"Santa Anna's Retreat", also known as "Santa Anna's March" is an old-time breakdown in A Mixolydian/Dorian The parts are played AABB. Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876) is best known as commander of the Mexican forces at the Alamo in 1836 and later defeated at the battle of San Jacinto (he was captured and interviewed by U.S. President Andrew Jackson, then released to return home). At the time of the conflict with Texas he was not only general of the army but the president of Mexico and leader of Mexico at several different times during his life. During the Mexican-American War of 1846-47 he again commanded the Mexican forces opposing the United States army. The Fuzzy Mountain String Band learned the tune from Glen Lyn, Virginia, fiddler Henry Reed, who apparently learned the tune from his mentor, neighboring fife player Quince Dillon, a fifer in the Mexican War. Reed told musicologist Alan Jabbour that the tune was used by Santa Anna’s army in retreat from the Americans, although Jabbour thought it was more likely it was played by the Americans due to its British origins. Under the title "Johnny Cope" it appears in O’Neill’s Music of Ireland (No. 1812, with the remark "Irish version"). It was printed in Banjo Newsletter (1978), Pickin' Magazine (1979/03), Brody's Fiddler’s Fakebook (1983), Brody's Guitar Picker's Fakebook (1984), Brody's Banjo Picker's Fakebook (1985), Slater's Clawhammer Banjo Solos (1979), Carlin's English Concertina (1977) and Spadaro's 10 Cents a Dance (1980). It was recorded by The Red Clay Ramblers on Chuckin' the Frizz (1979) (as “Santa Anna’s March”), Fuzzy Mountain String Band on Summer Oaks and Porch (1973), Norman Blake on Directions and Alan Jabbour, James Reed and Bertram Levy on A Henry Reed Reunion (2002).