General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, ca. 1835
Special Collections, University of Texas at Arlington Library

With the disastrous loss of the Alamo and then the horror of the Goliad Massacre, prospects for a successful revolution seemed bleak when Sam Houston was named Commander-in-Chief of the Texas Army. Rallying what troops he could, he led them on a demoralizing retreat for six weeks, waiting for the pursuing Santa Anna to make a mistake.

During the third week of April 1836, the Mexican dictator separated himself from his main force in a bid to capture the Texas government at the town of Harrisburg. Sensing the opportunity, General Houston turned and struck, defeating and capturing Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.