Special Tartan

[pipesndrumsnun]

Hey, there...
Cinco de Mayo has me thinking...is there any special Mexican or Mexican American tartan???

[Kid Cossack]

If I was going to have to guess . . . I'd guess any kind of St. Patrick tartan would work in a pinch, in honor of the St. Patrick's Battalion that abandoned it's Union loyalties to fight with its coreligionists in the Mexican-American War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick%27s_Brigade

[Ayin McFye]

If I was going to have to guess . . . I'd guess any kind of St. Patrick tartan would work in a pinch, in honor of the St. Patrick's Brigade that abandoned it's Union loyalties to fight with its coreligionists in the Mexican-American War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick%27s_Brigade

Wow... that's was some pretty heavy reading for me. I'm not sure how I want to take that article. I need to do quite a bit more research but my great grandfather was Patrick Nicholas Riley, and I am almost certain he had a brother named John. Thank you though, for the very interesting article. It's time to find out if one of my ancestors is considered a "traitor" by history books. There are two sides to every story, but I doubt i'll ever find out his side of the story since he lived the rest of his life in the stockade after the war... Wow, thank you again.

[Kid Cossack]

Ayin:

"Traitor" is a heavy baggage to carry around. But remember, the Founding Fathers of the United States were, to a man, traitors to the throne of the United Kingdom. Right or wrong, traitors or heroes of conscience, the San Patricios were men who fought for what they believed in, and that's nothing to scoff at.

Best,

Lewis

[macwilkin]

There is a pipe band in Mexico City named in honour of the St. Patrick's Battalion (Battalion de San Patricio) that wears the Mackenzie tartan, as it has the colours of the Mexican flag:

http://www.bandadegaitas.com.mx/home.htm

As far as the San Patricios are concerned, the best one-volume source is Robert Miller's "Shamrock & Sword: The Saint Patrick's Battalion in the US Mexican War" (Oklahoma University Press). Miller exposes much of the mythology of the San Patricios -- many were not Irish Catholics, nor were they fighting for any conviction -- most were simple deserters who were enticed into fighting for the Mexicans. Some were not even former American soldiers, but foreign nationals living in Mexico before the war who were placed in the unit because of its "foreign legion" reputation.

The Battalion also did not desert en masse from the American army.

John Riley, btw, did not spend the rest of his life in a military stockade...but rather than tell the whole story...read Miller's book.

Regards,

Todd

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Another article on the San Patricios:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/march2004/hogan.htm

[SnakeEyes]

It's time to find out if one of my ancestors is considered a "traitor" by history books. There are two sides to every story, but I doubt i'll ever find out his side of the story since he lived the rest of his life in the stockade after the war... Wow, thank you again.

Don't worry about it, one of my ancestors was hanged for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot.