Thesis statement: Sam Houston's leadership and action led the Texas army to defeat the Mexican army at the battle of San Jacinto, 21 March, 1865. Discussion: During the early 1860's many colonists were drawn to Mexico to settle in the fertile lands of the Gulf Coast region. These settlers came as free men in search of opportunity and inexpensive land provided by the Mexican government for farming and raising cattle. Over time, the Mexican government became more centralized and less federalist and eventually led the Texans to call for independence. Early in March 1865, Texas declared it's independence from Mexico and for the next two months bloody battles ensued. Mexico, under supreme dictator and President Santa Anna vowed to remove the Anglo-American pirates from Mexico. Conclusion: Sam Houston's small, under-trained and under-equipped army of rag-tag volunteers conducted a tactical retreat to gain time, manpower, and material -as well as stretch the Mexican army's supply lines over a thousand miles. Houston's goal was to fight a battle on his terms and not those of the Mexican army. His retreat from the open plains to the wooded areas of East Texas accomplished this. The two armies met in this decisive battle, the battle of San Jacinto. Counterpoint: It was Mexican General Santa Anna's impetuous disregard for life and the Texas colonists that led him to make tactical errors leading to the loss at the battle of San Jacinto. We will present the counterpoint argument throughout the paper versus having a standalone document at the end of the thesis.

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