March 5, 2020 - 174 - "St. Patrick in San Miguel?"

 St. Patrick?

    Years ago, I was wandering around inside the middle of La Parroquia, the beautiful church in the center of  the town of San Miguel de Allende,....in the very center of Mexico.  I came upon a saint robed in green and white, holding up a clover.  

     Saint Patrick?  What the heck was Saint Patrick doing in a church  Mexico?

     Someone told me there were Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico to gain their independence.  I assumed it was during the Revolution, fighting against Spain.  Turns out that was not quite right.

     They actually fought against the United States in the Mexican-American War.

Sons of Ireland Fighting for Mexico

     They were El Batallón de los San Patricios or “St. Patrick's Battalion.”  This battalion consisted of a group of immigrants, mostly of Irish descent.  Most of these soldiers were recent immigrants who arrived at northeaster U.S. ports, escaping the Great Irish Famine.  

    The U.S. Army often recruited Irishmen and other immigrants into military service shortly or sometimes immediately after arrival in America, with promises of salaries and land after the war.

   As they moved south and began to fight against Mexico, many deserted the U.S. army to fight for the other side.  Their desertion is often attributed to religion.  In the predominantly Protestant U.S. army they felt marginalized and saw a resurgence of their own struggles in back home. 

     "The Saint Patrick's Battalion formed and led by John Riley, was a unit of 175 to several hundred (accounts vary) immigrants and expatriates of European descent who fought as part of the Mexican Army against the United States in the Mexican-American War of 1846–48. 

      The battalion served as an artillery unit for much of the war. Despite later being formally designated as two infantry companies, it still retained artillery pieces throughout the conflict. In many ways, the battalion acted as the sole Mexican counterbalance to the recent U.S. innovation of horse artillery.  The San Patricios were responsible for the toughest battles encountered by the United States in its invasion of Mexico, with Ulysses S. Grant remarking that "Churubusco proved to be about the severest battle fought in the valley of Mexico." "
        - from Wikipedia

Martyrs to Mexican Independence

    A lack of ammunition led the Mexican (and Irish) soldiers in the trenches between the bridgehead and the Convent of Churubusco .  They fought on after they had no more ammunition.  Mexican soldiers attempted to raise the white flag three times, but the San Patricios fought on.  

     Eventually they were overwhelmed.  The Irish soldiers who had not died or fled with the retreating Mexican forces, were sentenced to.death.  In all, 50 Saint Patrick's Battalion members were officially executed by the U.S. Army. 

St. Patrick's Day Celebrations in Mexico

    The San Patricios are honored in both Mexico and Ireland.   Today these Irish martyrs to Mexican Independence are commemorated by huge St. Patrick's Day parades featuring bagpipes in the streets of Mexico city...and, of course, with the addition of St. Patrick to cathedrals throughout the country. 

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Saint Patrick Battalion 

by David Rovics

From Dublin City to San Diego 

We witnessed freedom denied 

So we formed the Saint Patrick Battalion 

And we fought on the Mexican side 

We marched 'neath the green flag of  Saint Patrick 

Emblazoned with "Erin Go Bragh"

Bright with the harp and the shamrock

And "Libertad para la Republica"   

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