Shamrock and Sword - by Robert R Miller (Paperback)

About the Book

Shamrock and Sword's setting is the U.S.-Mexican War, remembered by Americans as an illustration of Manifest Destiny, the inevitable extension of the American frontier. It is remembered differently by Mexicans, who lost a substantial portion of their territory to an invading army. Perceptions on both sides of the border will be reshaped by Robert Ryal Miller's account of American soldiers who deserted to fight in the Mexican army. Miller uncovers the reasons for these desertions, presenting the soldiers' stories as they are revealed in records of the time. Many of these deserters were immigrant Irishmen.

Book Synopsis

Shamrock and Sword is the story of the St. Patrick's Battalion (San Patricios), which was composed primarily of American soldiers who chose to fight under the Mexican flag in the U.S.-Mexican War. More than two hundred American deserters (many of them Irish immigrants) joined the Mexican army to fight against their former countrymen. "Miller thoroughly investigates every legend about the battalion and the individuals who served in it. . . . Miller's book is both a detailed history of the San Patricios and a good brief summary of the entire U.S.-Mexican War." -Journal of Arizona History Robert Ryal Miller was Professor Emeritus of History at California State University, Hayward. He was the author of Mexico: A History and Juan Alvarado: Governor of California, 1836-1842, also published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

Review Quotes

"Miller thoroughly investigates every legend about the battalion and the individuals who served in it. . . . Miller's book is both a detailed history of the San Patricios and a good brief summary of the entire U.S.-Mexican War."
--Journal of Arizona History