Mexican-American War hero remains home after 170 years
The remains of 13 American troops who died in the Mexican-American War more than a century and a half ago have finally returned to American soil.
Thought to be Tennessee militia members who fought in the bloody Battle of Monterrey alongside volunteers from Mississippi, Ohio and Texas in 1846, the remains were flown to Dover Air Force Base Wednesday, where they received full military honors.
About 50 military and civilian personnel – including a contingent from Tennessee – were present for the solemn event. The remains were flown from Mexico to Dover AFB in a U.S. Army Reserve Cessna C-12.
Senior Master Sgt. David Hitchens, the Port Mortuary Superintendent at Dover AFB, addressed those in attendance before the solemn moment, saying it was an honor welcoming back the soldiers who fought and died for their country.
“Freedom is not free,” he said. “This is a great opportunity for us to honor these soldiers and the sacrifice they made for our country.”
As the two American flag-draped cases sat on the runway, seven members from the 3rd U.S. Infantry – known as “The Old Guard” – slowly marched in unison, then carried the cases one at a time to an awaiting mortuary van while military members saluted and civilians held their hands to their hearts.
Because some of the deceased troops may be Tennessee militia members, a contingent from Middle Tennessee State University were on hand. One of those was Dr. Hugh Berryman, a forensic anthropologist and professor at the school who is leading a team of 22 scientists that will work with the Army to identify the remains and hopefully learn more about the soldiers’ lives.
“What we have with these remains is a window into the past,” Berryman said. “It’s a rare opportunity that affords us a look into American soldiers from more than 100 years ago.”
Berryman said it is his understanding that the soldiers were a part of an assault on a tannery and that it was a very bloody battle. He said the odds that all of the remains are indeed those from Tennessee are not 100 percent, but his team intends to find that out if they can.
“It will be very difficult, but we are hopeful,” said Berryman, whose area of expertise is the study is bone trauma. “We’re in a new age of DNA research and that is opening up more opportunities to identify remains. I’d really like to know who they are. They deserve that. They paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country.”
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Berryman said an analysis of the soldiers’ teeth might shed light on the quality of the water they drank and where they grew up. Other clues might shed light on how they died or what diseases they might have had.
“The human skeleton is great at recording its own history,” Berryman said. “With the right tools, it’s almost as though you are doing an interview with them.”
The Mexican-American War was fought from 1846 to 1847 and led to the United States adding territory that would later become Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
About 30,000 Tennesseans answered a call by the secretary of war for additional troops to supplement U.S. forces during the war. Records indicate that at least 35 were killed in action during the battle.
Getting them home
The remains of the American soldiers were buried outside of Monterrey until their remains were rediscovered several years ago by the Mexican government.
Since then, negotiations have been underway between the U.S. State Department and the Mexican government to return the remains to the United States.
Leading the charge was U.S. Rep. Diane Black, whose office became aware of the remains in 2011. She and other members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation have “worked hard” to bring the remains home.
“It has taken six years to bring these brave soldiers home,” she said. “We have been in ongoing negotiations with the Mexican government and we have finally returned our fallen Volunteer State heroes back to American soil. It’s a real celebratory time.”
Personnel from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System at Dover AFB will now work with the team assembled from MTSU.
Col. Lou Finelli, director of AFMES, said it will be at least two months before any real discoveries are made. He said his team will utilize the expertise of the MTSU scientific collaborations to find answers.
“Given the age of the remains, we can do everything in our power, but without accurate references and accurate family genealogy, we may not be able to put a name to them,” he said. “We should hopefully be able to at least individualize these remains.”
Contact Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ. Michael Collins from the USA Today Network contributed to this story.