June 9, he dashed off a stinging protest to the ad interim government, specifically blaming Green and his volunteers for the "abuse to which I have been exposed...."13 For the next six months Santa Anna and his entourage remained prisoners in Texas, and during part of that time they were shackled and in fear of their lives.14 Although the Treaty of Velasco would have been repudiated by the Mexican government under any circumstances, Green's actions enabled Mexican leaders in the years that followed to contend that the agreement had been nullified by the failure of Texas to adhere to its terms. Even more significantly, Green's seditious behavior revealed the inherent weakness of the government of Texas, which almost from the moment of its inception had been subverted by its querulous and contentious citizenry.

Green's conduct at Velasco beach also gave ample evidence of the kind of role he envisioned for himself in the new republic. Lacking an entrenched elite, Texas was a place where careers and reputations could be made literally in a matter of days. Many of the Republic's prominent young men were newcomers to Texas, and Green lost no time in positioning himself among the front rank of the nation's leadership. His desire for recognition as a man of stature is illustrated by the many letters he wrote to prominent government figures with whom he had little or no prior acquaintance, offering unsolicited advice on all manner of subjects. Prior to his disagreement with Burnet at Velasco, Green, who had just arrived in Texas and whose military experience was limited to a semester at West Point, wrote to the acting president outlining in considerable detail a plan of defense for Texas.15 With the war over, a flurry of rather presumptuous missives issued from his pen. Always an advocate of an aggressive policy against Mexico, on July 30 he wrote to Sam Houston, decrying the government's negotiations with Santa Anna and its efforts to curb the power of Texas' military leaders.16 On August 1 he dispatched a lengthy letter to Thomas Rusk, entreating his commander to seize the initiative and launch an offensive campaign into northern Mexico.l7 Later that month he also wrote to Governor Henry Smith and Stephen F. Austin regarding the upcoming presidential election. Should Governor Smith win the contest, Green advised, he would do well to offer the post of secretary of state to Austin. On the other hand, should Austin emerge the victor, he should appoint Smith secretary of the treasury.18 In this case, Green proved to be a poor judge of public sentiment, for both men lost by a landslide margin to the hero of San Jacinto, Sam Houston.

Despite his conspicuous efforts to bring himself to the attention of the Republic's leaders, Green's actions reinforced his growing reputation as an insubordinate troublemaker and blowhard who was willing to defy the government to advance his own fortunes. Earlier that summer, Green had once again incurred the displeasure of the government by opposing the appointment of Mirabeau B.Lamar as the senior-ranking general of the Texas army. When