Mexican-American War

Combatants

During the course of the war, around 13,000 American soldiers were killed. Of these deaths, only about 1.5% (~195) were from actual combat; the rest stemmed from disease and insanitary conditions during the war. It is also estimated that, if post-war deaths from war-related causes are counted, the combined U.S. casualty rate for the war was very high, 30-40%. Mexican casualties remain somewhat of a mystery, and are estimated at 25,000.

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During the War, many important battles were fought, including the Battle of Churubusco and the Battle of Padierna.

Related Topics:
Battle of Churubusco - Battle of Padierna

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One of the most important actors in the Mexican side was Pedro María Anaya, who defended the convent of Santa María Churubusco. He said the most famous phrase of the War when general Twiggs entered into the convent: "If we had bullets you weren't here". It shows how the advantages of the American army were not only organisation, but also wealth.

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A noteworthy, if controversially–remembered, group of fighters was Saint Patrick's Battalion (San Patricios), a group of several hundred immigrant soldiers (mostly from Ireland) who deserted the U.S. Army in favor of the Mexican side. According to one version of events, the Battalion deserted after having experienced harsh religious discrimination in the United States, and found common cause with Mexico due to its status as a largely Catholic country. Most would die in the Battle of Churubusco. Some were captured and hanged, reputedly by generals instructed to make sure that the last thing they saw was the lowering of the Mexican flag and the raising of the U.S. flag. Some historians claim that these men were actually prisoners of war and forced to fight for Mexico. Others argue that they were simply traitors and deserters, and in some cases were marked with a "D" (of deserters) with hot iron.

Related Topics:
Saint Patrick's Battalion - Ireland - Catholic - Battle of Churubusco - Mexican flag - U.S. flag

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It is known that some of the captured Irish soldiers were choked in Mixcoac. There are, in any event, a number of monuments to these soldiers in present-day Mexico.

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According to data from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the last surviving US veteran of the conflict, Owen Thomas Edgar, died on September 3, 1929 at the age of 98.

Related Topics:
United States Department of Veterans Affairs - Last surviving US veteran - Owen Thomas Edgar - September 3 - 1929

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