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"Then he managed to lose 200 men at the Alamo in a battle that did not really contribute to the Texas fight for independence, and in fact made it more difficult by reducing the resources available to the Texans."

Not at all the case, Houston told Travis to stall Santa Ana for as long as possible, he (Houston) needed to build and supply an army capable of taking Santa Ana. The dispatch from Houston to Travis before and during made this perfectly clear and ignoring that fact overlooks the strategic important of the battle.

One could argue that stalling wasn't needed, Houston would have won anyway, but the fact is that Travis was carrying out a direct order.

i have read books that say Houston originally sent Bowie down to blow up the alamo, or possibly to decide whether it should be blown up. i have also read that while the alamo battle was going on, houston was politicking at a texas convention, rather than raising an army. i don't claim to know the truth. whatever it was, the men at the alamo were brave, and houston, with a bunch of volunteers, beat Santa Anna, who had a professional army.

That is a common misconception, however it is untrue. The delay did not help Houston raise troops, in fact he actually lost troops during the time between the Alamo and San Jacinto. Perhaps you might check the references posted above which will dispell this and some other myths. Also, refer to the book "Sword of San Jacinto, a Life of Sam Houston" by Marshall De Bruhl. In the later on page 177 is a quote in a letter from Sam Houston to his boss, Governor Smith, as follows.

"Colonel Bowie will leave here (Goliad) in a few hours for Bexar (San Antonio)with a detachment of from thirty to fifty men....I have ordered the fortifications in the town of Bexar to be demolished, and, if you should think well of it, I will remove all the cannon and other munitions of war to Gonzales and Compano, blow up the Alamo and abandon the place, as it will be impossible to keep up the Station with volunteers, the sooner I can be authorized the better it will be for the country."

Of course, Sam Houston never received authorization. But it was clearly his intent not to try to defend the Alamo.