Today in history: September 13, 1847 - 30 members of the St. - TopicsExpress



          

Today in history: September 13, 1847 - 30 members of the St. Patricks Battalion executed by hanging, in the third mass execution the U.S. Army carried out against members of the Battalion. The St. Patricks Battalion was a unit of several hundred immigrants and expatriates of European descent (largely but not entirely Irish) who fought as part of the Mexican Army against the U.S. in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. Most of the battalions members had deserted or defected from the U.S. Army, seeing the U.S. cause as unjust. Disenfranchised Americans were also in the ranks, including escaped slaves from the American South. The Battalion was responsible for some of the toughest fighting and heaviest casualties that the U.S. Army faced. When they were captured by they were punished as traitors for desertion in time of war. Mass hangings for treason took place on Sep. 10, 1847 at San Ángel (where 16 were hanged) and Mixcoac (where 4 were hanged), and Sep. 13 at Chapultepec. 30 San Patricios were to be executed at Chapultepec in full view of the two armies who had fought there, at the precise moment that the flag of the U.S. replaced the flag of Mexico atop the citadel. In a final act of defiance, the men about to be hanged cheered the Mexican flag, as one onlooker allegedly remarked; Hands tied, feet tied, their voices still free. (image: Commemorative plaque placed at the San Jacinto Plaza in San Ángel, Mexico City reads: In memory of the Irish soldiers of the heroic St. Patricks Battalion, martyrs who gave their lives to the Mexican cause in the United States unjust invasion of 1847.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 16:58:24 +0000

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