Why is There a Prosthetic Leg of a Mexican General in an Illinois Museum?

I am baffled, knock off both of my working legs, and confused by this prosthetic leg. You can find this fake leg that at one time belonged to a Mexican General, in an Illinois museum. HUFF

Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna left his fake leg behind, when he ran...hobbled for his dear life during the Battle of Cerro Gordo in 1847. How in the world did this end up in an Illinois museum? Check this out...

Illinois infantry found the carriage that was left abandoned by Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Left behind was a bunch of weird stuff. A chicken lunch, a box of gold, and his fake leg. What? You couldn't shove a drum stick in your mouth, throw gold in your pockets, and your leg under your arm? Is that asking too much, general?

So the story goes, the soldiers ate the chicken, spit up and kept the gold, and turned the leg into their home state of Illinois and placed on exhibit in Memorial Hall. Those fun loving soldiers, way to go! Great sense of humor even in 1847.

Here's where the story gets animated and funny. Years and years later, the tv show "King of the Hill" used the leg as part of a storyline in the episode: "The Final Shinsult." What a great title. Check out the video here:

Thank you soldiers, thank you King of the Hill...this hop-along story made my day!