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Saint Patrick's Battalion

(Redirected fromSan Patricios)

TheSaint Patrick's Battalion(Spanish:Batallón de San Patricio), later reorganized as theForeign Legion of Patricios,was aMexican Armyunit which fought against theUnited Statesin theMexican–American War.Consisting of between 175 and several hundred mostly Europeanexpatriatesandimmigrants,including numerous men who haddesertedordefectedfrom theUnited States Army,the battalion was formed and led by IrishmanJohn Riley.It served as an artillery unit for much of the war, and despite later being formally designated as an infantry unit of twocompanies,the battalion continued to operate artillery pieces throughout the conflict. TheSan Patriciosparticipated in many of the bloodiest battles during the American invasion of Mexico, withUlysses S. Grantremarking that "Churubuscoproved to be about the severest battle fought in thevalley of Mexico".[1]

Saint Patrick's Battalion
Reconstruction of the battalion's flag as described by John Riley.
Active1846–1848
AllegianceMexico
BranchMexican Army
TypeArtillery/Infantry
Sizec. 200(at maximum strength)
Nickname(s)Los San Patricios
Los Colorados Valientes
PatronSaint Patrick
Motto(s)Erin go bragh
ColorsTurkish Blue
Sky Blue
Crimson
Yellow[a]
Engagements
Commanders
Colonel of
the Regiment		Francisco R. Moreno
Notable
commanders		BrevetMajorJohn Riley[b]
CaptainSantiago O'Leary
SergeantPrisciliano Almitrano

Composed primarily ofIrishimmigrants, the battalion also includedGerman,Canadian,English,French,Italian,Polish,Scottish,Spanish,SwissandMexicansoldiers, most of whom wereCatholic.[2]Severalnative-born Americanswere in the ranks, includingfugitive slavesfrom theSouthern United States.[3]Only a few members of the battalion wereU.S. citizens.The Mexican government printed propaganda in different languages to entice immigrants serving in theUnited States Armyto switch sides and offered incentives to foreigners who would enlist in its army, including being granted citizenship, being paid higher wages and generousland grants.U.S. Army regiments which had members defect included the1st Artillery,the2nd Artillery,the3rd Artillery,the4th Artillery,the2nd Dragoons,the2nd Infantry,the3rd Infantry,the4th Infantry,the5th Infantry,the6th Infantry,the7th Infantryand the8th Infantry.[4]TheSan Patriciosare honored in both Mexico and Ireland.

Historical perspective

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Commemorative plaque placed at the San Jacinto Plaza in the district ofSan Ángel,Mexico Cityin 1959: "In memory of the Irish soldiers of the heroic St. Patrick's Battalion, martyrs who gave their lives to the Mexican cause in the United States' unjust invasion of 1847"

For those Mexicans who had fought in theMexican–American Warand for generations to come after, theSan Patricioswere heroes who came to their aid in an hour of need. For Americans, theSan Patricioswere traitors, fighting in an unjust attempt by Mexico to reconquer Texas.[5]Successive Mexican presidents have praised theSan Patricios;Vicente Fox Quesadastated that, "The affinities between Ireland and Mexico go back to the first years of our nation, when our country fought to preserve its national sovereignty... Then, a brave group of Irish soldiers... in a heroic gesture, decided to fight against the foreign ground invasion",[6]and Mexican presidentErnesto Zedillostated "Members of the St. Patrick's Battalion were executed for following their consciences. They were martyred for adhering to the highest ideals... we honor their memory. In the name of the people of Mexico, I salute today the people of Ireland and express my eternal gratitude".[7]

Motivations

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The great majority of those men who formed Saint Patrick's Battalion were recent immigrants who had arrived at northeastern U.S. ports. They were part of theIrish diasporathen escaping theGreat Irish Famineand extremely poor economic conditions inIreland,which was at the time part of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.[8]The U.S. Army often recruited the Irish and other immigrants into military service shortly or sometimes immediately after arrival in America incoffin shipswith promises of salaries and land after the war.[citation needed]

Numerous theories have been proposed as to their motives for desertion, including cultural alienation,[9][10]mistreatment ofimmigrantsoldiers bynativistsoldiers and senior officers,[11][10]brutal military discipline and dislike of service in the U.S. military,[10]being forced to attend Protestant church services and being unable to practice theirCatholic religion freely[12]as well as religious ideological convictions,[13][10][14]the incentive of higher wages and land grants starting at 320 acres (1.3 km2) offered by Mexico,[15][10]and viewing the U.S. invasion of Mexico as unjust.[12][16]

It is believed primary motivations were shared religion with the Mexicans and sympathy for the Mexican cause based on similarities between the situations in Mexico and Ireland. This hypothesis is based on evidence of the number of Irish Catholics in the battalion, the letters ofJohn Riley,and the field entries of senior officers.[17][18]Irish immigrants had been faced with animosity both as a result of theirCatholic faithandethnicity.[19]Catholic immigrants were regularly met with discrimination from their Protestant peers, sentiments which sometimes boiled over into events such as thePhiladelphia nativist riotsagainst Irish Catholic immigrants. Catholic churches had been similarly defaced by the American military in Mexico during the war. Additionally, both the Mexicans and the Irish were subjected to racism andxenophobiabased onracist pseudo-scienceand treated as inferior to American nativists.[20]

Another hypothesis is that the members of the Saint Patrick's Battalion had been unhappy with their treatment in the U.S. Army; this was the conviction of George Ballentine, an Englishman who served in the American army. Ballentine stated that while "there was a portion of truth" in the view—commonly assigned by officers—that the deserters joined the Mexican army due to their Catholicism; he said, "I have good reason to believe, in fact in some cases I know, that harsh and unjust treatment by their officers operated far more strongly than any other consideration to produce the deplorable result [desertion]," and described how he found the punishments used for "trivial offensives" to be "revolting and disgusting".[21]Another theory some historians hold is that the soldiers were attracted by the incentives offered by the Mexican government: safe passage throughout Mexico for deserters, generous land grants, and the offer of potential military commissions.[22]For poor people coming from famine conditions, economics was often an important incentive.[23]

Mexican author José Raúl Conseco noted that many Irish lived in northern Texas, and were forced to move south due to regional insecurity. Mainly Irish settlers fromSan Patricio, Texas,had previously sided with Mexican forces against Texan rebels at theBattle of Lipantitlánin theTexan Revolution.[24]

Irish expatriates had a long tradition of serving as mercenaries in the military forces of Catholic countries, including inEuropean countries after the Williamite War.In the decades leading up to the Mexican-American War many Irish fought in theSouth American wars of independence.[c]

Service as a military unit

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Formation and early engagements

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Present in the Mexican Army for the battles ofPalo AltoandResaca de la Palmawere theLegión de Extranjeros(Legion of Foreigners); the men who would later make up the core of the Saint Patrick's battalion. Meanwhile, deserters were abandoning General Taylor's army on theRio Grande.[1]Riley and "a company of 48 Irishmen"[25]manned Mexican artillery at theSiege of Fort Texas,which took place concurrently to the two other battles.Martin Tritschler,German Mexicanand a Captain at theBattle of Cerro Gordo,is attributed with convincing a large number of German soldiers to defect from the U.S. occupying forces inPuebla, Puebla.

The first major engagement of the Saint Patrick's Battalion, as a recognised Mexican unit, was as anartillery batteryin theBattle of Monterreyof 21 September 1846.[26][27]Popularly they were calledLos Coloradosby the Mexicans because of their ruddy, sun-burnt complexions and red hair color.[28][29]They were commanded byJohn Riley,[b]an Irish artilleryman and veterannon-commissioned officerof the British Army, who possibly arrived in Canada in 1843 whilst serving in theBritish Army(the assertion that he served as aSergeantin the66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot,[28]is known to be inaccurate)[30]going on to join the U.S. Army in Michigan in September 1845. He deserted in Matamoros in April 1846.[31]Upon meeting Mexican forces he was initially given theOfficerrank ofLieutenantbyGeneralPedro de Ampudia.[32]

San Patriciosdefended the city of Monterrey with artillery fire from its citadel, indicated here with the key "F".[d]

At the battle of Monterrey theSan Patriciosproved their artillery skills by causing the deaths of many American soldiers, and they are credited with defeating two[33]to three[3]separate assaults into the heart of the city. Among their targets were companies led by such officers asBraxton Bragg,many of whose soldiers would end up in their own ranks later in the war.[34]Their tenacity, however, did not affect the Mexican commanders' decision to capitulate and abandon the position.

Following the engagement atMonterrey,theSan Patriciosgrew in number, by some estimates reaching an enlistment of over 700 men.[32][35]Forces re-assembled atSan Luis Potosíand they had their distinct green silk flag embroidered there.[36]

Buena Vista

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Main article:Battle of Buena Vista

They then marched northward after joining a larger force commanded byAntonio López de Santa Annasent from Mexico City, the "liberating army of the North". At theBattle of Buena Vista(known as the battle of Angostura in Mexico) inCoahuilaon 23 February, the Patricios became engaged with U.S. forces. They were assigned the three heaviest—18 and 24 pound—cannonsthe Mexican army possessed, which were positioned on high ground overlooking the battlefield, at the base of a hillside (just below what is now a gravel mine).[37]They were later described as "a strong Mexican battery... moved... by dint of extraordinary exertions... [that] commanded the entire plateau".[38]

They started the battle supporting Mexican infantry by firing on U.S. lines as the Mexicans advanced on them, then later decimating an artillery battery directly opposite them on the battlefield (Washington's 4th Artillery, D Battery). A small number ofSan Patricioswere dispatched with adivisioncommanded byManuel Lombardiniwith the express purpose of capturing the 4th's cannons once the crews had been dealt with. As the division got close enough they charged the artillery battery, bayoneting whoever remained androutingthe rest, leaving the attachedSan Patriciosfree to haul away two six-pound cannons.[39]These cannons would later be used by Mexican forces at theBattle of Contreras.[15]

In frustration U.S. CommanderZachary Taylor,referring to the Saint Patrick's Battalion, ordered asquadronof the1st Dragoonsto "take that damned battery".[40]In this task they failed, and, badly bloodied, were forced to retreat.[15]At about 1 p.m. theSan Patricioscovered a Mexican retreat as a disordered mass of infantry sought refuge during a lull in the fighting.[41]TheSan Patriciosrode out the day in a costly artillery duel with several American batteries,[42]which killed and injured roughly one third of them.[7]General Francisco Mejia's Battle Report for Buena Vista described theSan Patricios' as "worthy of the most consummate praise because the men fought with daring bravery."[43]Several Irishmen were awarded theWar Crossby the Mexican government for their conduct in that battle, and many received field promotions.[7][44]

Re-organization and final battles

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Despite their excellent performance in a number of engagements as artillery, the much-reducedSan Patricioswere ordered to muster a largerinfantrybattalion,as well as a cavalry unit, in mid-1847 by personal order of Santa Anna. It was renamed theForeign Legion of Patriciosand consisted of volunteers from many European countries, commanded by Col. Francisco R. Moreno, with Riley in charge of 1stcompanyand Santiago O'Leary heading up the second.[7]Desertion handbills were produced, specially targeting Catholic Irish, French and German immigrants in the invading U.S. army and stating that "You must not fight against a religious people, nor should you be seen in the ranks of those who proclaim slavery of mankind as a constitutive principle... liberty is not on the part of those who desire to be lords of the world, robbing properties and territories which do not belong to them and shedding so much blood in order to accomplish their views, views in open war to the principles of our holy religion".[45]

Churubusco's monastery at the height of the 1847Battle of Churubusco,painted by James Walker

TheBattle of Churubusco(20 August 1847) took place about four months after the defeat at Cerro Gordo. Gen. Santa Anna gave a verbal order to "preserve the point at all risk".[46]The San Patricio Companies initially met the attackers outside the walls of the convent at atête-de-pont,which was about 500 yards (457 m) from a fortified convent.[47]A battery of three[48]to five[47]heavy cannons were used from this position to hold off the American advance along with support fromLos Independencia BatallónandLos Bravos Batallón.[48]The Americans were under the command ofCol. William Hoffman.[49]Several U.S. charges towards the bridgehead were thrown off,[50]with theSan Patriciocompanies serving as an example to the supporting battalions.[51]Unlike theSan Patricios,most of whom were veterans (many having served in the armies of the United Kingdom and various German states), the supporting Mexican battalions were simplymilitia(the term 'National Guard' is also used[46]) who had been untested by battle.[48]

A lack of ammunition led the Mexican soldiers in the trenches between the bridgehead and the convent to disband; without ammunition, they had no way to fight back.[52]Santa Anna had ordered half of these soldiers to a different part of the battlefield.[53]When the requested ammunition wagon finally arrived, the 9 ½drachmcartridges were compatible with none but the San Patricio Companies "Brown Bess"muskets, and they made up only a fraction of the defending forces.[54]Further hampering Mexican efforts, a stray spark from an artillery piece firinggrapeshotat the on-coming U.S. troops caused the just-arrived ammunition to explode and set fire to several men, including Captain O'Leary and Gen. Anaya.[55]Awithdrawalbehind the walls of theconvento de Churubuscowas called when the threat of being outflanked proved too great.[15]

A depiction of George Ballentine, an eyewitness of the battalion

TheSan Patriciosused this battle as a chance to settle old scores with U.S. troops: "The large number of officers killed in the affair was... ascribed to them, as for the gratification of their revenge they aimed at no other objects during the engagement".[56]At some point during the fighting for the convent, two American officers led fifteen men against a point in the Mexican defenses, and mistookSan Patriciomembers for friendly U.S. army troops; theSan Patriciosopened fire on them, killing or wounding all but one of the group.[57]Though hopelessly outnumbered and under-equipped, the defenders repelled the attacking U.S. forces with heavy losses until their ammunition ran out and a Mexican officer raised the white flag of surrender. Officer Patrick Dalton of theSan Patriciostore the white flag down, prompting Gen.Pedro Anayato order his men to fight on, with their bare hands if necessary.[7]American Private Ballentine reported that when the Mexicans attempted to raise thewhite flagtwo more times, members of theSan Patriciosshot and killed them.[56][58]After brutalclose-quartersfighting withbayonetsandsabersthrough the halls and rooms inside the convent, U.S. ArmyCaptainJames M. Smith suggested a surrender after raising his white handkerchief.[59]Following the U.S. victory, the Americans "ventilat[ed] their vocabulary of Saxon expletives, not very" courteously ", on Riley and his beautiful disciples of St. Patrick."[60]

Gen. Anaya stated in his written battle report that 35San Patricioswere killed, 85 taken prisoner (including a wounded John Riley, Captain O'Leary, and Anaya); about 85 escaped with retreating Mexican forces.[7]Some 60% of theSan Patricioswere killed or captured in the engagement.[61]The survivors were reformed before theBattle of Mexico Citysome two weeks later and were stationed atQuerétarowhere the Mexican government had decamped, with some 50 members serving as a body-guard for the commander-in-chief.[62]The battalion were caught up in the infighting and politicking of Mexico at the time, and were under the patronage of a faction that favored suing for ending of the conflict peacefully.[63]New units were later made up of the free survivors of the battle of Churubusco and a roughly equal number of fresh deserters from the U.S. Army.[59][64]Following the war, the Mexican Government insisted in a clause of theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgothat the remainingSan Patricioprisoners held by the Americans were to be left in Mexico, and Major GeneralWilliam Orlando Butlerissued General Orders 116 on 1 June 1848 stating that; "The prisoners confined at the Citadel, known as theSan Patricioprisoners, will be immediately discharged "—Rogue's Marchwas played upon their release.[43]The Saint Patrick's Battalion continued to function as two infantry companies under the command of John Riley, with one unit tasked with sentry duty in Mexico City and the other was stationed in the suburbs of Guadalupe Hidalgo.[43]TheSan Patricioswere officially mustered out of Mexican military service in 1848; some members were alleged to have been involved in an abortivemilitary coup,[65]while historians have said the group was disbanded because of Mexican budget cuts.[citation needed]

Aftermath of Churubusco

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Trials

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TheSan Patricioscaptured by the U.S. Army were treated and punished as traitors for desertion in time of war. Seventy-two men were immediately charged with desertion by the Army.[33]

Two separate courts-martial were held, one atTacubayaon 23 August, and another atSan Ángelon 26 August. At neither of these trials were the men represented by lawyers nor were transcripts made of the proceedings. This lack of formal legal advice could account for the fact that several of the men claimed that drunkenness had led them to desert (a common defense in military trials at the time that sometimes led to lighter sentences), and others described how they were forced to join the Mexican Army in some form or another. The majority of theSan Patricioseither offered no defense or their defenses were not recorded. Wealthy Mexicans came to theSan Patricios' defence at the trials, and members of Mexico's first families visited them in prison.[66]

Sentences

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One soldier who claimed he was forced to fight by the Mexicans after he was captured by them, and who subsequently refused to do so, was sentenced to death by firing squad instead of hanging, along with another who was found not to have officially joined the Mexican Army.[33]

Most of the convictedSan Patricioswere sentenced to death by hanging: 30 from the Tacubaya trial and 18 from San Ángel. The rationale was that they had entered Mexican military service following the declaration of war. Execution by hanging was in violation of the contemporaryArticles of War,which stipulated that the penalty for desertion and/or defecting to the enemy during a time of war was death byfiring squad,regardless of the circumstances. Hanging was reserved only for spies (without uniform) and for "atrocities against civilians", neither of which activities were among the charges brought against any members of the Saint Patrick's Battalion.[44]Although more than 9,000 U.S. soldiers deserted the army during the Mexican–American War, only theSan Patricios(who unlike almost all other deserters had also fought against the United States) were punished by hanging.[67]

Those soldiers who had left military service before the officialdeclaration of waron Mexico (Riley among them) were sentenced to "... receive 50 lashes on their bare backs, to be branded with the letter 'D' for deserter, and to wear iron yokes around their necks for the duration of the war."[68]This, too, went against the Articles of War; deserters who left prior to a declaration of war were supposed to be branded,scourged,orsentenced to hard labor. TheSan Patriciosinstead received all three punishments, a fate that once again was given to no other deserters during the war.[20]

Executions

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In all, 50 Saint Patrick's Battalion members were officially executed by the U.S. Army, all but two by hanging. Collectively, this was the largestmass executionin United States history. (The hanging of 38Siouxat the conclusion of theDakota War of 1862appears to have been the largest execution by hanging at a single event.) En masse executions fortreasontook place at three separate locations on three separate dates; 16 were executed on 10 September 1847 at San Ángel, four were executed the following day at the village of Mixcoac on 11 September, and 30 were hanged atChapultepecon 13 September.[69]OneSan Patriciowas murdered by American soldiers when he was recognised among the prisoners of war in the aftermath of theBattle of Molino del Rey,by being thrown "into a mill flume and crushed by the wheel".[70] At the San Ángel hangings all prisoners were executed without incident except for Patrick Dalton, who, as an American captain described, was "literally choked to death". Dalton had previously voiced concerns regarding his treatment.[71]

By order of Gen.Winfield Scott,thirtySan Patricioswere to be executed at Chapultepec in full view of the two armies while they fought theBattle of Chapultepec,at the precise moment that the flag of the U.S. replaced the flag of Mexico atop the citadel. This order was carried out by Col.William Harney.[44]Harney was taunted and jeered by the condemned men.[72] While overseeing the hangings, Harney ordered Francis O'Connor hanged although he had had both legs amputated the previous day. When the army surgeon informed the colonel that the absent soldier had lost both his legs in battle, Harney replied: "Bring the damned son of a bitch out! My order was to hang 30 and by God I'll do it!"[73]

The mass hanging ofSan Patricios,as portrayed bySamuel Chamberlain,c. 1867

The U.S. flag appeared on the flagpole at 9.30 a.m. Legend has it that the Mexican flag had been taken by a cadet,Juan Escutia[es]of theNiños Héroes,who leapt with it to his death fromChapultepec Castleto deny the Americans the honor of capturing it. In a final act of defiance, the men about to be hanged cheered theMexican flag,as one onlooker remarked; "Hands tied, feet tied, their voices still free".[74]At Harney's signal, the carts holding the tied and noosed men pulled away.[75]Harney refused to cut the bodies down, stating that "I was ordered to have them hanged, and have no orders tounhangthem ".[76]Harney was subsequently promoted to brigadier general, which rank he held while the U.S. Army occupied Mexico City.

The Mexican government described the hangings as "a cruel death or horrible torments, improper in a civilized age, and [ironic] for a people who aspire to the title of illustrious and humane",[15]and by a writer covering the war as "a refinement of cruelty and... fiendish".[77]George Ballentine remarked, in his account of his American military service in Mexico,"[T]he desertion of our soldiers to the Mexican army... were still numerous, in spite of the fearful example of the executions at Churubusco, [and] also served to inspire that party with hope."[78]

Legacy

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Those who survived either made lives for themselves in Mexico or returned to their home nations such as Ireland. Some formerSan Patriciosfound work at the arsenal inGuadalajaramakinggun stocks.[79]One formerSan Patricio,an Irishman, started a military academy teaching "the sword exercise", also in Guadalajara.[80]Others were reportedly killed while travelling through Mexico,[81]while others were reduced to living on handouts.[82]A handful are on record as having made use of the land claims promised them by the Mexican government. Americans in Mexico who had been taken prisoner by Mexico or who were common deserters were known to falsely present themselves as members of the Saint Patrick's Battalion; American William W. Carpenter, who found himself in this predicament, stated that: "the reputation of the San Patricio battalion was spread from ocean to ocean, and to that, more than any thing else, do I owe my present safety".[83]

The men have continued to be honored and revered as heroes in Mexico.[84]TheBatallón de San Patriciois memorialised on two separate days; 12 September, the generally accepted anniversary of the executions of those battalion members captured by the U.S. Army, and 17 March,Saint Patrick's Day.Numerous schools, churches and other landmarks in Mexico take their name from the battalion, including:

  • Monterrey: The street in front of the Irish School is namedBatallón de San Patricio(Battalion of Saint Patrick).
  • Mexico City: The street in front of the Santa María deChurubuscoconvent was namedMártires Irlandeses( "the Irish martyrs" ).
  • The Wall of Honor in Mexico'sChamber of Deputies:On Thursday, 28 October 2002 the LVII Mexican Congress held a ceremony where the inscription "Defensores de la Patria 1846–1848 y Batallón de San Patricio"[Defenders of the Motherland 1846–1848 and the San Patricio Battalion] was inscribed in gold letters.[43][85]
  • Banda de Gaitas del Batallon de San Patricio[St. Patrick's Battalion Pipes & Drums]: The only bagpipe band in Mexico is named after the battalion, and based at the former Convent of Churubusco in Mexico City, which now houses theMuseum of Foreign Interventions(Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones). The band was inducted into theIrish America Hall of Famein 2013.[86]
  • San Patricio station:Metro Zapatawas renamed for one day to Metro San Patricio, on 17 March 2015, to commemorate Saint Patrick's day and the Saint Patrick's Battalion. This was the first time a metro had been renamed in such a manner.[87]

In the U.S., the memory of the battalion has been different. In Winfield Scott's1852 run for President of the United States,his treatment of theSan Patricioswas brought up by his opponents to sway Irish American voters.[88]The U.S. Army long denied the existence of the Saint Patrick's Battalion, as acover-upand an attempt to discourage other deserters. In 1915, aninquirywas initiated by U.S.congressmenWilliam Henry ColemanandFrank L. Greene.This resulted in the U.S. Army's admitting its denial of the matter. The U.S. Congress ordered the army to turn over its records on the battalion to theNational Archives.[89]In 1999,MGMcancelled the U.S. distribution of a film depicting the battalion,One Man's Hero.[10]TheSan Patriciosare rarely covered in American education; on the rare occasion that they are mentioned, it is pointed out that they were traitors (if holding US citizenship), and small in number. Reasons given for having abandoned the United States included religious sympathy, and pursuit of money and land.[20]

Preferring to fight with the Catholic Mexicans against the Protestant Americans, the San Patricios were the only group of deserters in American history to band together in the service of a foreign enemy.

–Peter Quinn,Looking for Jimmy: A Search for Irish America[90]

In 1997, President of MexicoErnesto Zedillocommemorated the 150th anniversary of the execution of theSan Patriciosat a ceremony in Mexico City's San Jacinto Plaza. This is where the U.S. Army conducted the first 16 hangings after the men were convicted of desertion at court martial.Irelandand Mexicojointly issuedcommemorative postage stamps to mark the anniversary.

In 2004, at an official ceremony attended by numerous international dignitaries, including directors Lance and Jason Hool and several actors from the filmOne Man's Hero,the Mexican government gave a commemorative statue to the Irish government in perpetual thanks for the bravery, honor and sacrifice of the Saint Patrick's Battalion. The statue was erected in the town ofClifden,Connemara, Ireland, where leaderJohn Rileywas born. Clifden flies theMexican flagin honor of Riley every year on 12 September. In 2014,Sinn Féinnamed acumannin Clifden in honor of Reilly.[91]

External image
An image displaying both the Irish and Mexican versions of the joint issue stamp

The battalion has inspired numerous responses: it is the name of an supporters's association of theassociation footballteam Club DeportivoChivas USA.The unit was evoked in aSaint Patrick's Daymessage fromSubcomandante Marcosof theZapatista Army of National Liberation,[92]TheSan Patricioshave been remembered as a symbol of international solidarity with Mexico.[93][94]

Flag

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Further information:List of flags of Ireland

There are conflicting accounts of the design of the flag of the Saint Patrick's Battalion. No flags or depictions of them are known to have survived to the present day. The only version of the flag known to have survived the war was subsequently lost or stolen from the chapel atWest Point.[95]

John Riley, who left an account of the battalion, noted the flag in a letter:[96]

In all my letter, I forgot to tell you under what banner we fought so bravely. It was that glorious Emblem of native rights, that being the banner which should have floated over our native Soil many years ago, it was St. Patrick, theHarp of Erin,theShamrockupon a green field.

Thegreen harp flagin its 18th to 19th century design, showing the "Maid of Erin" as the harp's pillar, her wing forming the harp's neck, and the inscriptionErin go Bragh( "Ireland forever" )

According toGeorge Wilkins Kendall,an American journalist covering the war with Mexico:[97]

The banner is of green silk, and on one side is a harp, surmounted by the Mexican coat of arms, with a scroll on which is paintedLibertad por la Republica Mexicana[Liberty for the Mexican Republic]. Under the harp is the motto ofErin go Bragh!On the other side is a painting... made to represent St. Patrick, in his left hand a key and in his right a crook or staff resting upon a serpent. Underneath is paintedSan Patricio.

Two other eye-witness accounts of the flag exist, both from American soldiers. The first describes it as:

... a beautiful green silk banner [which] waved over their heads; on it glittered a silver cross and a golden harp, embroidered by the hands of the fair nuns ofSan Luis Potosí.

— Samuel E. Chamberlain,My Confession,[98]

The second notes only:

Among the mighty host we passed was O'Reilly [sic] and his company of deserters bearing aloft in high disgrace the holy banner of St. Patrick.

— Kentuckycavalryman (MexicanPOW), name unknown,[99]

A radically different version of the flag was described in a Mexican source:[100]

They had a white flag/standard, on which were found the shields of Ireland and Mexico, and the name of their captain, John O'Reilly [sic] embroidered in green.

Whatever the case, in 1997 a reproduction military flag was created by the Clifden and Connemara Heritage Group. Another was created the following year for the MGM filmOne Man's Hero,a romanticised version of theSan Patricios' history. A third version embodying the description of the San Luis Potosí flag was made for the Irish Society of Chicago, which hung it in the city'sUnion League Club.

Some writers suggest that the Saint Patrick's Battalion might have used different banners (as an artillery unit, as an infantry company, and as a reconstructed unit).[101]

Music

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A number of musical works have covered the battalion, including:[citation needed]

Films and fiction

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  • 1962 –Saint Patrick's Battalion,by Carl Krueger
  • 1985 –A Flag to Fly: Based on True Story of the St. Patrick's Battalion in Mexico 1847,by Chris Matthews
  • 1996 –The San Patricios,directed by Mark R. Day
  • 1997 –In the Rogue Blood,byJames Carlos Blake,winner ofLos Angeles Times Book Prizefor Fiction,
  • 1998 –St. Patrick's Battalion,documentary film directed by Jason Hool
  • 1999 –One Man's Hero,feature film directed by Lance Hool, written by Milton S. Gelman[104]
  • 2001 –Gone for Soldiers,novel by Jeff Shaara
  • 2006 –Saint Patrick's Battalion,novel byJames Alexander Thom,published by Blue River Press of Indianapolis
  • 2009 –Just like me,novel by Michael Fallaw.ISBN978-1436385084
  • 2011 –Saol John Riley,TG4 (Ireland) documentary, directed by Kieran Concannon
  • 2012 –Country of the Bad Wolfes,novel byJames Carlos Blake,published by Cinco Puntos Press, El Paso, TX
  • 2018 –El Batallón de San Patricio,novel by Pino Cacucci, published by Grijalbo
  • 2017 -The Battle of Churubusco,novel by Andrea Ferraris, published by Fantagraphics

Notes

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a.^The coats were Turkish-blue with yellowlapelsand crimson-redcuffsas well as piping. The trousers were sky-blue with red piping. Officers wore black or blueKepisand privates wore dark-blue cloth barracks caps, with red tassels similar to aFez,also with red piping.[105]

b.12Variably spelled inEnglishas John Reily, Riely, Reilly, O'Reily and O'Reilly. His name is given as Juan Reyle, Reley, Reely and Reiley in Mexican army documents written inSpanish.Regardless of other variant spellings, the name was Seán Ó Raghailligh in the originalIrish Gaelic.[106]

c.^See articles1st Venezuelan Rifles,Bernardo O'Higgins,Daniel Florencio O'Leary,Juan O'Donojú,Morgan O'Connell,&William Lamport.

d.^Monterrey is here spelled "Monterey" as it appears in thePersonal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant(Not to be confused withMontereyof theBattle of Monterey,also in the Mexican–American War).[49]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abGrant 1998,p. 115.
  2. ^Miller 1989,pp. 188–192.
  3. ^abCallaghan 1995.
  4. ^Hopkins 1913,pp. 283–284.
  5. ^Hogan 1998,p. 223.
  6. ^Connaughton 2005.
  7. ^abcdefFogarty 2005.
  8. ^Sanders, James E. (3 October 2014).The Vanguard of the Atlantic World: Creating Modernity, Nation, and Democracy in Nineteenth-Century Latin America.Duke University Press. pp. 64–80.doi:10.1215/9780822376132-004.ISBN978-0-8223-7613-2.
  9. ^Mermann-Jozwiak 2001,p. 150.
  10. ^abcdefRollins 2008,pp. 91–92.
  11. ^Ballentine 1860,pp. 34–35 & 281–282.
  12. ^abRadford Ruether 2007,p. 81.
  13. ^Pinheiro, John C. (26 September 2017),"Religion, Anti-Catholicism, and the Mexican-American War",Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion,doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.395,ISBN978-0-19-934037-8,retrieved18 February2024
  14. ^Pinheiro, John C. (2014).Missionaries of Republicanism: A Religious History of the Mexican-American War.Oxford University Press. pp. 68–148.ISBN978-0-19-994867-3.
  15. ^abcdeDowney 1955.
  16. ^Woolf 2015.
  17. ^Lloyd 2000,p. 104.
  18. ^Hogan 1998,p. 152.
  19. ^Hendrickson, Brett (2021),"Religion and race: The U.S.-Mexican War and Mexican Americans",Mexican American Religions,Routledge,doi:10.4324/9780429285516-5,ISBN978-0-429-28551-6,S2CID238671319,retrieved18 February2024
  20. ^abcHogan 1997.
  21. ^Ballentine 1860,p. 281–282.
  22. ^Ramold 2010,p. 39.
  23. ^McCornack 1958,p. 255.
  24. ^Super 1992,p. 136.
  25. ^Stevens 1999,p. 291.
  26. ^Newark 2012,"The first significant battle for the San Patricios was at Monterrey on 21 September 1846".
  27. ^Tucker, Arnold & Wiener 2013,p. 197: "The battalion was formed as an artillery company and fought at Matamoros and Monterrey".
  28. ^abWallace 1950,p. 85.
  29. ^Bauer 1992,p. 42.
  30. ^Miller 1989,p. 27.
  31. ^Hogan 1998,p. 42.
  32. ^abHopkins 1913,p. 280.
  33. ^abcHowes 2003,p. 181.
  34. ^Stevens 1999,pp. 150 & 172–173.
  35. ^Chamberlain 1853,p. 226.
  36. ^"The San Patricio Battalion".the medal hound.Retrieved25 May2024.
  37. ^Cave 2013.
  38. ^Smith 1919a,p. 391.
  39. ^Stevens 1999,p. 195.
  40. ^Stevens 1999,p. 193.
  41. ^Smith 1919a,p. 393.
  42. ^Smith 1919a,p. 395.
  43. ^abcdParedes 2010.
  44. ^abcHogan 2006.
  45. ^Zinn & Arnove 2004,pp. 157–158.
  46. ^abRamsey 1850,p. 283.
  47. ^abRamsey 1850,p. 284.
  48. ^abcSmith 1919b,p. 111.
  49. ^abGrant 1998,p. 114.
  50. ^Smith 1919b,p. 115.
  51. ^Smith 1919b,p. 114.
  52. ^Ramsey 1850,p. 286.
  53. ^Smith 1919b,p. 116.
  54. ^Ramsey 1850,p. 295.
  55. ^Ramsey 1850,p. 296.
  56. ^abBallentine 1860,p. 256.
  57. ^McCaffery 1994,p. 179.
  58. ^Meltzer 1974,p. 197.
  59. ^abNordstrom 2008.
  60. ^Ramsey 1850,p. 299.
  61. ^Miller 1989,p. 89.
  62. ^Carpenter 1851,p. 102.
  63. ^Foos 2002,p. 110.
  64. ^Stevens 1999,p. 286.
  65. ^Stevens 1999,pp. 290–291.
  66. ^Foos 2002,p. 112.
  67. ^Hogan 1998,p. 19.
  68. ^Frías 1984,p. 173.
  69. ^McCaffery 1994,p. 196;Eisenhower 1999,p. 297.
  70. ^McCaffery 1994,p. 181.
  71. ^Miller 1989,pp. 93, 105.
  72. ^Eisenhower 1999,p. 297.
  73. ^Wunn 1984,p. 14.
  74. ^Stevens 1999,p. 275.
  75. ^Hogan 1998,p. 287.
  76. ^McCaffery 1994,p. 197.
  77. ^Fast 1993.
  78. ^Ballentine 1860,p. 281.
  79. ^Carpenter 1851,p. 212.
  80. ^Carpenter 1851,pp. 207–208.
  81. ^Carpenter 1851,p. 201.
  82. ^Foos 2002,p. 111.
  83. ^Carpenter 1851,p. 135.
  84. ^Gonzales 2000,pp. 86–87.
  85. ^Hawley 2008.
  86. ^Looby 2015.
  87. ^MerrionStreet2015.
  88. ^Eisenhower 1999,p. 329.
  89. ^Stevens 1999,pp. 300–301.
  90. ^Quinn 2007,p. 49.
  91. ^Galway Advertiser2014.
  92. ^Boyer 2010.
  93. ^Leahy 2002.
  94. ^Presidency of the Republic of Mexico 1997.
  95. ^Hogan 2011,pp. 252–253.
  96. ^Stevens 1999,p. 285.
  97. ^Kendall 1999,p. 350.
  98. ^Miller 1989,p. 38.
  99. ^Miller 1989,p. 52.
  100. ^Garibay & Teixidor 1971,p. 3146.
  101. ^Ferrigan III 2000.
  102. ^NPR 2010.
  103. ^Dickson 2008,p. 145.
  104. ^Wagenen 2012,pp. 230–232.
  105. ^Miller 1989,pp. 38 & 71;Stevens 1999,p. 231.
  106. ^Wallace 1950,p. 85;Miller 1989,p. 26;Stevens 1999,p. 293.

Sources

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Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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Tertiary sources

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  • Garibay, Ángel María; Teixidor, Felipe, eds. (1971).Diccionario Porrúa de historia, biografía y geografía de México.Vol. 3 (3rd ed.). Mexico City:Editorial Porrúa.p. 3146.Tenían una insignia blanca, en la que se encontraban los escudos de Irlanda y Mexico, y el nombre de su capitán, John O'Reilly bordado en verde.
  • The United States in Latin America: A Historical Dictionary,vol. S, 2008, p. 311
  • "The Chieftains And Ry Cooder Tell 'San Patricio' History".npr.org.NPR.7 March 2010.Retrieved17 June2020.
  • Dickson, Ted, ed. (2008).America on the World Stage: A Global Approach to U.S. History.University of Illinois Press. p. 145.ISBN978-0252075520.

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