Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Shamrock and Sword: The Saint-Patrick's Battalion in the U.S. Mexican War

Shamrock and Sword: The Saint-Patrick's Battalion in the U.S. Mexican War

Miller, Robert Ryal

Paperback

19th Century United States HistoryArmed ForcesOther Wars

ISBN10: 0806129646
ISBN13: 9780806129648
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Published: Sep 15 1989
Pages: 252
Weight: 0.74
Height: 0.76 Width: 5.41 Depth: 8.26
Language: English

This fascinating true story about war, intrigue, defection to the enemy, and brutal military justice is a dramatic example of the conflicts that frequently arise between humanitarian values and inflexible military regulations.

Shamrock and Sword's setting is the U.S.-Mexican War, remembered by Americans as an illustration of Manifest Destiny, the inevitable extension of the American frontier. It is remembered differently by Mexicans, who lost a substantial portion of their territory to an invading army. Perceptions on both sides of the border will be reshaped by Robert Ryal Miller's account of American soldiers who deserted to fight in the Mexican army. Miller uncovers the reasons for these desertions, presenting the soldiers' stories as they are revealed in records of the time. Many of these deserters were immigrant Irishmen.

Contrary to what has been supposed, however, the Saint Patrick's Battalion included men of a dozen nationalities. Choosing for different reasons to fight under the Mexican flag, all were treated as deserters, and those captured were court-martialed by the U.S. Army. Fifty were executed; others were whipped and branded. The leader of the group, John Riley, was branded with a D on both cheeks. The Mexican government, on the other hand, viewed the men of the Saint Patrick's Battalion as heroes, awarding them honors and erecting a monument to them.

Also from

Miller, Robert Ryal

View All

Also in

Other Wars

View All