years ago!
The Falconer and Maverick drawings are reproduced in Alamo Images and in George Nelson's upcoming book on the physically changing Alamo.
Kevin R. Young
Subject: Alamo Model Details
Date: 25 August 1997
From: Dan Arnsan
Kevin,
Thanks for your comprehensive response. I can see that I still have a great deal of research to do. I really appreciate the list of sources you cited. This will make my work much easier.
I would really like to see the film "Alamo...The Price of Freedom." Do I have to come to San Antonio to see it? I didn't know that you were involved in the Alamo village remodel- fascinating! * * *
It is my great pleasure to lend a hand. If you can land a copy of Alamo Images, that would be a great start. In addition, Craig Covner did an excellent two-part article in the Alamo Journal a few years ago. I'm sure that Bill Chemerka would be most happy to get you a copy. I repeat and earlier comment: the Holy Trinity plus one on the physical Alamo are Craig, Gary Zaboly, Jake Ivey and George Nelson. I was the historical advisor on Alamo...the Price of Freedom (at least the paid one, because there were about 300 folks on set giving advice and two we didn't hire who wanted too), so part of the job was getting the set rebuilt. Roger Raglan, Kelly Farrah, David Keenawah and some very talented people did the real work. Craig was most generous with advice when I asked. There were a few things I wish we could have done better, but owing to filming and site restrictions we couldn't. The IMAX film only shows in San Antonio. Keep up the project. It's a great, positive way to help teach research.
Kevin R. Young
Subject: Black at the Alamo
Date: 26 Aug 1997
From: Richard Pearsey
I have been enjoying your site for the past few weeks. It is truly what the Internet should be like.
I do have a question, though. In several lists of the defenders of the Alamo is a man named John. He is sometimes listed as Black or a free Black. Is this Joe, Travis' slave? If not, who is he? Plus, I have read that Houston had a Black associate with whom he dealt with the Cherokee. Is this correct?
Thanks in advance,
Richard Pearsey
William Goyens was the African-American who help Houston and John Forbes with the Cherokee Treaty of February, 1836. He was born in South Carolina as a slave, escaped to Texas in 1821, ran a blacksmith shop and was a well respected member of the community until his death in 1856. There is a Texas historical marker erected for him.
There may have been other African-Americans in the Alamo. Joe indicates that a African-American female was killed during the battle. Tom Lindley, who has been dismantling the Williams research on the Alamo and feels that her documentation on John being African-American is at best, lacking.
Of course, other African-Americans served in the Texas Revolution, including Deaf Smith's son-in-law, Hendrick Arnold, hero of the battle of Bejar: Samuel McCullough, first Texian to be seriously wounded in the conflict at the capture of Goliad in 1835: there was a free black with the Huntsville Volunteers killed in the Goliad Massacre and others who served.
The irony of course is that the Republic of Texas made slavery legal, and banded free blacks from living in Texas. But the Texian Government quickly made allowances for those who had fought in the Revolution and allowed them to remain.
See Also:
Subject: The Alamo X-Files
From: Jeff Pendleton
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 1997
First of all, this is an excellent page! I've only discovered it a couple days ago and have only had a couple hours to browse it. I've studied the Alamo on my own as a hobby for some time and have one question that I thought someone might help me with. I don't have all my info, but here goes. One of the Mexican witnesses, I can't remember who, but I want to say the mayor of San Antonio, cites a mysterious pair of Mexican officers, a captain and a lieutenant, who looked like twins and appeared with Santa Anna after the battle. They exhibited an unusual interest in each defender's body and showed other peculiarities. Has anyone else any information or research on these two. I wish I could be more specific but I do my work and research thru local libraries and don't really own the book I've read this in. To make up for it I try to read them over and over again. Any response will be appreciated. And if you really want to know I'll tell you of my interest.
Jeff Pendleton
Subject: The Alamo X-Files, Part II
From: Jeff Pendleton
Date: Friday, September 5, 1997
As a continuation of my original questions...first of all the name "Alamo X-Files" was not chosen by me, although I appreciate the humor. Second...I now have a little more to go on. the account I reference is attributed to a Polin Saldigna, a fifer in the mexican army. While I know that many recollections of various people are suspect, I find this one interesting for its strangeness.
This is from the last book I read where this account is included...but there are others. Eyewitness to the Alamo by Bill Groneman page 84 this is an account by a mexican fifer by the name of Saldigna. Here is a part of it.
"Then a detail of Mexican soldiers came into the fort. They were commanded by two officers, a captain and a junior officer whose title Polin could not explain, but whom I shall, for convenience, call Lieutenant. They were both quite young men, very fair, very handsome, and so nearly alike in complexion, form, size, and features, that Polin judged them to be brothers, the captain being apparently a little older that the other. Polin did not remember to have seen them before, was confident that he never saw them afterward, and did not learn their names. After the entry of the detail, Santa Anna and his suite retired, but the two officers and their men remained within. The two kept themselves close together, side by side."
He goes on to describe how they viewed each defenders body intently as if looking for someone in particular. then they find Bowie, alive and healthy enough to carry on quite a conversation, and torture him to death. I'm not saying this story is wholly true. But I found it interesting from the first time I read it and would like your more learned opinion.
Jeff Pendleton, Dublin, Texas
[Editor's Note: This is actually a compilation of two longer letters, edited here for brevity. ]
I think I am having Alamo overload. Of course I recognize this account! It's the "Bowie was still alive and thrown live on the fire/Santa Anna stabs all the bodies account."
The source is a March 1, 1882 article in the Houston Daily Post by William P. Zuber (the same guy who gave us "the line" story.) A.J. Sowell picked it up in 1884 for his "Rangers and Pioneers of Texas" book, which was reprinted by Statehouse in 1991.
Alan Huffines keeps telling me that all Alamo accounts have something of value. This one is very interesting, with all the gory details. The only way to check it is when we get additional troop muster roles for the Mexican Army to see if there is a fifer by this name in the battalions or the plana mayor of the Army at the Alamo. The rank Zuber had a problem with may have been a sub-lieutenant or even a sub-adjutant, but again, without names, it is hard to tell.
My problem with the account is that it counters a couple of more established points. Sánchez-Navarro says they found Bowie dead in one of the barracks on the south side. The main funeral pyres were outside the walls, although one may have been inside. This account states that all of the Texians were cremated in the compound itself.
I am sure the swinging Davy crowd will prefer this account, since it makes a big point of making the unnamed Texian sound like Crockett. It also makes the Mexican officer corps a bunch of blood thirsty types--I mean throwing Bowie on the fire like that.
Bottom line is to find out if there was a fifer by this name in the Mexican Army at the Alamo. Otherwise, it's a secondhand account.
Kevin R. Young
