Attack On Columbus, New Mexico...!

Sometimes the people we like to set up as folk heroes...aren't! This story of the attack on Columbus is a good example of how things can get ugly when neighbors turn on one another.

Battle Of Columbus

Photo credit: Bain News Service

Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa was active along the United States border throughout the Mexican Revolution and during World War I. Villa constantly infuriated American authorities by conducting raids on trains and causing havoc on the border. However, his boldest move came in 1916 when he attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico.

A garrison of 600 troops was guarding Columbus, but bad information led Villa to believe that he had the advantage with his 400 soldiers. On March 9, 1916, his soldiers cut the border wire, and Villa led them into town. The Mexican attackers stormed through Columbus, looting houses and businesses. Civilians fought off the raiders as the US Army quickly mobilized to repulse Villa’s forces. Commanders organized their men into fire squads, and they even brought in machine guns to fight off the attackers.

It soon became clear that the defenders had the upper hand, and realizing he’d lost the element of surprise, Villa ordered a retreat. The bandit managed to escape with his men . . . but at great cost. He lost nearly 100 troops during the attack.

As for the US, 18 Americans lay dead, and parts of Columbus had burned down. Outraged, President Woodrow Wilson ordered a 6,000-man expeditionary force (commanded by General John Pershing) to enter Mexico and capture Pancho Villa. For a year, the Americans had the full cooperation of the Mexican government, but in 1917, Mexican authorities asked the expeditionary force to leave.

While Villa managed to evade Pershing, the massive military response convinced the outlaw to never attack American territory again.

Sounds to me as though things could have been a lot worse in Columbus. Glad that they weren't!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Raining outside...