Moral courage

Houston feverishly argued against overt military action against Mexico, and certainly against ill-fated assaults like the Matamoros expedition. Houston's military strategy was guided by both a pacifist streak as well as a realist streak. He knew that Texas did not have the kind of military or manpower to survive a sustained offensive war; instead, he advocated for a defensive war in which he could conserve energy and strike only when the moment was ripe. Many, including interim president Burnet, disagreed with Houston's ostensibly cowardly tactics of retreat, but no one could argue with Houston's success with his victory at San Jacinto.