A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)

This paper examines the letters and unpublished diaries written by the Jesuit John McElroy while acting as a chaplain in the U.S. Army during 1846 and 1847, in the Mexican-American War. It is argued that, in addition to the inherent ambivalences of the military chaplain’s role, particular contradict...

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Autor principal: Oubiña, Tomás
Formato: Artículo revista
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires 2026
Materias:
capellán militar
John McElroy
México
catolicismo
jesuitas
military chaplain
Mexico
catholicism
jesuits
Acceso en línea:https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/historiayguerra/article/view/17214
Aporte de:
Historia y guerra de Universidad de Buenos Aires
id I28-R255-article-17214
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spelling I28-R255-article-172142026-04-10T00:07:33Z A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847) Un capellán jesuita en el Río Bravo: Los escritos de John McElroy durante la invasión estadounidense de México (1846-1847) Oubiña, Tomás capellán militar John McElroy México catolicismo jesuitas military chaplain John McElroy Mexico catholicism jesuits This paper examines the letters and unpublished diaries written by the Jesuit John McElroy while acting as a chaplain in the U.S. Army during 1846 and 1847, in the Mexican-American War. It is argued that, in addition to the inherent ambivalences of the military chaplain’s role, particular contradictions arose in this case: both McElroy and his companion, Anthony Rey, were Catholics (and Jesuits) serving a predominantly Protestant nation that was, furthermore, waging war against a Catholic country. In this regard, the political and religious purposes behind their mission are considered. McElroy’s comments on slavery, made during his passage through the American South, and on his interactions —while stationed at the base in Matamoros— with the Mexican population and the American troops are analyzed. Finally, the paper offers an assessment of the successes and failures of his pastoral activity. Este trabajo examina los diarios inéditos y las cartas que escribió el jesuita John McElroy durante su labor, en 1846 y 1847, como capellán del ejército de los Estados Unidos en la guerra mexicano-estadounidense. Se plantea que, a las ambivalencias propias del rol del capellán militar, se sumaban en este caso contradicciones particulares: tanto McElroy como su compañero, Anthony Rey, eran católicos (y jesuitas) sirviendo a una nación mayoritariamente protestante que, además, libraba una guerra contra un país católico. En ese sentido, se contemplan los propósitos político-religiosos detrás de su misión. Se analizan los comentarios de McElroy sobre la esclavitud, en su paso por el sur de Estados Unidos, y sobre su relación –una vez establecido en la base de Matamoros– con la población mexicana y las tropas estadounidenses. Por último, se traza un balance de los logros y fracasos de su actividad pastoral. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires 2026-04-09 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Articles Artículos Artigos application/pdf text/html https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/historiayguerra/article/view/17214 10.34096/hyg.n9.17214 Historia & Guerra; No. 9 (2026): Enero-Junio; 119-146 Historia & Guerra; Núm. 9 (2026): Enero-Junio; 119-146 2796-8650 spa https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/historiayguerra/article/view/17214/16056 https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/historiayguerra/article/view/17214/16073 Derechos de autor 2026 Tomás Oubiña https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-255
container_title_str Historia y guerra
language Español
format Artículo revista
topic capellán militar
John McElroy
México
catolicismo
jesuitas
military chaplain
John McElroy
Mexico
catholicism
jesuits
spellingShingle capellán militar
John McElroy
México
catolicismo
jesuitas
military chaplain
John McElroy
Mexico
catholicism
jesuits
Oubiña, Tomás
A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)
topic_facet capellán militar
John McElroy
México
catolicismo
jesuitas
military chaplain
John McElroy
Mexico
catholicism
jesuits
author Oubiña, Tomás
author_facet Oubiña, Tomás
author_sort Oubiña, Tomás
title A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)
title_short A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)
title_full A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)
title_fullStr A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)
title_full_unstemmed A Jesuit Chaplain on the Rio Grande: The Writings of John McElroy During the American Invasion of Mexico (1846-1847)
title_sort jesuit chaplain on the rio grande: the writings of john mcelroy during the american invasion of mexico (1846-1847)
description This paper examines the letters and unpublished diaries written by the Jesuit John McElroy while acting as a chaplain in the U.S. Army during 1846 and 1847, in the Mexican-American War. It is argued that, in addition to the inherent ambivalences of the military chaplain’s role, particular contradictions arose in this case: both McElroy and his companion, Anthony Rey, were Catholics (and Jesuits) serving a predominantly Protestant nation that was, furthermore, waging war against a Catholic country. In this regard, the political and religious purposes behind their mission are considered. McElroy’s comments on slavery, made during his passage through the American South, and on his interactions —while stationed at the base in Matamoros— with the Mexican population and the American troops are analyzed. Finally, the paper offers an assessment of the successes and failures of his pastoral activity.
publisher Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires
publishDate 2026
url https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/historiayguerra/article/view/17214
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first_indexed 2026-04-13T05:05:56Z
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