Bandit War
Encyclopedia
The Bandit War, or Bandit Wars, refers to a series of raids in Texas
between 1910 and 1918 that were carried out by Mexican
rebels from the states of Tamaulipas
, Coahuila
and Chihuahua. Before 1914, the Carrancista faction was responsible for most of the attacks but in January of 1915 rebels known as Seditionistas drafted the Plan of San Diego
and began launching their own raids. The plan called for a race war
, to rid the American
border states of their white population, and the annexation of the border states to Mexico. However, the Seditionistas were never able to launch a full-scale invasion of the United States so they resorted to conducting small raids into Texas. Much of the fighting involved the Texas Ranger Division
though the United States Army
also engaged in operations against the rebels.
, Texas, to try and bring the American border states under the rule of President
Venustiano Carranza
. Calling themselves the Seditionistas, the rebels then began attacking small American outposts and settlements along the Rio Grande
, many of which were guarded by United States Army soldiers. The first attack took place on July 4, 1915, when a band of approximately forty mounted rebels crossed the border and raided Los Indios Ranch in Cameron County
. The first bloodshed did not occur until five days later though, on July 9, when an employee of the King Ranch
killed one of the raiders near the Norias Ranch
. On July 12, two Mexican-American police officer
s were shot, from a distance, near Brownsville
, one later died. American authorities said "the Mexican officers knew of the plans [Plan of San Diego] of their fellows before the real beginning of the operations and that this was the cause of the several efforts to assassinate them." Over the next two weeks there were various reports of raids, attacks on police officers, and assassination attempts on local land owners. By the end of July, the raiders were trying to cut off communications to the people in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and disrupt railroad transportation. On July 25, they burned a bridge belonging to the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway
and then cut some telegram wires near Harlingen
. A few days after that, the Governor of Texas
, James E. Ferguson
, sent the Texas Ranger Captain Harry Ransom into the Lower Rio Grande Valley to lead a "pacification campaign." According to author John William Weber, Ransom was in charge of an "assassination squad" that conducted a "scorched-earth campaign of annihilation" against both guilty and innocent Mexicans.
Some people suspected that the current fighting would ignite a full fledged war between the United States and Mexico. One South Texan wrote; "I have never been satisfied with the Alamo
and Goliad
events, and always have felt that there was something yet due the Mexicans from us, and if there is a second call and for a war, the Mexicans will certainly get what is due them from the Texans." On July 29, a Mexican named Adolfo Munoz was killed near San Benito
for "scheming to rob a local bank and having connections with armed raiders." Cameron County Deputy Sheriff Frank Carr and the Texas Ranger Daniel Hinojosa arrested Munoz but, according to the officers, when they were leaving San Benito a party of eight armed men, wearing masks, forced them to give up Munoz. On the next day, Munoz's body was found about two miles from town, "riddled with bullets" and hanging from a tree. The lynching, whether perpetrated by the rebels or by the Texans, created an atmosphere of distrust among the local Mexican population for the Texas Rangers and other American police forces. J. T. Canales said; "every person who was charged with a crime refused to be arrested, because they did not believe that the officers of the law would give them the protection guaranteed them by the Constitution and the laws of this State." A lawyer in San Benito, named William G. B. Morrison, said that Munoz's lynching was "the spark that fired the flame among the white people." However, a federal investigator said that the lynching was "an expression of the indignation of the people against the repeated failure to enforce the laws."
John William Weber says that "personal conflict" was the cause of some of the violence. Weber says the "most important example" was that of Aniceto Pizana, the owner of Los Tulitos Ranch. Pizana's neighbor, Jeff Scrivener, was known for wanting Pizana's land so in early August he told American authorities that Pizana was in league with the rebels and had harbored some of them during one of their raids. Despite this accusation, no evidence suggests that Pizana ever had any significant ties with the rebels, though he was a friend of Luis de la Rosca, a known raider who owned a store in Rio Hondo
. In response to Scrivener's claim, a force of about thirty Texas Rangers, United States Army soldiers, and some deputy sheriffs attacked the Los Tulitos Ranch on August 3. During the gunfight that followed, one soldier was killed, and three other people were wounded, including two deputy sheriffs and Pizana's son. Pizana himself got away and according to Weber he joined up with Luis de la Rosca after the attack on his ranch. From then on Rosca and Pizana became the "primary military leaders of the Plan [of San Diego]." On August 6, Luis de la Rosca led a raid on the town of Sebastian
, killing A. L. Austin and his son Charles. Austin formerly served as the president of the Law and Order League which, according to federal investigators, "had driven several bad men out of that section [Sebastian, Texas]" and was therefore an ideal target for the raiders who though of him as a racist. Within the next few days after the deaths of the Austins, several local Mexicans were killed by either the Texas Rangers or vigilante
s. A posse led by the Texas adjudant general, Henry Hutchings, and Captain Ransom killed three people alone. Meanwhile, the rebels were destroying railroad property by ripping up tracks, burning bridges and attacking the repairmen who were sent to fix the problems.
The "most daring" raid during the Seditionistas' campaign occurred at the Norias Ranch, the headquarters for the southern most division of the King Ranch. On the night of August 8, somewhere between forty-five and seventy rebels attacked Norias which was defended by a squad of American cavalrymen, a few policemen and a few ranchers. During the two hour battle that followed, at least a dozen people were killed or wounded and possibly many more before the rebels retreated back towards Mexico. Another battle was fought on the next morning when the Mexican raiders encountered a force of Texas Rangers and soldiers as they attempted to cross the Rio Grande. The Americans reported that as many as twelve more rebels were killed and that very few made it across the river. For the next few weeks western Texas was plagued by "almost daily killings", the most notable of which occurred on October 19. That day a band of raiders derailed a train six miles north of Brownsville and killed several white people on board, leaving the Mexican passengers unhurt. When Captain Ransom arrived at the scene he found four Mexicans in the vicinity and executed them all. On October 21, Rosca and Pizana led in between twenty-five and 100 rebels in the last important raid of the Seditionista campaign. Like most of the raids it was a failure for the rebels. This time a squad of eight army signalmen
were besieged by the Mexicans at Ojo de Agua until being relieved by twelve men from the 3rd Cavalry, under Captain W. J. Scott. At least seven rebels died as result of the battle and at least seven others were wounded. The Americans suffered one civilian death, three soldiers killed and eight wounded.
By December of 1915 the threat of Mexican raiders was slowly diminishing but in the summer of 1916 a series of minor attacks began, all them occurring around Laredo
, Texas. That year Luis de la Rosca rercruited his Villista cousin Jose Morin to capture San Antonio
but a baker in Kingsville, known as Victoriano Ponce, informed the Texas Rangers who arrested both men in May. The two were apparently murdered by the rangers because they were never seen again after their arrest. According to United States Army investigators, over 300 Mexicans had been killed during the Seditionistas' campaign.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
between 1910 and 1918 that were carried out by Mexican
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...
rebels from the states of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and Chihuahua. Before 1914, the Carrancista faction was responsible for most of the attacks but in January of 1915 rebels known as Seditionistas drafted the Plan of San Diego
Plan of San Diego
The Plan of San Diego was drafted by Mexican revolutionaries to overthrow the United States government in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California during the Mexican Revolution. Objectives of the operation changed during the course of 1915 when it took place...
and began launching their own raids. The plan called for a race war
Race war
Race war is a term referring to developing hostilities between ethnic groups divided on the basis of racial group or skin color. The term may refer to specific violent acts or to general overt or covert hostilities between ethnic groups; compare ethnic conflict.-Manson:The murders perpetrated by...
, to rid the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
border states of their white population, and the annexation of the border states to Mexico. However, the Seditionistas were never able to launch a full-scale invasion of the United States so they resorted to conducting small raids into Texas. Much of the fighting involved the Texas Ranger Division
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
though 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...
also engaged in operations against the rebels.
Seditionista Campaign
The height of the fighting was in 1915. On January 6, Basilio Ramos and a group of his followers drafted the Plan of San Diego, in San DiegoSan Diego, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,753 people, 1,548 households, and 1,187 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,917.1 people per square mile . There were 1,793 housing units at an average density of 1,100.4 per square mile...
, Texas, to try and bring the American border states under the rule of President
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
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...
. Calling themselves the Seditionistas, the rebels then began attacking small American outposts and settlements along the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, many of which were guarded by United States Army soldiers. The first attack took place on July 4, 1915, when a band of approximately forty mounted rebels crossed the border and raided Los Indios Ranch in Cameron County
Cameron County, Texas
Cameron County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 406,220. Its county seat is Brownsville. Cameron was founded in 1848...
. The first bloodshed did not occur until five days later though, on July 9, when an employee of the King Ranch
King Ranch
King Ranch, located in south Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, is one of the world's largest ranches. The ranch, founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis, includes portions of six Texas counties, including most of Kleberg County and much of Kenedy County, with...
killed one of the raiders near the Norias Ranch
Norias Ranch Raid
The Norias Ranch Raid was an incident in August of 1915 in which a large band of Mexican Seditionistas attacked an American ranch in southern Texas. It became one of the many small battles fought on American soil during the Mexican Revolution and resulted in an increased effort by the United States...
. On July 12, two Mexican-American police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s were shot, from a distance, near Brownsville
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, one later died. American authorities said "the Mexican officers knew of the plans [Plan of San Diego] of their fellows before the real beginning of the operations and that this was the cause of the several efforts to assassinate them." Over the next two weeks there were various reports of raids, attacks on police officers, and assassination attempts on local land owners. By the end of July, the raiders were trying to cut off communications to the people in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and disrupt railroad transportation. On July 25, they burned a bridge belonging to the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway
St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway
The St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railway was a 200-mile railroad that operated from Brownsville, Texas to Gulf Coast Junction in Houston. It passed through small southeast Texas communities such as Robstown, Corpus Christi, Bay City, and Harlingen as well as the Rio Grande Valley.-History:Uriah...
and then cut some telegram wires near Harlingen
Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley...
. A few days after that, the Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
, James E. Ferguson
James E. Ferguson
James Edward "Pa" Ferguson, Jr. , was a Democratic politician from the state of Texas.- Early life :Ferguson was born to the Reverend James Ferguson, Sr., and Fannie Ferguson near Salado in south Bell County, Texas. He entered Salado College at age twelve but was eventually expelled for...
, sent the Texas Ranger Captain Harry Ransom into the Lower Rio Grande Valley to lead a "pacification campaign." According to author John William Weber, Ransom was in charge of an "assassination squad" that conducted a "scorched-earth campaign of annihilation" against both guilty and innocent Mexicans.
Some people suspected that the current fighting would ignite a full fledged war between the United States and Mexico. One South Texan wrote; "I have never been satisfied with the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
and Goliad
Goliad massacre
The Goliad Massacre was an execution of Republic of Texas soldiers and their commander, James Fannin, by Mexico, reluctantly carried out by General Jose de Urrea.-Background:...
events, and always have felt that there was something yet due the Mexicans from us, and if there is a second call and for a war, the Mexicans will certainly get what is due them from the Texans." On July 29, a Mexican named Adolfo Munoz was killed near San Benito
San Benito, Texas
San Benito is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 24,250 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of Country and Tex-Mex music icon Freddy Fender. San Benito celebrated the 100th anniversary of the naming of the city April 3, 2007. The post office was named Diaz...
for "scheming to rob a local bank and having connections with armed raiders." Cameron County Deputy Sheriff Frank Carr and the Texas Ranger Daniel Hinojosa arrested Munoz but, according to the officers, when they were leaving San Benito a party of eight armed men, wearing masks, forced them to give up Munoz. On the next day, Munoz's body was found about two miles from town, "riddled with bullets" and hanging from a tree. The lynching, whether perpetrated by the rebels or by the Texans, created an atmosphere of distrust among the local Mexican population for the Texas Rangers and other American police forces. J. T. Canales said; "every person who was charged with a crime refused to be arrested, because they did not believe that the officers of the law would give them the protection guaranteed them by the Constitution and the laws of this State." A lawyer in San Benito, named William G. B. Morrison, said that Munoz's lynching was "the spark that fired the flame among the white people." However, a federal investigator said that the lynching was "an expression of the indignation of the people against the repeated failure to enforce the laws."
John William Weber says that "personal conflict" was the cause of some of the violence. Weber says the "most important example" was that of Aniceto Pizana, the owner of Los Tulitos Ranch. Pizana's neighbor, Jeff Scrivener, was known for wanting Pizana's land so in early August he told American authorities that Pizana was in league with the rebels and had harbored some of them during one of their raids. Despite this accusation, no evidence suggests that Pizana ever had any significant ties with the rebels, though he was a friend of Luis de la Rosca, a known raider who owned a store in Rio Hondo
Rio Hondo, Texas
Rio Hondo is a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,942 at the 2000 census. It may be included as part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.-Geography:...
. In response to Scrivener's claim, a force of about thirty Texas Rangers, United States Army soldiers, and some deputy sheriffs attacked the Los Tulitos Ranch on August 3. During the gunfight that followed, one soldier was killed, and three other people were wounded, including two deputy sheriffs and Pizana's son. Pizana himself got away and according to Weber he joined up with Luis de la Rosca after the attack on his ranch. From then on Rosca and Pizana became the "primary military leaders of the Plan [of San Diego]." On August 6, Luis de la Rosca led a raid on the town of Sebastian
Sebastian, Texas
Sebastian is a census-designated place in Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,864 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sebastian is located at ....
, killing A. L. Austin and his son Charles. Austin formerly served as the president of the Law and Order League which, according to federal investigators, "had driven several bad men out of that section [Sebastian, Texas]" and was therefore an ideal target for the raiders who though of him as a racist. Within the next few days after the deaths of the Austins, several local Mexicans were killed by either the Texas Rangers or vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
s. A posse led by the Texas adjudant general, Henry Hutchings, and Captain Ransom killed three people alone. Meanwhile, the rebels were destroying railroad property by ripping up tracks, burning bridges and attacking the repairmen who were sent to fix the problems.
The "most daring" raid during the Seditionistas' campaign occurred at the Norias Ranch, the headquarters for the southern most division of the King Ranch. On the night of August 8, somewhere between forty-five and seventy rebels attacked Norias which was defended by a squad of American cavalrymen, a few policemen and a few ranchers. During the two hour battle that followed, at least a dozen people were killed or wounded and possibly many more before the rebels retreated back towards Mexico. Another battle was fought on the next morning when the Mexican raiders encountered a force of Texas Rangers and soldiers as they attempted to cross the Rio Grande. The Americans reported that as many as twelve more rebels were killed and that very few made it across the river. For the next few weeks western Texas was plagued by "almost daily killings", the most notable of which occurred on October 19. That day a band of raiders derailed a train six miles north of Brownsville and killed several white people on board, leaving the Mexican passengers unhurt. When Captain Ransom arrived at the scene he found four Mexicans in the vicinity and executed them all. On October 21, Rosca and Pizana led in between twenty-five and 100 rebels in the last important raid of the Seditionista campaign. Like most of the raids it was a failure for the rebels. This time a squad of eight army signalmen
United States Army Signal Corps
The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
were besieged by the Mexicans at Ojo de Agua until being relieved by twelve men from the 3rd Cavalry, under Captain W. J. Scott. At least seven rebels died as result of the battle and at least seven others were wounded. The Americans suffered one civilian death, three soldiers killed and eight wounded.
By December of 1915 the threat of Mexican raiders was slowly diminishing but in the summer of 1916 a series of minor attacks began, all them occurring around Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, Texas. That year Luis de la Rosca rercruited his Villista cousin Jose Morin to capture San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
but a baker in Kingsville, known as Victoriano Ponce, informed the Texas Rangers who arrested both men in May. The two were apparently murdered by the rangers because they were never seen again after their arrest. According to United States Army investigators, over 300 Mexicans had been killed during the Seditionistas' campaign.
See Also
- Texas RevolutionTexas RevolutionThe Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
- Battle of Salado Creek (1842)Battle of Salado Creek (1842)The Battle of Salado Creek was a decisive engagement in 1842 which repulsed the final Mexican invasion of Texas. Colonel Mathew Caldwell of the Texas Rangers led just over 200 militiamen against an army of 1,600 Mexican Army troops and Cherokee warriors and defeated them outside of San Antonio de...
- Crabb MassacreCrabb MassacreThe Crabb Massacre was the culmination of the eight day Battle of Caborca. It was fought between Mexico and their O'odham allies against American forces in April of 1857. Due to the outbreak of the Reform War in Mexico, the rebel Ygnacio Pesquiera invited the American politician Henry A...
- Las Cuevas WarLas Cuevas WarThe Las Cuevas War was a brief armed conflict fought mainly between a force of Texas Rangers, commanded by Captain Leander McNelly, and an irregular force of Mexican militia. It took place in November of 1875, in and around Las Cuevas, Tamaulipas...
- Crawford AffairCrawford AffairThe Crawford Affair was a battle fought between Mexico and the United States in January of 1886 during the Geronimo Campaign. Captain Emmet Crawford was commanding a company of Apache scouts, sixty miles southeast of Nacori Chico in Sonora, when his camp was attacked by Mexican Army militiamen...
- Garza RevolutionGarza RevolutionThe Garza Revolution, or the Garza War, was a armed conflict fought in the Mexican state of Coahuila and the American state of Texas between 1891 and 1893. It began when the revolutionary Catarino Garza launched a campaign into Mexico from Texas to start an uprising against the dictator Porfirio Diaz...