Congressman Lincoln and the return of the wooden leg of General Santa Anna

[David Lockmiller]

[img]http://[/img]

During the Mexican War at the Battle of Cerro Gordo in 1847 Soldiers of the 4th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment came upon what is today one of the unique artifacts of the museum's collection-- the artificial leg of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the general who had commanded Mexican forces at the battle for the Alamo. The Illinois Soldiers came upon General Santa Anna's abandoned carriage and found gold worth $18,000, a roast chicken lunch, and his artificial leg. They turned in the gold, ate the chicken and kept the artificial leg as a souvenir. More than 150 years later, the leg is displayed inside a re-created carriage scene.

For further information call: (217) 761-3910, fax (217) 761-3709, email us at NGILMilitaryMuseum@ng.army.mil, or write us:

Illinois State Military Museum
Department of Military Affairs
1301 N. MacArthur Blvd.,
Springfield, Illinois 62702-2399