St. Patrick's Battalion

During the time of the Mexican-American war, immigrants were constantly coming to America to begin a new life. A majority of Americans were Protestants and have English decent but there was a wave of Irish immigrants coming in. Mexico and Ireland are both primarily Catholic nations. At the beginning of the war, Captain John Riley formed an army of Irish Catholics and other Catholic immigrants who were upset at discrimination in the military and decided to desert the U.S. Army and fight along side the Mexican Army. Mexico also offered a higher pay than the U.S. Army for those who wanted to join. In the U.S. they are called St. Patrick’s Battalion, in Mexico they are called the San Patricios. The San Patricios fought in all of the major battles in the war up until Mexico was defeated. At the end of the war, the deserters were individually tried and most of them were set free but several were executed because the San Patricios caused the highest casualties in the U.S. Army. During the trails, many said they were forced to join after being captured or made their decision to join while drunk. In Mexico, they are celebrated as heroes twice a year, on September 12, the date of the executions, and on St. Patrick’s Day. In Mexico, there are statues, memorials, and towns named after them and the San Patricios are considered martyrs for the Mexican people.