Addressed to “The People of Texas & All Americans in the World”,
“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 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 walls—I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch—The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four to five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death.”
—William Barrett Travis with Davie Crockett and James Bowie under siege by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at The Alamo (in San Antonio, TX) on February 24th, 1836. All three men died just twelve days later on March 6.
You can read more about The Alamo in the book I found this quote in titled, ” Three Roads to the Alamo”. You can also read the wikipedia page here.
