Santa Anna’s leg resides in the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield, Ill. The rest of the general was interred in Mexico City.
There are at least three of Santa Anna’s prosthetic legs: the one in the military museum, a peg leg in the Governor Oglesby Museum in Decatur, Ill., and one in the Museo Nacional de Historia in Mexico City.
The artificial leg in Springfield is the fanciest. Made of cork, wood, and leather, it has a black boot. Santa Anna had small feet.
Two years after Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876) lost Texas at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, he was wounded in battle with the French and had his left leg amputated. The severed limb was buried with full military honors.
During the Mexican-American War, in 1847, Santa Anna’s fortifications were overrun at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. After the clash, Lt. W. A. Tinney of the 4th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment wrote home: “Stormed their fort and put the enemy to flight … we captured Mexican General Santa Anna’s carriage, also his wooden leg, which I have in my possession.” The prosthesis became a spoil of war.
For years Texans have tried to persuade the Illinois National Guard to donate the leg to the San Jacinto Museum, but it steadfastly refuses.
The thing is, many northerners don’t know Santa Anna’s significance. When asked if he came to see Santa Anna’s artificial leg, a local visitor to the museum replied, “I didn’t know Carlos Santana only has one leg.” They don’t teach Texas history north of the Red River. Who knew?
The Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield, Ill., is 2 miles north of the state Capitol and near the Lincoln Tomb. Santa Anna’s leg can be seen for free at the fortresslike museum Tue.-Sat., 1-4:30pm.
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This article appears in August 11 • 2023.