Editing Saint Patrick's Battalion (section)

==Flag==
{{Further|List of flags of Ireland}}
There are conflicting accounts of the design of the flag of the Saint Patrick's Battalion. No flags or depictions of them are known to have survived to the present day. The only version of the flag known to have survived the war was subsequently lost or stolen from the chapel at [[West Point]].{{sfn|Hogan|2011|pp=252–253}}

John Riley, who left an account of the battalion, noted the flag in a letter:{{sfn|Stevens|1999|p=285}}

{{blockquote|In all my letter, I forgot to tell you under what banner we fought so bravely. It was that glorious Emblem of native rights, that being the banner which should have floated over our native Soil many years ago, it was St. Patrick, the [[Coat of arms of Ireland#Green flag of Ireland|Harp of Erin]], the [[Shamrock]] upon a green field.}}

[[File:Erin Go Bragh Banner.svg|thumb|290px|The [[green harp flag]] in its 18th to 19th century design, showing the "Maid of Erin" as the harp's pillar, her wing forming the harp's neck, and the inscription ''Erin go Bragh'' ("Ireland forever")]]
According to [[George Wilkins Kendall]], an American journalist covering the war with Mexico:{{sfn|Kendall|1999|p=350}}

{{blockquote|The banner is of green silk, and on one side is a harp, surmounted by the Mexican coat of arms, with a scroll on which is painted {{lang|es|Libertad por la Republica Mexicana}} [Liberty for the Mexican Republic]. Under the harp is the motto of {{lang|ga|[[Erin go bragh|Erin go Bragh!]]}} On the other side is a painting ... made to represent St. Patrick, in his left hand a key and in his right a crook or staff resting upon a serpent.  Underneath is painted {{lang|es|San Patricio}}.}}

Two other eye-witness accounts of the flag exist, both from American soldiers. The first describes it as:

{{blockquote|...&nbsp;a beautiful green silk banner <nowiki>[which]</nowiki> waved over their heads; on it glittered a silver cross and a golden harp, embroidered by the hands of the fair nuns of [[San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí|San Luis Potosí]]. |author=[[Samuel Chamberlain|Samuel E. Chamberlain]], ''My Confession'' |source={{sfn|Miller|1989|p=38}}}}

The second notes only:

{{blockquote|Among the mighty host we passed was O'Reilly {{sic}} and his company of deserters bearing aloft in high disgrace the holy banner of St. Patrick.|author=[[Kentucky]] cavalryman (Mexican [[POW]]), name unknown |source={{sfn|Miller|1989|p=52}}}}

A radically different version of the flag was described in a Mexican source:{{sfn|Garibay|Teixidor|1971|p=3146}}

{{blockquote|They had a white flag/standard, on which were found the shields of Ireland and Mexico, and the name of their captain, John O'Reilly {{sic}} embroidered in green.}}

Whatever the case, in 1997 a reproduction military flag was created by the Clifden and Connemara Heritage Group. Another was created the following year for the MGM film ''[[One Man's Hero]]'', a romanticised version of the {{lang|es|San Patricios}}' history. A third version embodying the description of the San Luis Potosí flag was made for the Irish Society of Chicago, which hung it in the city's [[Union League|Union League Club]].

Some writers suggest that the Saint Patrick's Battalion might have used different banners (as an artillery unit, as an infantry company, and as a reconstructed unit).{{sfn|Ferrigan III|2000}}

===Music===
A number of musical works have covered the battalion, including:{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
* "Saint Patrick's Battalion" – by [[The Elders (band)|The Elders]] (on ''Story Road'')
* "St Patricks Battalion" by [[The Wakes]]
* "''[[San Patricio (album)|San Patricio]]''" – album by [[The Chieftains]] and [[Ry Cooder]]{{sfn|NPR|2010}}
* "San Patricio Brigade" – by [[Black 47 (band)|Black 47]]{{sfn|Dickson|2008|p=145}}
* "San Patricios" – by [[Street Dogs]] (on ''[[State of Grace (album)|State of Grace]]'')
* "St Patrick's Brave Brigade" – by [[Damien Dempsey]]
* "St Patrick's Battalion" – by [[David Rovics]]
* "The San Patricios" – by [[The Fenians]]
* "John Riley" – by [[Paul McKenna Band]]

===Films and fiction===
* 1962 – ''Saint Patrick's Battalion'', by Carl Krueger
* 1985 – ''A Flag to Fly: Based on True Story of the St. Patrick's Battalion in Mexico 1847'', by Chris Matthews
* 1996 – ''The San Patricios'', directed by Mark R. Day
* 1997 – ''In the Rogue Blood'', by [[James Carlos Blake]], winner of [[Los Angeles Times Book Prize]] for Fiction,
* 1998 – ''St. Patrick's Battalion'', documentary film directed by Jason Hool
* 1999 – ''[[One Man's Hero]]'', feature film directed by Lance Hool, written by Milton S. Gelman{{sfn|Wagenen|2012|pp=230–232}}
* 2001 – ''[[Gone for Soldiers]]'', novel by Jeff Shaara
* 2006 – ''Saint Patrick's Battalion'', novel by [[James Alexander Thom]], published by Blue River Press of Indianapolis
* 2009 – ''Just like me'', novel by Michael Fallaw. {{ISBN|978-1436385084}}
* 2011 – ''Saol John Riley'', TG4 (Ireland) documentary, directed by Kieran Concannon
* 2012 – ''Country of the Bad Wolfes'', novel by [[James Carlos Blake]], published by Cinco Puntos Press, El Paso, TX
* 2018 – ''El Batallón de San Patricio'', novel by Pino Cacucci, published by Grijalbo
* 2017 - ''The Battle of Churubusco'', novel by Andrea Ferraris, published by Fantagraphics