The iconic "Victory or Death" letter from the commander of the Alamo is returning for the first time since it was carried away on horseback at the start of the famous siege in 1836.

Texas state troopers will escort the historic letter from Austin to San Antonio on Friday.

In it, Commander William Barret Travis seeks help for his badly outnumbered rebel Texans at the old Spanish mission.

It failed to prevent their deaths when the Alamo fell two weeks later on March 6, 1836. But the following month, Gen. Sam Houston defeated elements of the same Mexican army to win independence for Texas.

The yellowing, single-page letter includes Travis' declaration that, "The Lord is on our side." It'll be on display for 13 days in a specially built cabinet.