Mexico
1916-1917, 14 March 1916-7
February 1917. An increasing
number of border incidents
early in 1916 culminated in
an invasion of American
territory on 8 March, when
Francisco (Pancho) Villa and
his band of 500 to 1,000 men
raided Columbus,
New Mexico. Elements of the
13th Cavalry repulsed the
attack, but there were 24
American casualties (14
military, 10 civilian).
Immediate steps were taken
to organize a punitive
expedition of about 10,000
men under Brig. Gen. John J.
Pershing to capture Villa.
The 7th, 10th, 11th, and
13th Cavalry regiments, 6th
and 16th Infantry regiments,
part of the 6th Field
Artillery, and supporting
elements crossed the border
into Mexico in mid-March,
followed later by the 5th
Cavalry, 17th and 24th
Infantry regiments, and
engineer and other units.
Pershing was subject to
orders which required him to
respect the sovereignty of
Mexico, and was further
hindered by the fact that
the Mexican Government and
people resented the
invasion. Advanced elements
of the expedition penetrated
as far as Parral, some 400
miles south of the border,
but Villa was never
captured. The campaign
consisted primarily of
dozens of minor skirmishes
with small bands of
insurgents. There were even
clashes with Mexican Army
units; the most serious was
on 21 June 1916 at Carrizal,
where a detachment of the
10th Cavalry was nearly
destroyed. War would
probably have been declared
but for the critical
situation in Europe. Even
so, virtually the entire
Regular Army was involved,
and most of the National
Guard had been Federalized
and concentrated on the
border before the end of the
affair. Normal relations
with Mexico were restored
eventually by diplomatic
negotiation, and the troops
were withdrawn from Mexico
in February 1917.
Minor clashes with Mexican
irregulars continued to
disturb the border from 1917
to 1919. Engagements took
place near Buena Vista,
Mexico on 1 December 1917;
in San Bernardino Canyon,
Mexico on 26 December 1917;
near La Grulla, Texas on 8-9
January 1918; at Pilares,
Mexico about 28 March 1918;
at Nogales, Arizona on 27
August 1918; and near E1
Paso, Texas on 15-16 June
1919.
The Mexico Punitive
Expedition 1916