True. At the time, the easiest route to the Texas interior was thru the port of New Orleans, thence up the Mississippi and Red Rivers to Natchitoches, Louisiana.
The Old San Antonio Road, the emigration route from the U.S. used by Moses Austin and his followers, began at Natchitoches and continued thru Nacogdoches, Texas down to San Antonio.
Thus, it was easier to reach East and Central Texas via New Orleans than via the lesser port of Galveston.