Battle of Columbus (1916) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Battle of Columbus, the Burning of Columbus or the Columbus Raid began as a raid

Raid (military)

Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...

conducted by Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa

José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....

's Division of the North

Division of the North

The Division of the North was a 19th century Spanish division.The division was composed of 15,000 men, and commanded by Pedro Caro y Sureda. Spain being an ally of France, the unit spent 1807 and 1808 performing garrison duties in Hamburg under Marshal Bernadotte...

on the small United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

border town of Columbus

Columbus, New Mexico

Columbus is a village in Luna County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,765 at the 2000 census. The town is named after 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus.-History:...

, New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

in March 1916. The raid escalated into a full scale battle between Villistas and the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. Villa himself led the assault, only to be driven back into Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

by elements of the 13th Cavalry

13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)

The 13th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. The 1st and 2nd Squadrons are currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 1st Armored Division.-Service History:...

. The attack was used as justification for the Pancho Villa Expedition

Pancho Villa Expedition

The Pancho Villa Expedition—officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition and sometimes colloquially referred to as the Punitive Expedition—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican insurgent Francisco "Pancho" Villa...

in which the US Army invaded Mexico in an attempt to capture General Villa.

Battle

After the 1915 Battle of Celaya

Battle of Celaya

The Battle of Celaya, which occurred near Celaya, Guanajuato on 13 April 1915, was a battle of the Mexican Revolution.The Conventionist forces under Pancho Villa were badly defeated by forces under the command of Álvaro Obregón, who supported the presidency of Venustiano Carranza. Villa lost...

, where Villa sustained his greatest defeat, the Division of the North was in shambles, wandering around northern Mexico

Mexico

foraging for supplies. Lacking the military supplies, money and munitions he needed in order to successfully win his war against Mexican President Venustiano Carranza

Venustiano Carranza

Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution of Mexico was drafted...

, Villa planned the raid and camped his army of an estimated 500 horsemen outside of Columbus, on the Mexican side of the border. There Villa and his men waited for his returning patrols.

After the return of Villa's patrols, which told him only about thirty soldiers garrisoned Columbus, Villa launched a two-pronged attack on the town just after 4:00 am on March 9 when most of the town's population was asleep, along with most of the garrison. After entering the town at 4:15 am, shouting "Viva Villa" and other phrases, the townspeople awoke to an army of Villista cavalry burning their settlement.

Almost immediately the garrison of Columbus was active, grabbing their machine guns and Springfield rifles and running to defensible positions around their camp. Unfortunately for Villa, the town's garrison consisted of a 330-strong detachment of the 13th Cavalry

13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)

The 13th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. The 1st and 2nd Squadrons are currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 1st Armored Division.-Service History:...

. In addition, the townspeople were well armed.

Villa's men looted many houses and burned them, fighting civilians defending their homes. To protect his withdrawal, Villa and around two dozen men took up position on a hill overlooking Columbus. There the Villistas fought the Americans until almost being overrun. Major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Frank Tompkins

Colonel Frank Tompkins was an American officer in the United States Army and Medal of Honor recipient for his leadership in the 1916 Battle of Columbus, New Mexico, during the conflict on the Mexican-American border.-Biography:...

led the cavalry's pursuit of Villa into Mexico, for which he received the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

, in 1918.

Aftermath

The raid was a disaster for Pancho Villa; casualties were more than 100 of his force which consisted of more than 400 men. A machine gun troop led by First Lieutenant

First Lieutenant

First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...

and later Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

John P. Lucas

John Porter Lucas was an American Major General and one of the commanders of VI Corps during the Italian Campaign of the Mediterranean Theater of World War II.-Early career:...

fired over 20,000 machine gun rounds at Villa's men that morning. Mexican casualties were confirmed to be at least sixty-seven killed in action plus about thirteen men who died from wounds, over 100 non-fatally wounded, and five taken prisoner, who were later executed by hanging

Hanging

Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...

.

Despite a long fight and the burning of Columbus, American casualties were minor compared to Villa's. Eighteen died that day, eight soldiers and ten civilians, while the army suffered six wounded and the town suffered two wounded. The Battle of Columbus was a direct cause of the Pancho Villa Expedition, a punitive expedition

Punitive expedition

A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...

to track and capture the outlaw.

In commemoration of Pancho Villa's attack on American citizens and their town garrison

Garrison

Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....

, the Panco Villa State RV Park in Columbus was named after him, on the ground of what was Camp Furlong.

Battle

Aftermath

See also