He was in command of the artillery battery at the Battle of Natural Bridge when Union Army forces under General John Newton came ashore near St. Marks, Florida.
He was appointed Adjutant General of the State of Florida by Governor Henry Laurens Mitchell serving from 1893 to 1897.
There he bred 250 head of Durham, Jersey and Guernsey cattle.
Houston also is reported to have had 20 horses, 10 mules, and 500 head of sheep.
He also grew crops on 150 acres (0.61 km2) of land including 300 pecan trees, corn, wheat, rye, potatoes, and cotton (according to the Tenth U.S. Census, 1879–1880).