It's all interesting to me. We were taught very little about the Mexican war in high school which was many years ago. What I've learned I learned later in a couple of college course a reading on my own. The San Patricios were as stated above not entirely Irish. it should be noted that not all of the San Patricio's captured were hung. SCott made every attempt to ensure the trials were conducted as fairly as possible under the military system (The Articles of War) at the time. I've read, although I haven't seen it in more that one source so I will not attest the veracity, that the San Patricios that were hung the day Chapultapec was taken watched American troops take the fortress and cheered as the flag went up. Sounds like folklore to me but anything is possible especially in war. Winfield SCott was looking toward the presidency but I don't believe that even he thought he had a chance. Brilliant militarily, he could be tempermental, sulky and extremely vain but he did run a straight forward campaign and managed for the most part to keep his soldiers from the normal depradations that most armies tend to commit (or did in those days) Namely rape, pillage and murder. Those who did were tried and hung with far more swiftness than the san patricios were. The officer corps for both the Union and Confederate Army learned their trade in Mexico by the way. Was it expansionist? Certainly but it is also one of our more interesting wars in that there are several similarities to Viet Nam Kindest regards, Neil