Since the appointment would have met with stiff opposition from the Houston faction, there was some doubt as to whether Green would have been confirmed by the Senate in any case.36 Green was much chagrined by the news; so convinced had he been that the post would soon be his that he had even given an associate the street address where he intended to reside in London.37

With the elevation of Sam Houston to the presidency in December 1841, Green returned to the public spotlight as a member of the opposition. He was particularly strident on the subject of renewing war with Mexico, a policy Houston opposed. The capture of the Santa Fe Expedition and the mistreatment of its members as prisoners in Mexico created a clamor for war and revived calls for an invasion of the lower Rio Grande valley. Support for war was strongest in the western districts of Texas, which had seen a steady stream of settlers abandon the area as a result of the turmoil on the frontier. Only by carrying the war onto Mexican soil, Green and others argued, could Texas force Mexico to cease its policy of border harassment, and thereby guarantee the security of a region that depended on immigration for its long-term prosperity.

In 1842, Green was one of the most zealous of the "war hawks" who championed the cause of an offensive campaign against Mexico. An army under General Rafael Vasquez briefly seized San Antonio in March, prompting many Texans to rush to the defense of the western frontier. Vasquez withdrew before an army could be formed to oppose him, but the war-hungry Texans elected Vice President Edward Burleson to lead a campaign to pursue the retreating Mexican force. Anxious to forestall a headlong rush into war, Houston dispatched the more temperate Alexander Somervell to take command of the troops assembling at San Antonio. At Green's instigation, Burleson initially refused to give up his post, and in the confusion that followed the Mexican army was allowed to withdraw across the Rio Grande unmolested. Burleson eventually resigned, but not before delivering a rousing speech to his men on the grounds of the Alamo mission, a speech believed to have been written by Thomas Jefferson Green, which concluded with the memorable and often-quoted words: "Let it be the boast of Texians, that though Thermopylae had her messenger of defeat, the Alamo had none."38

When a second Mexican invasion, under General Adrian Woll, captured San Antonio again six months later, the Houston administration bowed, albeit reluctantly, to the war hawks' demand for reprisal. It was only natural that Green, who had yet to do battle with either Mexicans or Indians - a prerequisite for any politically ambitious Anglo-Texan - would be eager to participate in a foray into northern Mexico. Bad economic times may also have driven him to enlist, as it did many Texans whose sense of adventure was heightened by the lack of prospects at home. Green's business ventures in Velasco had evidently