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On the eve of Mexican-American War of 1848, a group of recently arrived
Irish immigrants deserted the U.S. army and joined the Mexican army as
the Saint Patrick's Battalion. This excellent study explores the
motivations of the Irishmen, their valiant contributions to the Mexican
cause, and the consequences for them when they were ultimately captured.
The Irish Soldiers of Mexico sold out four editions in English and two
editions in Spanish from 1997 to 2001. It has been the basis of an MGM
feature film starring Tom Berenger, two documentaries and has also been used in many
history classes both in the United States and abroad.
As Michael Hogan rightly points out in his introduction, American
textbooks scarcely devote attention to this war. "Coverage," he writes,
"generally consists of a two or three page section entitled Westward
Expansion or Manifest Destiny."
 Michael Hogan
lives in Colonia Providencia, Guadalajara, Mexico, with his wife
Lucinda Mayo, the internationally known fabric artist. Born in Newport,
Rhode Island in 1943, he is the author of sixteen books, including a
collection of short stories, six books of poetry, collected essays on
teaching in Latin America, a novel, and a history of the Irish battalion
in Mexico which formed the basis for an MGM movie starring Tom
Berenger. His work has appeared in many journals such as the Paris
Review, the Harvard Review, Z-Magazine, Political Affairs and the
Monthly Review. He is a consultant to the U.S. Department of State’s
Office of Overseas Schools in Latin America. As an author he has
received wide recognition for his work, including a PEN Award, two
Pushcart Prizes, an NEA fellowship, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the
gold medal of the Mexican Geographical Society.
For more information visit the author's website at http://drmichaelhogan.com
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