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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The legendary "Victory or Death" letter dispatched |
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by Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis is being exhibited at the |
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Alamo in San Antonio from February 23 to March 7, 2013, the first |
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time the letter will have returned to the Alamo since it was drafted |
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there 177 years ago; and |
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WHEREAS, Colonel Travis, commander of the Texan forces at the |
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Alamo, penned the document on February 24, 1836, shortly after a |
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Mexican army under General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna laid siege to |
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the garrison; the letter called on its readers "in the name of |
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Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, |
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to come to our aid, with all dispatch"; and |
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WHEREAS, In his plea for reinforcements, Colonel Travis wrote |
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with great eloquence and passion of his determination to defy the |
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Mexican army, even under the threat of certain death; after a |
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bombardment that had lasted 24 hours and a demand that the garrison |
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surrender, he wrote, "I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & |
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our flag still waves proudly from the walls--I shall never |
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surrender or retreat," and he ended his letter with the famous cri |
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de coeur, "Victory or Death," boldly underlined three times; and |
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WHEREAS, Smuggled out of the Alamo under cover of darkness, |
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the letter inspired 32 men from Gonzales to join the garrison on |
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March 1, 1836, and after the Alamo fell on the morning of March 6, |
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the letter further inflamed the hearts of the Texan rebels, who |
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rallied to defeat General Santa Anna and his troops at the Battle of |
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San Jacinto on April 21, 1836; and |
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WHEREAS, This historic letter has not returned to the Alamo |
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since Colonel Travis entrusted it to his courier, and the effort to |
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bring it back to one of the most revered locations in the Lone Star |
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State was led by Texas land commissioner Jerry Patterson and |
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coordinated by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the |
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Texas General Land Office archives, and the Daughters of the |
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Republic of Texas; the letter will be escorted under armed guard to |
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the Alamo and displayed for the public during the 177th anniversary |
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of the famous siege and battle; and |
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WHEREAS, The Travis "Victory or Death" letter is one of the |
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most stirring embodiments of the spirit of liberty in American |
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history, and this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view this |
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Texas icon in its original, storied setting; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the display of the Travis "Victory |
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or Death" letter at the Alamo and extend to all those involved in |
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the project sincere gratitude for their efforts. |