his forces along the coast in efforts to use the sea lanes to provide his army with logistic support. The activity of the small Texas Navy kept Santa Anna waiting on his needed supplies that never would arrive and a way of escape in sea vessels that could not arrive with the Texas Navy fending them off. General Sam Houston saw the advantage that may not come again and moved in on the President and penned the Mexican forces against the Buffalo Bayou and destroyed them while capturing Santa Anna himself. The activity of the small Texas Navy proved to be the difference between victory and defeat for the outnumbered Republic forces (9.) After the surrender of the Mexican forces the “little mighty fleet (8)” continued its operations along the Texas coast. Although Liberty was unable to meet her refitting bills and was sold to satisfy her creditors-an event which illustrated the shoestring budget under which the Texas Navy was forced to work despite the demands it was expected to achieve. The final three vessels began a blockade of Matamoros near the mouth of the Rio Grande to interfere with any attempts by the Mexican Army to return to Texas (10.) Sometime later, the Secretary of the Texas Navy commanded the Brutus and the Invincible to sea to confront any Mexican vessels they encounter and regain power in the Gulf. The smaller fleet claimed the Mujeres Islands off the coast of Yucatan and stocked up on an abundant supply of turtles without paying for the cargo. Then in the Gulf the Texas Navy captured five small Mexican vessels: Union, Telegrafo, Adventure, Rafaelita, and Correo de Tabasco. Sailing some of the Mexican vessels containing prized crews and burning the ones that did not, the fleet headed back for the Texas coast. There the lasting two vessels of the Texas Navy were destroyed in an unfortunate battle with two large-gunned Mexican vessels, the Iturbide and Libertador, near the Channel of Galveston Island. The two Texa...
