John Riley (soldier)
| John O'Riley | |
|---|---|
Inscription to the memory of the St Patrick's Battalion - Museo de las Intervenciones, Coyoacán, DF
|
|
| Born | 8 February 1817 Clifden, Ireland |
| Died | 10 October 1850 (aged 33)? Veracruz, Mexico |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom United States Mexico
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army United States Army Mexican Army
|
| Years of service | 1835-1840 (UK) 1845-1846 (US) 1846-1850 (Mexico) |
| Rank |
Sergeant (UK) Private (US) Brevet Major (Mexico) |
| Commands held | Batallón de San Patricio |
| Battles/wars | |
John Patrick Riley (also known as John Patrick O'Riley, (c. 1817 – August 1850?) was an Irish soldier in the British Army who emigrated to the United States and subsequently enlisted in the United States Army. During the Mexican-American War of 1846-48, Riley led a number of other Irish Catholics in the ranks who defected to Mexico, where they formed the Saint Patrick's Battalion in the Mexican Army.
Riley was born in Clifden, County Galway, Ireland around 1817–1818; his original Irish name is Seán Ó Raghailligh. Riley served with the British Army before emigrating to Canada. Connemara and other rural regions suffered greatly during the Great Famine, and millions of people emigrated by ship from Ireland to Canada and the United States to survive. Riley was among them.
Soon after his arrival in the United States in Michigan, Riley enlisted in the US Army. Many immigrants were recruited in the 1840s; some served just to earn some money, as they had usually fled famine and severe poverty in their home countries.
Prior to his desertion, Riley served in Company K of the 5th US Infantry Regiment. Riley and Patrick Dalton formed the Batallón de San Patricio, or the Saint Patrick's Battalion. It was made up of mostly Irish and German immigrants, although it included Catholics from many other countries as well, plus some African Americans who escaped from slavery in the American South. The unit deserted in 1846 just before the war's beginning and fought at several battles and finally at the Battle of Churubusco, on the outskirts of Mexico City, where more than 70 were captured by US forces and the rest disbanded. Men of the disbanded battalion went on to fight at the Battle for Mexico City.
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