Presidents and War: Woodrow Wilson and Pancho Villa
On July 20, 1923, nearly a century ago, Mexican revolutionary José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa, was assassinated while visiting the town of Parral, Mexico. He was shot in an ambush, likely orchestrated for political reasons.
Villa had been the Governor of the Mexican province of Chihuahua and had some support from the United States. He was invited to Fort Bliss to meet Brigadier General John J. Pershing. In 1915 President Woodrow Wilson had a change of heart. Wilson believed that supporting Villa's opponent, Venustiano Carranza was the best way to establish a stable Mexican government, less sucsceptible from the influence of foreign powers like Germany. Wilson refused to allow more arms to be supplied to Villa's army, and allowed Carranza's troops to be relocated using U.S. railroads. Villa felt betrayed by the Americans.
In January 1916, a group of Villa's men attacked a train on the Mexico North Western Railway, near Santa Isabel, Chihuahua, and killed several American employees of the ASARCO company. The passengers also included eighteen Americans, fifteen of whom worked for American Smelting and Refining Company. There was only one survivor, who gave the details to the press. Villa admitted to ordering the attack, but denied that he had authorized the killing of the Americans.
Villa began planning an attack on US soil. On March 9, 1916, Villa ordered about 100 members of his revolutionary group to make a cross-border attack against Columbus, New Mexico. The raid was partly in retaliation for the U.S. government's official recognition of the Carranza regime and for the loss of lives in battles due to defective bullets purchased from the United States. The raid was also conducted to acquire more military equipment and supplies in order to continue the fight against Carranza. They attacked a detachment of the 13th Cavalry Regiment, burned the town and seized 100 horses and mules and other military supplies. 18 Americans were killed.
In response to Villa's raid on Columbus, President Wilson sent 5,000 men of the U.S. Army under General John Pershing into Mexico to capture Villa. Employing aircraft and trucks for the first time in US Army history, Pershing's force chased Villa until February 1917. The search for Villa was unsuccessful, although some of Villa's senior commanders and a total of 190 of his men were killed during the expedition.
Most of the American forces were withdrawn from Mexico in January 1917. Pershing publicly claimed the expedition was a success, though he complained privately to his family that President Wilson had imposed too many restrictions, which made it impossible for him to fulfill his mission. He wrote "when the true history is written, it will not be a very inspiring chapter for school children, or even grownups to contemplate. Having dashed into Mexico with the intention of eating the Mexicans raw, we turned back at the first repulse and are now sneaking home under cover, like a whipped curr with its tail between its legs."
But the encounter with the American forces and the loss of so many of his men removed much of Villa's power and he ceased to be a national leader. He continued as a guerrilla leader in Chihuahua, and as a nemesis for Carranza. Villa's last major military action was a raid against Ciudad Juárez in 1919. A split with Felipe Angeles left Villa with a small militia remaining. Angeles was later captured by Carranza's forces and was executed on November 26, 1919. Villa continued fighting, but a small siege in Ascención, Durango, failed, and his longtime lieutenant Martín López, was killed during the fighting. Villa let it be known that he would cease fighting if it were made worth his while.
On May 21, 1920, Carranza was assassinated by supporters of Álvaro Obregón. Villa saw this as an opportunity to negotiate a peace settlement and retire. On July 22, 1920, Villa sent a telegram to Mexican interim President Adolfo de la Huerta, which stated that he recognized De la Huerta's presidency and requested amnesty. Six days later, De la Huerta met with Villa and negotiated a peace settlement. In exchange for his retirement from hostilities, Villa was granted a 25,000 acre hacienda in Canutillo by the national government. The Mexican government also granted them a pension that totalled 500,000 gold pesos. The 50 guerrillas who still remained in Villa's small cavalry were allowed to serve as Villa's personal bodyguards.
Villa's retirement lasted less than three years. On July 20, 1923, Villa was assassinated in an ambush while visiting Parral, a community he frequently visited for banking and other errands. Villa usually was accompanied by his large entourage of armed bodyguards, but on that day he had gone into the town without most of them, taking with him only three bodyguards and two other ranch employees. He went to pick up a consignment of gold from the local bank to pay his ranch staff. While driving back through the city in his black 1919 Dodge touring car, Villa passed by a school. A group of seven riflemen who then appeared in the middle of the road and fired more than 40 rounds into the automobile. Villa was shot in the head and upper chest, killing him instantly. Jesús Salas Barraza, a state legislator from Durango, claimed to be responsible for the plan to kill Villa. Villa had once whipped Barraza during a quarrel over a woman. There is evidence to suggest that Barraza had accepted responsibility for the act at the direction of the Governor of Durango. Barraza was eventually arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but his sentence was commuted after three months. Salas Barraza died of a stroke in his Mexico City home in 1951. His last words were reported to be, "I'm not a murderer. I rid humanity of a monster."
Villa had been the Governor of the Mexican province of Chihuahua and had some support from the United States. He was invited to Fort Bliss to meet Brigadier General John J. Pershing. In 1915 President Woodrow Wilson had a change of heart. Wilson believed that supporting Villa's opponent, Venustiano Carranza was the best way to establish a stable Mexican government, less sucsceptible from the influence of foreign powers like Germany. Wilson refused to allow more arms to be supplied to Villa's army, and allowed Carranza's troops to be relocated using U.S. railroads. Villa felt betrayed by the Americans.
In January 1916, a group of Villa's men attacked a train on the Mexico North Western Railway, near Santa Isabel, Chihuahua, and killed several American employees of the ASARCO company. The passengers also included eighteen Americans, fifteen of whom worked for American Smelting and Refining Company. There was only one survivor, who gave the details to the press. Villa admitted to ordering the attack, but denied that he had authorized the killing of the Americans.
Villa began planning an attack on US soil. On March 9, 1916, Villa ordered about 100 members of his revolutionary group to make a cross-border attack against Columbus, New Mexico. The raid was partly in retaliation for the U.S. government's official recognition of the Carranza regime and for the loss of lives in battles due to defective bullets purchased from the United States. The raid was also conducted to acquire more military equipment and supplies in order to continue the fight against Carranza. They attacked a detachment of the 13th Cavalry Regiment, burned the town and seized 100 horses and mules and other military supplies. 18 Americans were killed.
In response to Villa's raid on Columbus, President Wilson sent 5,000 men of the U.S. Army under General John Pershing into Mexico to capture Villa. Employing aircraft and trucks for the first time in US Army history, Pershing's force chased Villa until February 1917. The search for Villa was unsuccessful, although some of Villa's senior commanders and a total of 190 of his men were killed during the expedition.
Most of the American forces were withdrawn from Mexico in January 1917. Pershing publicly claimed the expedition was a success, though he complained privately to his family that President Wilson had imposed too many restrictions, which made it impossible for him to fulfill his mission. He wrote "when the true history is written, it will not be a very inspiring chapter for school children, or even grownups to contemplate. Having dashed into Mexico with the intention of eating the Mexicans raw, we turned back at the first repulse and are now sneaking home under cover, like a whipped curr with its tail between its legs."
But the encounter with the American forces and the loss of so many of his men removed much of Villa's power and he ceased to be a national leader. He continued as a guerrilla leader in Chihuahua, and as a nemesis for Carranza. Villa's last major military action was a raid against Ciudad Juárez in 1919. A split with Felipe Angeles left Villa with a small militia remaining. Angeles was later captured by Carranza's forces and was executed on November 26, 1919. Villa continued fighting, but a small siege in Ascención, Durango, failed, and his longtime lieutenant Martín López, was killed during the fighting. Villa let it be known that he would cease fighting if it were made worth his while.
On May 21, 1920, Carranza was assassinated by supporters of Álvaro Obregón. Villa saw this as an opportunity to negotiate a peace settlement and retire. On July 22, 1920, Villa sent a telegram to Mexican interim President Adolfo de la Huerta, which stated that he recognized De la Huerta's presidency and requested amnesty. Six days later, De la Huerta met with Villa and negotiated a peace settlement. In exchange for his retirement from hostilities, Villa was granted a 25,000 acre hacienda in Canutillo by the national government. The Mexican government also granted them a pension that totalled 500,000 gold pesos. The 50 guerrillas who still remained in Villa's small cavalry were allowed to serve as Villa's personal bodyguards.
Villa's retirement lasted less than three years. On July 20, 1923, Villa was assassinated in an ambush while visiting Parral, a community he frequently visited for banking and other errands. Villa usually was accompanied by his large entourage of armed bodyguards, but on that day he had gone into the town without most of them, taking with him only three bodyguards and two other ranch employees. He went to pick up a consignment of gold from the local bank to pay his ranch staff. While driving back through the city in his black 1919 Dodge touring car, Villa passed by a school. A group of seven riflemen who then appeared in the middle of the road and fired more than 40 rounds into the automobile. Villa was shot in the head and upper chest, killing him instantly. Jesús Salas Barraza, a state legislator from Durango, claimed to be responsible for the plan to kill Villa. Villa had once whipped Barraza during a quarrel over a woman. There is evidence to suggest that Barraza had accepted responsibility for the act at the direction of the Governor of Durango. Barraza was eventually arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but his sentence was commuted after three months. Salas Barraza died of a stroke in his Mexico City home in 1951. His last words were reported to be, "I'm not a murderer. I rid humanity of a monster."