Senator John Cornyn
@senjohncornyn·7.5K subscribers·1.9K videos
Victory or Death
Posted
March 2, 2020
Views
367
Likes
12
Engagement
3.27%
March 2, 2020
367
12
3.27%
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1:26Now PlayingOn March 2nd, 1836, Texas adopted its Declaration of Independence from Mexico.
This happened in the context of a struggle that’s perhaps best remembered by the Battle of the Alamo, which laid some of the groundwork for Texans’ eventual victory.
Just one week shy of that momentous day, a 26-year-old Lieutenant Colonel in the Texas army named William Barrett Travis and his fellow soldiers were outnumbered nearly 10-to-1 by the forces of the Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
He wrote a letter which has arguably become the most famous document in Texas history.
The letter was addressed, quote, “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World:”
Fellow citizens & compatriots, Travis wrote.
“I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna.
“I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and 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, and 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 and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch.
“The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and 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 and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country.
“Victory or Death.”
Signed: William Barret Travis
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ABOUT SENATOR JOHN CORNYN
Senator Cornyn was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, and is currently serving his third term after being re-elected in 2008 and 2014.
He sits on the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees, where he helps craft legislation on behalf of 28 million Texans. From 2013 until 2018 Senator Cornyn was chosen by his colleagues to serve as the Republican Whip, the second-highest ranking position in the Senate Republican Conference.
A San Antonio native, Senator Cornyn has served the people of Texas for the last three decades, as a district judge, a member of the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Attorney General, before representing the Lone Star State in the U.S. Senate.
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