Answer:
The overall goal was to provoke Texas into an invasion of Mexico, in which case Santa Anna would crush the Texans. The Mexican harassment was a test of nerve for Houston, as many Texans clamored for an invasion, exactly the response Santa Anna was hoping for.
In victory, Houston declared that “Texas will again lift its head and stand among the nations….It ought to do so, for no country upon the globe can compare with it in natural advantages.” Houston served as the republic's president until 1838, then again from 1841 to 1844