St. Patrick in Mexico

THE OVERLOOK

By Tom Clavin

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Here is a different way to honor next Tuesday: Did you know there was a St. Patrick’s Brigade that fought against the United States in the Mexican-American War? If not, read on.

The brigade was led by John Patrick Riley. He was born in County Galway, Ireland, around 1817, and his original Irish name was Seán Ó Raghailligh. He served with the British Army before emigrating to Canada. Many of Ireland’s rural regions suffered greatly during the Great Famine, and millions of people emigrated by ship to Canada and the United States to survive. Riley was among them.

After crossing the border into Michigan, Riley enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in Company K of the 5^th Infantry Regiment. Riley and Patrick Dalton deserted in 1846, just before the beginning of the Mexican-American War. Both men subsequently joined the Mexican Army, where they eventually formed the Batallón de San Patricio, or St. Patrick’s Battalion. It was made up of mostly Irish and German immigrants, although it included Catholics from many other countries as well. The unit fought in several battles during the Mexican-American War. Eventually, the battalion was forced to make a last stand at the Battle of Churubusco, which took place on the outskirts of Mexico City on August 20, 1947.

The St. Patrick’s Battalion initially met the attackers outside the walls of a fortified convent. Heavy cannons were used from this position to hold off the American advance. Several U.S. charges towards the bridgehead were thrown off, with the San Patricio companies serving as an example to the supporting battalions. Unlike the San 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 simply militia.

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. General Santa Anna ordered half of these soldiers to a different part of the battlefield. When the requested ammunition wagon finally arrived, the 9 ½ drachm cartridges were compatible with none but the St. Patrick’s Battalion’s “Brown Bess” muskets, and they made up only a fraction of the defending forces. Further hampering Mexican efforts, a stray spark from an artillery piece firing grapeshot at the oncoming U.S. troops caused the just-arrived ammunition to explode and set fire to several men. A withdrawal behind the walls of the convent was called when the threat of being outflanked proved too great.

Though hopelessly outnumbered and under-equipped, the St. Patrick’s Battalion repelled the attacking U.S. forces with heavy losses until their ammunition ran out and a Mexican officer raised the white flag of surrender. Patrick Dalton of the San Patricios tore the white flag down, prompting the men to fight on, with their bare hands if necessary. One battalion member reported that when the Mexicans attempted to raise the white flag two more times, members of the San Patricios shot and killed them.

Soon, however, after brutal close-quarters fighting with bayonets and sabers through the halls and rooms inside the convent, U.S. Army Captain James M. Smith suggested a surrender after raising his white handkerchief. Following the U.S. victory, the Americans vented their vocabulary of Saxon expletives, not very courteously, on Riley and his fellow disciples of St. Patrick.

Approximately 35 members of the battalion were killed, while another 85 were captured by U.S. forces, including Riley. The remnants of the unit, numbering approximately 85 men, managed to escape alongside the retreating Mexican forces. Some of the surviving soldiers took part in the Battle for Mexico City, though they were too few to constitute a cohesive military unit. The battalion itself was formally disbanded in August 1848, six months after the end of the war, allegedly due to one of the unit’s officers being implicated in an attempted military coup.

Because Riley had deserted before the U.S. declared war against Mexico, he was not sentenced to death following his conviction at the court martial held in Mexico City. He testified to deserting because of discrimination against and mistreatment of Irish Catholics in the U.S. Army as well as in general society. While he escaped the mass hanging of around 50 other captured members of the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, Riley was branded on his cheek with the letter “D” for deserter.

Following his conviction and branding, Riley was released and eventually rejoined the Mexican forces. Reportedly, he grew his hair to conceal the scars on his face. He continued to serve with the regular Mexican Army after the end of the war, being confirmed in the rank of “Permanent Major.” Stationed in Veracruz, he retired in August 1850 on medical grounds after suffering from yellow fever.

John Riley’s ultimate fate has been lost in the mists of time. He may have died from the disease soon after his retirement. In any case, he lives on, in a way: To honor him and the St. Patrick’s Battalion who fought against the U.S., a bronze sculpture was erected in his birthplace of Clifden, Ireland, as a gift from the Mexican government.

Tom Clavin is the bestselling author/co-author of 25 books. The latest one with Bob Drury, The First to Go West, has just been published in paperback. To purchase a copy, please go to your local bookstore or to Bookshop.org, Amazon.com, BN.com, or tomclavin.com.