One of the least known but most important battles of the Texas Revolution occurred not with arms but with words, not in Texas but in New Orleans. In 1835, Creole mercantile houses backed the forces against Santa Anna. As a result, New Orleans capital, USD250,000 in loans, and New Orleans men and arms - two companies known as the New Orleans Greys - were sent to support the upstart Texians in their battle for independence. Edward L. Miller reconstructs this chain of events, confirming other historians in arguing that Texian leaders recognized the importance of securing financial and popular support from New Orleans. But he has gone beyond others to explore the organizing efforts there and the motives of the pro-Texian forces. On October 13, 1835, a powerful group of financiers and businessmen met at Banks Arcade and formed the Committee on Texas Affairs. Miller mines the long-ignored documentation of this meeting and examines the military efforts based in New Orleans, from the disastrous Tampico Expedition to the formation of the New Orleans Greys and their tragic fate at the Alamo and Goliad. Whatever their motives, Miller argues, Texas' history changed forever because of that crucial meeting at Banks Arcade.

Foreword by: Archie P. McDonald