Battle of Nogales
Encyclopedia
The First Battle of Nogales, was a military confrontation between federal Mexican
forces and rebel Constitutionalists
during the Mexican Revolution
.
The battle was fought at the border city of Nogales, Sonora
on March 23rd, 1913. Rebel forces under General
Alvaro Obregon
attacked the federal garrison
of about 400 infantry
. Obregon's army included infantry, cavalry
and at least one artillery
piece. Fighting lasted for a few hours before the federal commander General
Emilio Kosterlitzky
was captured. The remaining federal troops retreated across the border and surrendered to the United States Army
garrison of Nogales, Arizona
. Captain Cornelius C. Smith
relieved the federals of their weapons and they eventually found their war back to Mexico. Six rebels were killed in action and nine were wounded. The federals lost four men killed and five wounded, and Nogales, Sonora fell to the Constitutionalists.
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...
forces and rebel Constitutionalists
Constitutionalists in the Mexican Revolution
Constitutionalists, or Carranzistas were the third faction in the Mexican Revolution consisting of mainly middle-class urbanites, liberals, and intellectuals who desired a constitution under the guidelines “Mexico for Mexicans”...
during the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
.
The battle was fought at the border city of Nogales, Sonora
Nogales, Sonora
Heroica Nogales , more commonly known as Nogales, is a city and its surrounding municipality on the northern border of the Mexican State of Sonora. The municipality covers an area of 1,675 km², and borders to the north the city of Nogales, Arizona, United States, across the U.S.-Mexico border...
on March 23rd, 1913. Rebel forces under General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Alvaro Obregon
Álvaro Obregón
General Álvaro Obregón Salido was the President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924. He was assassinated in 1928, shortly after winning election to another presidential term....
attacked the federal 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....
of about 400 infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
. Obregon's army included infantry, cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and at least one artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
piece. Fighting lasted for a few hours before the federal commander General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Emilio Kosterlitzky
Emilio Kosterlitzky
Emilio Kosterlitzky, also known as Emil Kosterlitzky, was a Russian-born polyglot linguist and soldier of fortune who eventually became a spy for the United States....
was captured. The remaining federal troops retreated across the border and surrendered to 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...
garrison of Nogales, Arizona
Nogales, Arizona
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 21,017 at the 2010 census. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,833. The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County....
. Captain Cornelius C. Smith
Cornelius C. Smith
Colonel Cornelius Cole Smith was an American officer in the U.S. Army who served with the 6th U.S. Cavalry during the Sioux Wars. On January 1, 1891, he and four other cavalry troopers successfully defended a U.S. Army supply train from a force of 300 Sioux warriors at the White River in South...
relieved the federals of their weapons and they eventually found their war back to Mexico. Six rebels were killed in action and nine were wounded. The federals lost four men killed and five wounded, and Nogales, Sonora fell to the Constitutionalists.