In honor of my #Bday I have decided to do some good ole Irish-American day drinking. (Mother In-law came over and insisted) In doing so I can't help but to tell a little Irish-American History. I was inspired by a little tune called "San Patricio Brigade" by #Black47

Heavy Irish immigation during the years surrounding the "Great Potato Famine" as the heartless British landowners forced millions of poor Irish peasants to crowd into East Coast US cities.

Desperate for any forms of income to feed their families, recent Irish immigrants signed up in droves to fill the ranks of a United States army wholly inadequate to the recent conflict that had begun with Mexico in 1846. Irish immigrants were combined with other

catholic emigres who were prized for the greater scientific training in knowledge of artillery. The US army was a hostile place for any Catholic in the 19th century and especially in the antebellum years.

It was run by the nation's Protestant elite and centered on southern plantation society.

Irish Catholic soldiers were forced to attend Protestant services and marked for brutal punishment by an officer corp that would act as the political base for the future anti-immigrant "No-Nothing." The recent immigrants fought for meager bounty and no promise of citizenship.

The Mexican Government led by the recently redeemed General Santa Anna offered generous bounties and land grants for any Catholic willing to defect. The Mexican side even dedicated pamphlets to the abuses and insults heaped upon the catholics by their officer corp and press.

After crossing into Mexico in April of 1846, several 100 Irishmen, Germans, and a various smattering of other catholic immigrant enlisted men deserted while forming a corp around a man named John Riley. Riley was a former British army artillery officer and

the proto-type target group of trained Catholic immigrants with service in major European armies. The Unit was organized and first saw action at the Battle of Monterrey where their artillery skills were noted by American commanders and their Mexican counterparts alike.

In the turning point Battle of Buena Vista in early 1847, the Brigade was deployed in reserse of a bayonet attack. It's attempt was to seize US batteries with the european trained experts within the Brigade turning the guns on the US forces.

The St. Patricks brigade turned the guns on American forces with devastating effect. Gen.Taylor was forced to send several futile calvary charges in an attempt to seize the guns back. Mexican forces retreated despite inflicting heavy losses upon the Americans....

with the Irish covering their retreat and losing 1/3 of their strength.

Mexican forces faced both supply issues and pressing political developments that appeared to Santa Anna that a coup was developing. As Santa Anna fled south toward Mexico city, his forces never knew just how close they had to having the American forces on the ropes.

By March 1847 , US forces had added a second front by invading at Veracruz with an aim to take the traditional invasion toward Mexico City.

Reconstituted as the "Mexican Foreign Legion" and awarded the "War Cross" by Mexico for valor, the unit was supplemented by 100s more Catholic defections for the last ditch defense of Mexico City in August 1847.

At the Battle of Churubusco, the St. Patricks Brigade took up strong positions in fortified haciendas similar to the British positions at Waterloo. They concentrated their artillery fire from these "islands" against assaulting US forces.