Forgotten Wars and the San Patricios
This is Steven Petrick posting.
The Korean conflict is often referred to as "America's Forgotten War", but in truth America has many forgotten wars.
One of the forgotten wars is the Mexican-American War, despite the fact that it was that war which secured New Mexico, Arizona, California, and other states as property of the United States, not just confirmed that Texas was now part of the United States.
Strange to say, but when news of the war reached Europe it was generally believed that the Mexican Army, a rather large (compared to the American military) professional and combat tested (if mostly against its own citizens) organization would make quick work of the Americans.
There were some "near misses" (battles that might have gone Mexico's way), but mostly the war was a disaster for Mexico.
While the war is mostly forgotten in the United States, it is remembered and taught, and even celebrated in Mexico, at least according to Sergio Aragones (whom many of you might know as the creator of the many "marginal" drawings in Mad Magazine, as will as the creator of the Groo comic book series).
Mr. Aragones made particular note of the San Patricio battalion which fought for Mexico in the war. Mr. Aragones said the San Pats are heroes and insists that in his youth children would (presumably when playing "war") pretend to be members of the San Patricio battalion.
So, who were the San Patricios?
The San Patricios were (at least mostly) deserters from the American Army. It is possible that some were expatriates from other lands (indeed, some of the deserters were themselves, in effect, expatriates from other lands, having enlisted in the American army after arriving in the United States). A large number of them were Irish (yet another example of the Irish "Wild Geese"), which lead to the name of the battalion as the "Saint Patrick" battalion. Most, but not all of them, were Catholics.
The reasons for the desertions are varied, and you can take each as you will.
Some supposedly deserted simply because the United States was a largely Protestant nation and suspicious of Catholics (who were referred to derisively as "Papists" because it was believed they were more loyal to the Pope in Rome than to the United States -- an attitude that was thought still prevalent when John F. Kennedy ran for President, i.e., there would never be a "Catholic President"). As Catholics these men were supposedly (who really knows for certain now) subjected to more mistreatment by their Protestant peers and superiors. Being Catholic could hold up, or prevent, promotion. (This attitude was supposedly even more prevalent in the South. General Cleburne, an Irish Catholic and regarded as the "Stonewall Jackson of the west," was supposedly not promoted to corps command by the Confederacy because of this suspicion of Catholics, even though he was made a general and given a division command.) In response to this mistreatment, these Catholics deserted and went south to fight for Mexico against the United States.
Some supposedly deserted simply because they were Catholic, and would not fight for a Protestant nation (the United States) against a Catholic one (Mexico) whether there was mistreatment or not.
Some, however, supposedly deserted and went south due to the "inducements" (money, land, promotion, and prestige) offered by Mexico to do so.
The San Patricios were, in one sense and at least some of them, the Major Nidals of their day.
Their combat record without a doubt marked the San Patricios as one of the Mexican Army's most, if not the most, effective units in that war. They were without a doubt fanatics, and roughly equivalent to the Al Qaida brigade that fought for the Taliban in Afghanistan. They could, and would, kill Mexican soldiers who had decided (on their own) to retreat in the face of an advance by the American Army (something left out of Mexican text books that laud the San Pats). And their fanaticism was driven at least in part by the fact that most of them were deserters, and if captured, were subject to execution for that crime alone. Having donned the uniform of Mexico after having enlisted in the American Army, they were also turncoats and traitors, and again subject to execution if captured.
What became of the San Pats?
There is no full accounting of every man who served in the Saint Patrick Battalion,
Those who were not killed or captured essentially vanished into history. Some supposedly actually benefited from the land grants Mexico had offered to induce their service.
Those who were captured were given trials (there is question of the standards of these trials), and in defiance of then accepted practice were almost entirely sentenced to be hanged (at least one was executed by firing squad, which was the then accepted practice for desertion in time of war), and at least 50 men were hanged.
From my standpoint, having been raised as a Catholic, being by descent part Irish, being an American by birth, and having served as an officer in the United States Army, I have no problem with these men having been executed. On this, Mr. Aragones and I would part ways, but this is the world in which we live and I am willing to accept that Mr. Aragones would never understand my viewpoint.
The Korean conflict is often referred to as "America's Forgotten War", but in truth America has many forgotten wars.
One of the forgotten wars is the Mexican-American War, despite the fact that it was that war which secured New Mexico, Arizona, California, and other states as property of the United States, not just confirmed that Texas was now part of the United States.
Strange to say, but when news of the war reached Europe it was generally believed that the Mexican Army, a rather large (compared to the American military) professional and combat tested (if mostly against its own citizens) organization would make quick work of the Americans.
There were some "near misses" (battles that might have gone Mexico's way), but mostly the war was a disaster for Mexico.
While the war is mostly forgotten in the United States, it is remembered and taught, and even celebrated in Mexico, at least according to Sergio Aragones (whom many of you might know as the creator of the many "marginal" drawings in Mad Magazine, as will as the creator of the Groo comic book series).
Mr. Aragones made particular note of the San Patricio battalion which fought for Mexico in the war. Mr. Aragones said the San Pats are heroes and insists that in his youth children would (presumably when playing "war") pretend to be members of the San Patricio battalion.
So, who were the San Patricios?
The San Patricios were (at least mostly) deserters from the American Army. It is possible that some were expatriates from other lands (indeed, some of the deserters were themselves, in effect, expatriates from other lands, having enlisted in the American army after arriving in the United States). A large number of them were Irish (yet another example of the Irish "Wild Geese"), which lead to the name of the battalion as the "Saint Patrick" battalion. Most, but not all of them, were Catholics.
The reasons for the desertions are varied, and you can take each as you will.
Some supposedly deserted simply because the United States was a largely Protestant nation and suspicious of Catholics (who were referred to derisively as "Papists" because it was believed they were more loyal to the Pope in Rome than to the United States -- an attitude that was thought still prevalent when John F. Kennedy ran for President, i.e., there would never be a "Catholic President"). As Catholics these men were supposedly (who really knows for certain now) subjected to more mistreatment by their Protestant peers and superiors. Being Catholic could hold up, or prevent, promotion. (This attitude was supposedly even more prevalent in the South. General Cleburne, an Irish Catholic and regarded as the "Stonewall Jackson of the west," was supposedly not promoted to corps command by the Confederacy because of this suspicion of Catholics, even though he was made a general and given a division command.) In response to this mistreatment, these Catholics deserted and went south to fight for Mexico against the United States.
Some supposedly deserted simply because they were Catholic, and would not fight for a Protestant nation (the United States) against a Catholic one (Mexico) whether there was mistreatment or not.
Some, however, supposedly deserted and went south due to the "inducements" (money, land, promotion, and prestige) offered by Mexico to do so.
The San Patricios were, in one sense and at least some of them, the Major Nidals of their day.
Their combat record without a doubt marked the San Patricios as one of the Mexican Army's most, if not the most, effective units in that war. They were without a doubt fanatics, and roughly equivalent to the Al Qaida brigade that fought for the Taliban in Afghanistan. They could, and would, kill Mexican soldiers who had decided (on their own) to retreat in the face of an advance by the American Army (something left out of Mexican text books that laud the San Pats). And their fanaticism was driven at least in part by the fact that most of them were deserters, and if captured, were subject to execution for that crime alone. Having donned the uniform of Mexico after having enlisted in the American Army, they were also turncoats and traitors, and again subject to execution if captured.
What became of the San Pats?
There is no full accounting of every man who served in the Saint Patrick Battalion,
Those who were not killed or captured essentially vanished into history. Some supposedly actually benefited from the land grants Mexico had offered to induce their service.
Those who were captured were given trials (there is question of the standards of these trials), and in defiance of then accepted practice were almost entirely sentenced to be hanged (at least one was executed by firing squad, which was the then accepted practice for desertion in time of war), and at least 50 men were hanged.
From my standpoint, having been raised as a Catholic, being by descent part Irish, being an American by birth, and having served as an officer in the United States Army, I have no problem with these men having been executed. On this, Mr. Aragones and I would part ways, but this is the world in which we live and I am willing to accept that Mr. Aragones would never understand my viewpoint.
posted by Federation Commander at 8:11 AM
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