Then in 1842 he arranged for an elaborate ceremony to dig up the remains of his leg, and to parade with it through Mexico City Afterwards was placed on a prominent monument for all to see.
Then in 1847, facing the United States at the Battle of Cerro Gordo in Mexico, he stopped paying attention to the war long enough to savor a roasted chicken. His lunch was interrupted by the uninvited, unexpected regiment of Illinoisans, who ate the general's chicken and carried off his new cork leg. Santa Anna hobbled away to fight another day. THE PICTURE
Some of the soldiers returned to Piatt County, where the town of Griswold was renamed Cerro Gordo in commemoration of the battle. The Volunteers regiment would eventually become the Illinois National Guard, and its trophy of war, Santa Anna's cork leg, now resides in the Guard's museum, Camp Lincoln in Springfield.
Over the years, the Mexican government has asked for Santa Anna's leg back. Not that it would do the general any good, though it might show a little sensitivity. Artificial legs aren't as funny as they were in the 1850s, when veterans charged a nickel or a dime for curiosity seekers to handle the leg in hotel bars.
