John Riley & the San Patricios

The Wild West Extravaganza

Wild West Josh

Education, History

4.8 • 667 Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Saint Patrick’s Battalion, also known as the San Patricios, was a hard-fighting unit of foreign soldiers, mostly Irish, who deserted the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. From the Siege of Fort Texas to the Battles of Monterey, Buena Vista, Cera Gordo, and beyond, these Irishmen served with valor and distinction. Surrounded, outgunned, far from their homeland, and branded as traitors, the men of the Saint Patrick’s Battalion had nothing to lose. But why? Why’d they turn their backs on their adopted country and join forces with the enemy? What would become of the San Patricios who were ultimately captured? And who exactly was their leader, John Riley? Check out the website for more true tales from the Old West https://www.wildwestextra.com/ Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/ Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/ Join Patreon for ad-free and bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra Street Dogs | San Patricios - https://youtu.be/1asy-BWEaAM?si=V7s4M49Yf7kdP7Zc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:29.6	As morning broke on the fortress convent at Churabusco, the men within its walls prepared to sell their lives dearly.
0:36.4	Even as the enemy approached from the surrounding
0:38.3	marshes, struggling against the mud and the muck, but on they came. Advancing in the face of what one of them
0:44.0	would later describe as showers of lead and iron. The enemy watched in awe as a white flag of surrender
0:49.5	rose from the convent. And then, just as quickly as it appeared, the flag vanished.
0:54.4	This happened twice more as the battle continued to rage.
0:57.3	Despite pleas of some of their less than courageous
0:59.4	compatries, these guys just flat out refused to give up.
1:02.7	And for good reason.
1:04.3	You see, the men defending Churubusco
1:06.3	had committed what many considered to be the ultimate sin.
1:09.6	They knew full well would have waited them if they were to be taken as prisoners.
1:13.0	Yes, they figured a quick bullet was better than swinging from the end of a rope.
1:17.0	This resolve notwithstanding, their attackers were eventually able to force their way inside,
1:22.0	engaging the defenders in hand-to-hand combat.
1:24.8	All total, over 130 American soldiers would lose their lives, with another 800
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