This was a good review of the origins of what we now know as Texas, from the geographic forces that created the land up through Sam Houston's forced retirement as Texas governor on the eve of the Civil War. I enjoyed it - it provided a lot of insight into the origins of the nation and later state, as well as into its people. It also provided some explanation for some comments in the 2004 movie "The Alamo" that had not made sense to me. They seemed unnecessary and Hollywood-inspired, but in fact they had a basic in historical fact and character development (Travis specifically).
But the best part for me was the description of Houston's retreat towards the Sabine that eventually ended with the Battle of San Jacinto. I had understood that Houston was retreating with exactly that goal in mind - finding a good ground to fight Santa Anna when he eventually became overextended, but according to Brands, he not only didn't intend that, he didn't need to fight at all, only to keep moving eastward.
What Brands explains is that Houston and President Jackson had previously planned to create some provocation that would give Jackson cover for sending U.S. troops into Texas to begin the process of annexation. Houston sent letters warning of (fictional) Indian aggressions that threatened U.S. interests across the Sabine, and Jackson created a fictional U.S. claim for the portion of Texas between the Sabine and the Nueces (I believe it was). So Houston, who managed to obtain commandancy of the Texan army, was not retreating to improve his tactical position - he was attempting to draw Santa Anna into a portion of Texas the Jackson had manufactured a claim to so that U.S. troops - who could defeat Santa Anna's army where he did not believe the Texan army could - could enter the state and engage the Mexican general. He didn't need to win a battle - as long as he didn't lose one, he would win the war.
According to Brands, Houston's troops eventually tired of retreating, and essentially mutinied when they reached the fork in the road that led either further eastward or to Harrisburg, where they knew Santa Anna would be. They voted with their feet, and Houston went along. Nor would he attack when they reached San Jacinto, but instead selected and fortified a good defensive position near where the battleship Texas sits now, and waited for Santa Anna to come to him. Again, his troops mutinied, first conducting a cavalry charge against his orders, then sending reinforcements to the cavalry when their mission went awry, as Houston knew it would. Then, again, against all military discipline and good sense, they left their prepared positions and charged the Mexican camp in midday. Houston had no choice but to accompany them, realizing that his troops did not understand that it was more critical than they knew that they not lose. Fortunately, they did what Santa Anna did not expect and was not prepared for, and overran his position, destroying his army utterly.
So in the end, it was a pretty interesting book. And a good introduction to Texas.
