Stories of Resistance: The Saint Patrick’s Battalion

There is a wall in Mexico City with a memorial plaque for the Irish.

But these were not just any Irishmen. They were members of the Brigada San Patricio—the Saint Patrick’s Brigade.

And they gave their lives for the Mexican struggle against the United States.

This was the late 1840s.

Potato famine was ravaging Ireland.

Hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens were emigrating to the United States.

In search of a better life abroad.

Opportunity and hope.

Many enlisted in the US army.

But in the 1840s United States, the Irish were second-class people…

If their white skin helped them to blend in, their accents did not.

They were ridiculed and discriminated against, for their accents and their Catholic faith.

And many were sent to the front lines to fight Mexico.

Then US President James K. Polk promised to expand US territory by any means necessary. When the US declared war on Mexico in 1846, it was a war for land, for manifest destiny…

But for many of the Irish sent to the front lines… they were fighting for a country that was not their own. And this war of conquest didn’t sit right.

They identified not with Uncle Sam, but with the Mexicans defending their land against a foreign aggressor. It reminded them of their own fight back home to defend Catholic Ireland against the Protestant British. Like the Irish, the Mexicans were also Catholics, seen as an inferior religion for those in the invading army.

In Mexico, the Irish watched homes burn, and violence, looting, and sexual assaults by US soldiers.

So… they defected. Hundreds left the red, white, and blue and joined the Mexican army.

They were known as the Saint Patrick’s Brigade, or the Colorados for their red hair. As many as 800 people would join the Saint Patrick’s Brigade.

They fought under Irish Captain John Riley. And they weren’t just Irish. A band of foreigners from a dozen countries, from across Europe. Many of them Catholics.

They marched under the green flag of Saint Patrick, with the harp and the shamrock and the Irish words Erin Go Bragh embroidered across it. “Ireland forever.”

They fought in Monterrey, Matamoros, and several other major battles.

Churubusco, in Mexico City, was the last. Even as the US ranks gained the upper hand, and the Irish ran out of bullets, their brigade pushed on. They tore down the white flag of surrender and battled with their bare hands. Many bodies were left on the battlefield.

The rest were taken and executed by American officers as traitors… for deserting their ranks in the US army.

But they are still remembered. From Ireland to Mexico.

Memorials still tell of their bravery.

Stories are still told.

Songs sung.

In Mexico, they have their own day of remembrance… September 12, which honors the Saint Patrick’s Battalion.

And of course… Saint Patrick’s Day. Across Mexico, people lift a glass to the brigade of Irish soldiers who fought to defend Mexican soil against the US invasion.

And the many who gave their lives…

In recent years, Mexico City has even illuminated the city’s Angel of Independence monument in green light to remember the Saint Patrick’s Brigade and their sacrifice for Mexico.

This is the ninth episode of Stories of Resistance — a new podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review. You can also follow Michael’s reporting and support at www.patreon.com/mfox.

Written and produced by Michael Fox.

You can check out folk singer David Rovics’ song, St. Patrick Battalion, here. In that same link you can also read the lyrics and see several videos of him performing the song live.

For more information, see this link about the Mexican-American War and the Saint Patrick’s Battalion: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/mexican-american-war-irish-immigrants-deserted-us-army-fight-against-america-180971713/

This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Michael Fox.

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