The role of Sam Houston in the Mier expedition

Purpose: It was the purpose of this study to show the role of Sam Houston, as President of the Republic of Texas, in the Mie expedition. Special attention has been given to (1) the role of Sam Houston in the organization of the expedition; (2) the part played by Sam Houston in the actual operation of the expedition; (3) the failure of Sam Houston to aid the men of the Mier expedition in securing their rights a prisoners of war and their final release. Methods: The methods used to obtain data for this study were (1) the examination of narratives and diaries of men who participate in the Mier expedition; (2) the searching of authoritative works on the Mier expedition and connected operations and events; and (3) a visit to the site of the major event of this study, the Battle of Mier in Mier, Mexico. Findings: From the evidence present in this study the following findings seem to be substituted: 1. Sam Houston was influenced by the tide of public onion to call for an expedition against Mexico in 1842. 2. Sam Houston, knowing that the Republic of Texas could not financially sustain an extended operation against Mexico, deliberately limited the objectives of the expedition to merely harassing the Mexican settlements along the Rio Grande. 3. Many of the men who joined the expedition were not satisfied with the limitations placed upon them by Sam Houston and attempted to extend the expedition. 4. These men were denounced by Sam Houston and their actions disclaimed by hi,. 5. Sam Houston was trying to avert a war with Mexico which Texas could not afford. 6. In trying to avert a war Sam Houston left the Mier prisoners pretty much to their own resources and, in so doing, failed to carry out his moral obligations to them as soldiers of the Republic of Texas.