Post by Vimara on Mar 17, 2004 12:07:59 GMT -5
The Irish Martyrs' of Mexico.
The Irish Times
September 11, 1997
This week 150 years ago, 48 Irish soldiers were hanged by the US army,
from which they had absconded to fight for Mexico. Joe Carroll tells their
tragic tale
____________________________
The Mexicans call them "the Irish martyrs" of the war of 1847 when the
United States invaded Mexico and took almost half its territory. They are
commemorated in a suburb of Mexico city where 50 were hanged, 48 of them
Irish, and others flogged and branded with red-hot irons on their faces
with a "D".
For the conquering Americans, the Irish of the San Patricio battalion
were deserters who deserved their brutal fate. Mexicans, however, see them
as heroes who gave their lives defending their adopted country against an
unjustified invasion which still rankles south of the Rio Grande.
Tomorrow, for the first time, a President of Mexico and a Mexican
foreign minister will attend the annual ceremony in San Jacinto Square,
where 16 of the Irish were hanged. A plaque gives 71 names of the members
of the San Patricio battalion led by Captain John O'Reilly from Co Galway.
As the names are read out, the Mexicans present will respond: "Died for
Mexico".
President Zedillo will lay a wreath. The foreign minister, Angel
Gurria, will speak, as will the new Irish non-resident ambassador to
Mexico, Mr Sean higinn. President Zedillo and An Post will jointly issue a
commemorative stamp honouring the Irish soldiers tomorrow. The anniversary
will also be commemorated in Clifden, Co Galway.
At a museum in Mexico city devoted to the "invasions" endured by
Mexico since the Spanish conquistadores, there are souvenirs of the Irish
because many died at that spot - defending the 17th century monastery
which is now beautifully preserved as the museum - in the battle of
Churubusco, a vain attempt to stop the US troops entering the capital.
The quiet square in front of the building is called Plaza Batallon San
Patricio in honour of the Irishmen who died in battle. There are also
commemorations in other Mexican cities where the Irish fought against the
invading Americans.
How the Irish changed sides and then paid dearly is a little-known saga
in Ireland, but Mexico still cherishes the memory. For Americans, the
"Mexican War of 1847", let alone the role of the Irish, is scarcely
remembered today.
How the war started is still regarded as controversial. The Mexicans
see it as a naked land grab by their powerful northern neighbour which
coveted not just Texas but California and the territories today known as
New Mexico and Arizona. This huge area, now part of the US, was once part
of the Spanish Empire: it had passed to Mexico when it threw off Spanish
rule in 1821.
The hostilities broke out in the disputed territory of Texas in 1846,
following a skirmish between Mexican cavalry and US soldiers. This gave
President Polk the excuse he needed to declare war because the Mexicans
had "shed American blood on American soil".
Even Abraham Lincoln, then a young Congressman, and Ulysses S. Grant,
the future Civil War victorious commander and US President, believed that
the invasion of Mexico was not justified.
This was a period when the large immigration of Irish fleeing the Famine
was stirring up bigotry among the earlier settlers, and the numerous Irish
soldiers in the US army under General Zachary Scott were apparently badly
treated by their officers, who added anti-Catholic prejudices to the
prevailing anti-Irish feeling.
John O'Reilly, who had emigrated from Galway, deserted before war was
declared and this was to save his life later. Other Irish soldiers
followed him across the Rio Grande to join the Mexican forces soon to be
headed by General Santa Anna, the conqueror of the Alamo 10 years earlier.
It is said the Irish were attracted by the Catholic culture of Mexico
as well as repelled by the discrimination against them in the US army, but
the motives of those who deserted have never been clearly understood given
that still larger numbers of Irish soldiers did not do so.
As the war progressed, the Irish grouped in the 200-strong San Patricio
battalion, under a green banner with St Patrick and the Mexican eagle,
distinguished themselves as artillery specialists and inflicted heavy
casualties on their former comrades at the battles of Monterey and Buena
Vista. But the Mexican forces were being pushed back towards the capital
as Santa Anna made a series of tactical blunders.
The US army, now under the command of a tough Virginian, General
Winfield Scott (Old Fuss and Feathers), landed at Vera Cruz and marched on
the capital. The San Patricios, whose bravery and skill were noted by the
Mexican officers, fell back with their allies on Mexico City.
Those who survived the Churubusco battle and were captured were soon
court-martialed for desertion. The historian, Michael Hogan, author of The
Irish Soldiers Of Mexico, says the punishments inflicted on the Irish went
beyond what was allowed by the military code of the day and that the whole
episode was denied for years by the US army.
The hangings and brandings were particularly brutal. Thirty of the
condemned were forced to wait for hours with the noose around their necks
until the final Mexican surrender at Chapultepec Castle.
Mr Hogan says the severity of the punishments indicates that the US
army officers were "motivated by causes not articulated by American
historians". General Scott in his statement after the executions said
they should be a warning to "Catholics and non-Catholics alike" that
desertion would not be tolerated. Why did he bring the question of
religion into it? Mr Hogan asks.
For years the tragic story of the San Patricios had almost been
forgotten, although the Irish-born US ambassador to Mexico, Mr William
O'Dwyer, has recorded that in 1950, "the fact that I was of Irish
extraction was regarded favourably" because of the memory of the San
Patricios.
Patricia Bustamente Cox, an Irish-Mexican woman, researched the episode
and wrote a novel about it in the 1950s which has been reprinted many
times. Now a film has been made by Mark Day.
There is now little chance that the San Patricios could be forgotten in
Mexico or Ireland. But in the US, their decision to change sides will
continue to be seen as a matter of shame.
The Irish Soldiers Of Mexico by Michael Hogan is published
by Fondo Editorial Universitario
www.vivasancarlos.com/patrick.html
SAN PATRICIOS - THE IRISHMEN WHO DIED FOR MEXICO
www.zihua-ixtapa.com/~anotherday/2001_2002/mar/history.html
Mexico's Fighting IRISH
Tim Brown syas there were indeed Irish who emigrated directly to Mexico. I know of no study of them. Tim should write one:
"On the Irish in Mexico, hundreds if not thousands did immigrate directly to Mexico, especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s, to work in hard rock mining. I know many Irish-Mexicans personally, including the God Mother of two of my children."
Ronald Hilton - 8/27/00
The Irish Times
September 11, 1997
This week 150 years ago, 48 Irish soldiers were hanged by the US army,
from which they had absconded to fight for Mexico. Joe Carroll tells their
tragic tale
____________________________
The Mexicans call them "the Irish martyrs" of the war of 1847 when the
United States invaded Mexico and took almost half its territory. They are
commemorated in a suburb of Mexico city where 50 were hanged, 48 of them
Irish, and others flogged and branded with red-hot irons on their faces
with a "D".
For the conquering Americans, the Irish of the San Patricio battalion
were deserters who deserved their brutal fate. Mexicans, however, see them
as heroes who gave their lives defending their adopted country against an
unjustified invasion which still rankles south of the Rio Grande.
Tomorrow, for the first time, a President of Mexico and a Mexican
foreign minister will attend the annual ceremony in San Jacinto Square,
where 16 of the Irish were hanged. A plaque gives 71 names of the members
of the San Patricio battalion led by Captain John O'Reilly from Co Galway.
As the names are read out, the Mexicans present will respond: "Died for
Mexico".
President Zedillo will lay a wreath. The foreign minister, Angel
Gurria, will speak, as will the new Irish non-resident ambassador to
Mexico, Mr Sean higinn. President Zedillo and An Post will jointly issue a
commemorative stamp honouring the Irish soldiers tomorrow. The anniversary
will also be commemorated in Clifden, Co Galway.
At a museum in Mexico city devoted to the "invasions" endured by
Mexico since the Spanish conquistadores, there are souvenirs of the Irish
because many died at that spot - defending the 17th century monastery
which is now beautifully preserved as the museum - in the battle of
Churubusco, a vain attempt to stop the US troops entering the capital.
The quiet square in front of the building is called Plaza Batallon San
Patricio in honour of the Irishmen who died in battle. There are also
commemorations in other Mexican cities where the Irish fought against the
invading Americans.
How the Irish changed sides and then paid dearly is a little-known saga
in Ireland, but Mexico still cherishes the memory. For Americans, the
"Mexican War of 1847", let alone the role of the Irish, is scarcely
remembered today.
How the war started is still regarded as controversial. The Mexicans
see it as a naked land grab by their powerful northern neighbour which
coveted not just Texas but California and the territories today known as
New Mexico and Arizona. This huge area, now part of the US, was once part
of the Spanish Empire: it had passed to Mexico when it threw off Spanish
rule in 1821.
The hostilities broke out in the disputed territory of Texas in 1846,
following a skirmish between Mexican cavalry and US soldiers. This gave
President Polk the excuse he needed to declare war because the Mexicans
had "shed American blood on American soil".
Even Abraham Lincoln, then a young Congressman, and Ulysses S. Grant,
the future Civil War victorious commander and US President, believed that
the invasion of Mexico was not justified.
This was a period when the large immigration of Irish fleeing the Famine
was stirring up bigotry among the earlier settlers, and the numerous Irish
soldiers in the US army under General Zachary Scott were apparently badly
treated by their officers, who added anti-Catholic prejudices to the
prevailing anti-Irish feeling.
John O'Reilly, who had emigrated from Galway, deserted before war was
declared and this was to save his life later. Other Irish soldiers
followed him across the Rio Grande to join the Mexican forces soon to be
headed by General Santa Anna, the conqueror of the Alamo 10 years earlier.
It is said the Irish were attracted by the Catholic culture of Mexico
as well as repelled by the discrimination against them in the US army, but
the motives of those who deserted have never been clearly understood given
that still larger numbers of Irish soldiers did not do so.
As the war progressed, the Irish grouped in the 200-strong San Patricio
battalion, under a green banner with St Patrick and the Mexican eagle,
distinguished themselves as artillery specialists and inflicted heavy
casualties on their former comrades at the battles of Monterey and Buena
Vista. But the Mexican forces were being pushed back towards the capital
as Santa Anna made a series of tactical blunders.
The US army, now under the command of a tough Virginian, General
Winfield Scott (Old Fuss and Feathers), landed at Vera Cruz and marched on
the capital. The San Patricios, whose bravery and skill were noted by the
Mexican officers, fell back with their allies on Mexico City.
Those who survived the Churubusco battle and were captured were soon
court-martialed for desertion. The historian, Michael Hogan, author of The
Irish Soldiers Of Mexico, says the punishments inflicted on the Irish went
beyond what was allowed by the military code of the day and that the whole
episode was denied for years by the US army.
The hangings and brandings were particularly brutal. Thirty of the
condemned were forced to wait for hours with the noose around their necks
until the final Mexican surrender at Chapultepec Castle.
Mr Hogan says the severity of the punishments indicates that the US
army officers were "motivated by causes not articulated by American
historians". General Scott in his statement after the executions said
they should be a warning to "Catholics and non-Catholics alike" that
desertion would not be tolerated. Why did he bring the question of
religion into it? Mr Hogan asks.
For years the tragic story of the San Patricios had almost been
forgotten, although the Irish-born US ambassador to Mexico, Mr William
O'Dwyer, has recorded that in 1950, "the fact that I was of Irish
extraction was regarded favourably" because of the memory of the San
Patricios.
Patricia Bustamente Cox, an Irish-Mexican woman, researched the episode
and wrote a novel about it in the 1950s which has been reprinted many
times. Now a film has been made by Mark Day.
There is now little chance that the San Patricios could be forgotten in
Mexico or Ireland. But in the US, their decision to change sides will
continue to be seen as a matter of shame.
The Irish Soldiers Of Mexico by Michael Hogan is published
by Fondo Editorial Universitario
www.vivasancarlos.com/patrick.html
SAN PATRICIOS - THE IRISHMEN WHO DIED FOR MEXICO
www.zihua-ixtapa.com/~anotherday/2001_2002/mar/history.html
Mexico's Fighting IRISH
Tim Brown syas there were indeed Irish who emigrated directly to Mexico. I know of no study of them. Tim should write one:
"On the Irish in Mexico, hundreds if not thousands did immigrate directly to Mexico, especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s, to work in hard rock mining. I know many Irish-Mexicans personally, including the God Mother of two of my children."
Ronald Hilton - 8/27/00
