I'm a screamer.
Tonight I watched The Alamo. It was the first time I'd seen it since I bought it a year ago, and only my third viewing in total. Not the John Wayne version. The Dennis Quaid version.
I've always been proud of where it is I come from-- something I will continue to be until the day I die. Alabama, on the other hand, does a lot of things that continually make me shake my head. I understand that there are bigger and better things out there for me, but I know they don't lie here. I'm fine with that. I can embrace who I am while claiming somewhere else as home.
So what does this have to do with The Alamo? William Barret Travis, commander of the Texian/Tejano forces during the siege of the Alamo is from Evergreen, Alabama-- about 70 miles from here.
I remember my first visit to the Alamo in San Antonio in 2003. I had no clue an Alabamian was in charge during the siege, so I researched the topic. Travis quickly became one of my all-time favorite characters from US history. Not just because he's from Alabama, but because of his story in particular. It always rang true with me.
Through most of his life, Travis was a failure. He was a drop out from The University of Alabama. He ran a newspaper into the dirt. His marriage ended when he moved to Texas. His move to Texas was, in his mind, a second chance-- a new beginning.
In Act 3, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Malvolio says, "Be not afraid of greatness, for some men are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them."
Travis definitely falls into this latter category. After every misstep he took during his time in Alabama, it all prepared him for one singular moment of greatness. Early on in the film version, Patrick Wilson, who portrays Travis, recites a quote from Sir Walter Scott to his son, not knowing it would not only be prophetic, but the last words they would exchange. "One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name."
Hollywood film treatments and historical accuracy aside, this really rings true. History will remember Travis as the man who allowed the Alamo fall to General Santa Anna. Most of that history is pretty harsh. But I choose to remember Travis as the man who did as best as he could in a no-win situation. There was no way to stop the Mexican forces besieging the Alamo. He had greatness thrust upon him. He was willing to fight and die for something worth fighting and dying for-- freedom. Six Alabamians and 194 valiant men from states like Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi and others went to their death for an ideal that can never be silenced.
It was Travis' responsibility to make sure no one would forget who these individuals were, what they were doing and why they were fighting. He will forever be remembered as the man who stood at the gates of the Alamo, telling Santa Anna that he could kill them all, but he could never take away the cause of liberty.
Whether historians paint him in a positive or negative light is up to individual interpretation. In my mind, William Barret Travis is a hero. He's one of my heroes. He's also a testament to my determination that one day I will achieve bigger things than I'm currently achieving here in Alabama. Of course, I don't plan on dying like he did, but I admire his courage to step out into Texas-- the unknown for him-- and do something important. I also hope that if one day I'm blessed enough to have a son, my wife will be gracious enough to let me name him Travis.
Over the last several years, I've screwed up a lot. It may seem monumental at the moment, but in retrospect, those mistakes have helped me grow. In the end, I feel that I haven't failed, but learned more and more ways how not to succeed.
I don't know if Travis felt this way about his mistakes, but I'd like to think he did.
I've always been proud of where it is I come from-- something I will continue to be until the day I die. Alabama, on the other hand, does a lot of things that continually make me shake my head. I understand that there are bigger and better things out there for me, but I know they don't lie here. I'm fine with that. I can embrace who I am while claiming somewhere else as home.
So what does this have to do with The Alamo? William Barret Travis, commander of the Texian/Tejano forces during the siege of the Alamo is from Evergreen, Alabama-- about 70 miles from here.
I remember my first visit to the Alamo in San Antonio in 2003. I had no clue an Alabamian was in charge during the siege, so I researched the topic. Travis quickly became one of my all-time favorite characters from US history. Not just because he's from Alabama, but because of his story in particular. It always rang true with me.
Through most of his life, Travis was a failure. He was a drop out from The University of Alabama. He ran a newspaper into the dirt. His marriage ended when he moved to Texas. His move to Texas was, in his mind, a second chance-- a new beginning.
In Act 3, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Malvolio says, "Be not afraid of greatness, for some men are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them."
Travis definitely falls into this latter category. After every misstep he took during his time in Alabama, it all prepared him for one singular moment of greatness. Early on in the film version, Patrick Wilson, who portrays Travis, recites a quote from Sir Walter Scott to his son, not knowing it would not only be prophetic, but the last words they would exchange. "One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name."
Hollywood film treatments and historical accuracy aside, this really rings true. History will remember Travis as the man who allowed the Alamo fall to General Santa Anna. Most of that history is pretty harsh. But I choose to remember Travis as the man who did as best as he could in a no-win situation. There was no way to stop the Mexican forces besieging the Alamo. He had greatness thrust upon him. He was willing to fight and die for something worth fighting and dying for-- freedom. Six Alabamians and 194 valiant men from states like Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi and others went to their death for an ideal that can never be silenced.
It was Travis' responsibility to make sure no one would forget who these individuals were, what they were doing and why they were fighting. He will forever be remembered as the man who stood at the gates of the Alamo, telling Santa Anna that he could kill them all, but he could never take away the cause of liberty.
Whether historians paint him in a positive or negative light is up to individual interpretation. In my mind, William Barret Travis is a hero. He's one of my heroes. He's also a testament to my determination that one day I will achieve bigger things than I'm currently achieving here in Alabama. Of course, I don't plan on dying like he did, but I admire his courage to step out into Texas-- the unknown for him-- and do something important. I also hope that if one day I'm blessed enough to have a son, my wife will be gracious enough to let me name him Travis.
Over the last several years, I've screwed up a lot. It may seem monumental at the moment, but in retrospect, those mistakes have helped me grow. In the end, I feel that I haven't failed, but learned more and more ways how not to succeed.
I don't know if Travis felt this way about his mistakes, but I'd like to think he did.