Batallón de San Patricio - An early example of dark Irish humour.

There's a song by The Fureys and Davey Arthur called Gallipoli, which goes...

You fought for the wrong country, you died for the wrong cause.

And your ma often said that it was Ireland's great loss

All those fine young men who marched to foreign shores to fight the wars

When the greatest war of all was at home

Those words remind me of a painting by Samuel Chamberlain called The Hanging of the San Patricios. The story of Francis O'Connor, one of the condemned is a surreal look at the meaning of Irishness.

By order of Gen. Wilfred Scott, 30 San Patricios were to be executed at Chapultepec in full view of the two armies who had fought there, at the precise moment that the flag of the U.S. replaced the flag of Mexico atop the citadel. This order was carried out by Col. William Harney. While overseeing the hangings, Harney ordered Francis O'Connor hanged even though he had both legs amputated the previous day.

What type of man hangs a lad with no legs?