men managed to resist Santa Anna’s attacks for nearly two weeks
before the garrison was overrun and slaughtered.x Now, the only remaining opposition to Santa Anna in Texas was
Sam Houston and his army of volunteers, numbering around 300.
Over the next month, Houston and his men repeatedly retreated,
abandoning position after position, as Santa Anna pursued them
across Texas. They marched more than 200 miles backward during
this period, and Houston turned down a number of opportunities to
engage Santa Anna in battle.x But Houston may have been following a deliberate strategy the
whole time. The further Houston went, the longer Santa Anna’s
lines of communication stretched and the more troops Santa Anna
had to detach from his army to garrison key points along the
way. Also, the longer Houston delayed, the more time he had to
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volunteers showed up to join the Texan army.The Battle
x When Houston reached Lynchburg, he apparently decided that the
time was right to stop and face Santa Anna. He encamped his army
in a line of woods along the shores of Buffalo Bayou. This bayou
ran into the San Jacinto River, and the two waterways formed a
horseshoe shape enclosing a small plain covered in high grass. The
Texans settled down in the tree line on one side to await the arrival of
the Mexicans. It has been calculated that Houston’s army numbered
930 men, although Houston believed he had only around 780.
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Depleted by disease, marching, and the need to leave men in
garrisons, the Mexican army was down to around 950 men and one
large cannon, either a 9- or 12-pounder. Santa Anna ordered this
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with his cannons; thus, the opening stage of the battle took the form
of an artillery duel.