[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate a very special 
day in history, particularly in Texas history, a day that inspires 
pride and gratitude in the hearts of all the people who call Texas 
home.
  I rise today to commemorate Texas Independence Day, which is today. I 
will in a moment read a letter written 179 years ago from behind the 
walls of an old Spanish mission called the Alamo in my hometown of San 
Antonio, a letter written by a 26-year-old lieutenant colonel in the 
Texas Army, William Barret Travis. In doing so, I carry on a tradition 
started by the late Senator John Tower, who represented Texas in this 
body for over two decades. This tradition was upheld by his successor, 
Senator Phil Gramm, and by his second successor, Senator Kay Bailey 
Hutchison, after him. It is a tremendous honor that this privilege has 
now fallen to me.
  On February 24, 1836, with his position under siege and outnumbered 
nearly 10 to 1 by the forces of the Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de 
Santa Anna, Travis penned the following letter:
  To the People of Texas and 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 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.''
  As history reveals, in the battle that ensued all 189 defenders of 
the Alamo lost their lives, but they did not die in vain. The Battle of 
the Alamo actually brought precious time for the Texas revolutionaries, 
under the leadership of GEN Sam Houston, to maneuver his army into 
position for a decisive victory in the Battle of San Jacinto.
  With this victory--the Battle of San Jacinto--Texas became a 
sovereign and independent republic. For 9 years the Republic of Texas 
thrived as an independent nation, and then in 1845 it agreed to join 
the United States as the 28th State. Many of the Texas patriots who 
fought in the revolution went on to serve in the U.S. Congress.
  I am honored to hold the seat once occupied by Sam Houston, one of 
the first two U.S. Senators to the new State of Texas, and more broadly 
I am honored to have the opportunity to serve almost 27 million Texans 
because of the sacrifices made by these brave men 179 years ago.
  May we always remember the Alamo, and may God continue to bless Texas 
and these United States.
  I yield the floor.

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