Houston

1835, and finding his authority flouted over the
proposed expedition to Matamoros, to which he
was opposed, he spent the month of February in
the north arranging with the Indians a treaty
which might at least serve to keep them quiet
during the struggle which was soon to open. In
March 1836, after the formal declaration of inde-
pendence, Houston's selection as commander-in-
chief was reaffirmed, and on Mar. 11 he arrived
at Gonzales to take command of the little force
of 400 men which was to be the nucleus of the
army of defense. Two days later, the news that
the Alamo had fallen led to a retreat. Similar
news from the ill-fated Jarnes Walker Fannin
[q.v.] arrived when Houston was on the Colo-
rado, and though his army had been increased
by recruits, and in spite of much opposition,
Houston again retreated and finally halted to
await the movements of the victorious enemy in
the tangled country opposite the broad planta-
tions of Jared Groce on the upper Brazos. In
the meantime, the settlers were streaming back
to safety in the adventure known in quieter times
as the "runaway scrape."

After a delay of two weeks, aided by the con-
venient presence of a steamer which was loading
cotton, Houston crossed the Brazos. Almost at
the same moment, with an advance guard of 75°
men, Santa Anna crossed the river farther down
and pushed on towards the temporary capital at
Harrisburg. Encouraged by the arrival of two
small cannon, Houston marched towards the
same point In later years his enemies always
said that even now Houston had no intention to
meet the enemy, but all the strictly contemporary
letters point the other way. Houston had been
doing what he could to minimize the forces of
the enemy and to train and encourage his men.

On Apr. 20, 1836, with 783 men, he overtook
Santa Anna with an almost equal force at the
point where Buffalo Bayou enters the San Ja-
cinto River. For one day, broken by an inde-
cisive cavalry skirmish, the two little armies lay
in sight of each other. On the morning of Apr.
21, Santa Anna was reenforced by 5°o mel1- In
the afternoon, the over-confident Mexicans were
surprised in their camp and completely defeated
in an engagement lasting about fifteen minutes.
The Texans lost six men killed and twenty-five
wounded, while almost the whole Mexican force
was killed or captured. Houston himself, shot
through the ankle, was among those severely
wounded. Santa Anna was made a prisoner and
was easily persuaded to sign an order for the
retreat of his other forces, an order which the
Mexicans had already anticipated. On May 5,
after writing a clear account of his campaign

Houston

and advising President David G, Burnet
to use Santa Anna as a hostage for peace, Hous-
ton left his victorious and now increasing army
to seek surgical attention in New Orleans.

Soon after his return to Texas, he was elected
president and on Oct. 22, 1836, took the oath of
office at Columbia. Early in his term he man-
aged against great opposition to send Santa
Anna back safely to Mexico, and a few months
later to secure the recognition of the new repub-
lic by the United States. Mexico was in no po-
sition to renew the war, and Houston's term,
marked by conservatism and executive abil-
ity, was comparatively uneventful. Under Van
Buren, the United States refused to consider
annexation.

The administration of Mirabeau Buonaparte
Lamar [q,v,"\, who now came into office for three
years, was extravagant and unlucky. Houston
was not allowed to spend much time in retire-
ment, and as a member of Congress he set his
face against such ventures as the disastrous ex-
pedition to Santa Fe. In 1840 he was married
to Margaret Lea of Alabama. His marriage to
a woman of intense religious enthusiasm, much
younger than himself, was a turning point in
Houston's easy-going personal life, but, in spite
of the great disparity in age, the marriage
proved very happy (Houston's letters to his
wife, in private possession, Houston, Tex.). The
Houstons had eight children born between 1843
and 1860. With all his opportunities to become
wealthy, it is significant that when he died in
1863, Houston left an estate appraised in de-
preciated Confederate money at only $89,000 in-
cluding twelve negro slaves who were valued at
$10,000 (Houston's will, MSS., Austin).

When at the close of 1841 Houston was again
elected president, the circumstances were those
of unusual difficulty. The national debt was esti-
mated at at least seven million dollars, the In-
dians were in an ugly mood and had to be con-
ciliated, and Mexico showed signs of renewing
the war. Twice in 1842, predatory expeditions
reached San Antonio. Houston cut all expenses
to the bone, and with the aid of his able secre-
tary of the treasury, William Henry Dainger-
field, soon placed the currency on a sound basis,
though Daingerfield shortly reported that a for-
eign loan for an aggressive policy was quite im-
possible (Daingerfield Letters, St. Louis),

When Houston retired from office at the dose
of 1844, Texas was again fairly prosperous, and
there are indications that he no longer regarded
annexation to the United States as an unmixed
blessing (Houston to Donelson, Apr. 9, 1845;
F. R. Lubbock, Six Decades in Texas* 1900, pp.

265