by the Provisional Council of all his real duties and responsibilities as Commander of the army, through the Council's appointment of Colonel Fannin, as its agent, with similar powers; and -- of more practical importance -- with control of Texas' small quota of supplies and cash -- left for Eastern Texas, on furlough, to treat with the Indians, and made no pretense of functioning as General of the army from the 21st of January until reappointed by the new Convention on March 4. At the critical period of preparation for Santa Anna's coming, Texas was thus without the effective services of her two essential men. Henry Smith, who had been made Governor in Austin's stead, was without executive sense. Besides, the Council, on January 11, deposed him, and then, in its turn, had never a quorum after January 17. Lieutenant Governor Robinson, made Acting Governor by the remnant Council, and recognized as such by Colonel Fannin, had even less executive ability, and much less character and courage, than Governor Smith.

No Texan can read the records of that fatal month of January without a sickening sense of mortification, shame and wounded pride. The complete breakdown of the Provisional Government arose from the determination of those allied with the Gomez Farias party to continue the fighting as a contest for "Constitutional Liberty," in Mexico, just when a majority of the Texans had become convinced that an outright war for Independence was Texas' only way. Texas was dependent on American help and sympathy; and that, now, was definitely the American point of view. The "Constitutional Liberty" party professed to believe -- some of them, doubtless, did believe -- that the shortest road to Texan security and independence lay through an alliance with the Mexican Liberals. But after Mexía's failure at Tampico, the Mexican Liberals, as a party, had virtually ceased to exist. But there were many Liberals in Tamaulipas; and the Texans who favored the Liberal alliance now proposed an expedition to Matamoros to take that city and organize further efforts in conjunction with the Liberals there. To understand the actual merits of this project, one needs only to know that it was suggested both to the Texan leaders, and to the Tamaulipas Liberals, by Captain Pedro Julian Miracle, Santa Anna's clever spy.