Second Battle of Agua Prieta
Encyclopedia
The Second Battle of Agua Prieta was fought between the forces of Pancho Villa
and those of the future President of Mexico
, Plutarco Elías Calles
, a supporter of Venustiano Carranza
, on November 1, 1915, at Agua Prieta
, Sonora
, as part of the Mexican Revolution
. Villa's attack on the town was repulsed by Calles. The battle helped to establish Carranza's control over Mexico
and directly led to his becoming, with United States
recognition, president. Villa believed that Calles had received tactical and strategic support from the United States since the town is located across the border from Douglas
, Arizona
and launched his raid
on Columbus
, New Mexico
partly as a reprisal.
the revolutionary forces split amongst themselves. Emiliano Zapata
and Pancho Villa reconciled their differences during the Convention of Aguascalientes
, and as a result were often referred to as the "Conventionalistas", but they came into conflict with the so-called "Constitutionalistas
", or "Carrancistas", of Victoriano Carranza, who saw himself as the legitimate president of Mexico and leader of the revolution. Initially Villa and Zapata were successful, jointly occupied Mexico City
, and forced Carranza and his supporters to flee to Veracruz
. The tide however began to turn in early 1915 and culminated in Villa's defeat at the Battle of Celaya
in April of that year. As a result, by October 1915, Villa was in control of only his home state of Chihuahua which left him just the city of Juárez
as a connection with the United States through which he could illegally import arms.
Prior to late 1915 Pancho Villa's relations with the United States had been pretty good and at one time Villa even considered President Woodrow Wilson
as "a kind of American Madero, an idealist and friend of the poor". In fact, in April 1915, Wilson issued a sharply worded statement which threatened American intervention in Mexico if the civil war were to continue; this constituted a form of indirect support for Villa who was reeling from his defeat at Celaya as, Villa hoped, it might put an end to Carranza's advance.
As a result Villa believed that if he managed to wrest control of the north from Carranza, the United States would recognize him as president of Mexico. However, Villa was also running out of badly needed money with which to buy additional arms and pay his demoralized soldiers. As a result, in mid 1915 he turned to expropriating the haciendas and factories of people who had stayed out of politics so far, which meant that the revolutionaries had previously left them alone. Many of these were partly American owned. This contributed to political pressure in the United States for Wilson to back Carranza. Further factors that contributed to the switch in American policy included support for Carranza from the American Federation of Labor
, concern over German
intelligence operations in Mexico related to World War I
, Carranza's new found commitment to protecting properties of foreigners in Mexico, and the military successes of Carranza's generals. Unbeknownst to Villa, who was crossing the Sierra Madre Occidental
, in October 1915, the United States recognized Carranza as the president of Mexico.
However, the American support for Carranza now went beyond political recognition and diplomacy. The United States placed an embargo on sales of arms to Villa. More crucially, President Wilson gave his permission for Carranzista troops to cross through American territory in order for them to be able to quickly strengthen the garrison at Agua Prieta. About 3,500 fresh, veteran troops, travelled through Arizona and New Mexico and arrived in the town in early October, bringing the total number of defenders to 6,500. Villa was completely unaware of this development; according to the American correspondent and friend of Villa, John W. Roberts
, Villa believed the town was defended by only 1,200 soldiers.
Additionally, concerned about bullets and artillery shells falling over the border and the possibility of the fighting spilling to the American side, General Frederick Funston
stationed three infantry
regiments, some cavalry
and one regiment of artillery
in the cross-border town of Douglas, Arizona. While the American troops in the end did not take part in the fighting, their nearby presence, would later lead Villa to believe that the Americans provided Carranza's forces with crucial logistical support, which contributed to his growing anti-Americanism.
The defending troops at Agua Prieta were led by General Plutarco Calles and many of them were veterans who had already defeated Pancho Villa at the Battle of Celaya earlier in the year. Calles, building on Alvaro Obregon
's experience at Celaya, had build extensive fortifications around the city, with deep trenches, barbed wire and numerous machine gun nests.
Villa arrived at Agua Prieta on October 30, where, while giving his men a day of rest, he finally learned that United States had recognized Carranza, but not that they had also permitted him to cross American territory to strengthen the defenses of the town. As a result, Villa still believed that a swift cavalry charge, carried under the cover of darkness was capable of capturing the city in one stroke. His staff officers believed that the town would be captured within five hours.
The next day, Villa began his attack with an artillery barrage in the early afternoon which only managed to detonate some of the land mines around the town that had been placed there by the Carranzistas. Once darkness has fallen he made some feints at various locations in order to hide the direction of his main attack. Shortly after midnight, on November 2, he launched his frontal assaults from the east and south of Agua Prieta.
As the Villista cavalry was charging towards the trenches however, two searchlights illuminated the battlefield, making the horsemen an easy target for Calles' machine guns. The front trenches were manned by units led by another future president of Mexico, Colonel
Lázaro Cárdenas
. Villa's horsemen were decimated by machine gun fire and land mines. The few that managed to make it near the trenches encountered electrified barbed wire
. The charge collapsed and the attack was a failure.
Pancho Villa wanted to continue with the cavalry charges on the following day, however, his troops were ready to mutiny
. He was also running low on supplies and ammunition. As a result, Villa withdrew and arrived at Naco
on November 4. Even though there his men were given rest and supplies were acquired, more than 1,500 deserted from his army.
, Sonora on November 21, 1915. In order to try to restore the morale of his troops, Pancho promised them that after they took the city, they could do whatever they wanted with the town and its inhabitants. This actually ended up causing the attack to fail, as his men almost immediately turned to looting and rape rather than fighting, which allowed the defending forces to reorganize and drive the Villistas out.
While most sources state that the searchlights which illuminated the battlefield for Calles' machine guns were on the Mexican side of the border, Villa strongly believed that they were on the American side. Coupled with the fact that Wilson had allowed Carranza to transport troops across Arizona, this led to a complete change in attitude of Villa towards the United States. Previously, while engaging in an occasional border raid for supplies, Villa considered himself a friend of the Americans; now he wanted revenge for what he regarded as their treachery.
As a result, in March 1916, Villa led the remains of his Division del Norte on a raid on the American town of Columbus in New Mexico. Some sources attribute the raid to American support for Carranza, while others point to the fact that some Columbus residents had cheated Villa out of money he had paid for armaments. This in turn resulted in the failed Mexican Expedition
, led by General John J. Pershing
whose purpose was to capture Villa or kill him.
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....
and those of the future President of Mexico
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...
, Plutarco Elías Calles
Plutarco Elías Calles
Plutarco Elías Calles was a Mexican general and politician. He was president of Mexico from 1924 to 1928, but he continued to be the de facto ruler from 1928–1935, a period known as the maximato...
, a supporter of 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...
, on November 1, 1915, at Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta is a pueblo and municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora . It stands on the U.S.–Mexico border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona, USA. The municipality covers an area of 3,631.65 km²...
, Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, as part of 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...
. Villa's attack on the town was repulsed by Calles. The battle helped to establish Carranza's control over 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...
and directly led to his becoming, with United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
recognition, president. Villa believed that Calles had received tactical and strategic support from the United States since the town is located across the border from Douglas
Douglas, Arizona
Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and launched his raid
Battle of Columbus (1916)
The Battle of Columbus, the Burning of Columbus or the Columbus Raid began as a raid conducted by Pancho Villa's Division of the North on the small United States border town of Columbus, New Mexico in March 1916. The raid escalated into a full scale battle between Villistas and the United States Army...
on 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...
partly as a reprisal.
Background
After the defeat of General Victoriano HuertaVictoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
the revolutionary forces split amongst themselves. Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata
Emiliano Zapata Salazar was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910, and which was initially directed against the president Porfirio Díaz. He formed and commanded an important revolutionary force, the Liberation Army of the South, during the Mexican Revolution...
and Pancho Villa reconciled their differences during the Convention of Aguascalientes
Convention of Aguascalientes
The Convention of Aguascalientes was a major meeting that took place during the Mexican Revolution.The call for the Convention was issued on 1 October 1914 by Venustiano Carranza, head of the Constitutional Army, who described it as the Gran Convención de Jefes militares con mando de fuerzas y...
, and as a result were often referred to as the "Conventionalistas", but they came into conflict with the so-called "Constitutionalistas
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”...
", or "Carrancistas", of Victoriano Carranza, who saw himself as the legitimate president of Mexico and leader of the revolution. Initially Villa and Zapata were successful, jointly occupied Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, and forced Carranza and his supporters to flee to Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. The tide however began to turn in early 1915 and culminated in Villa's defeat at the 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...
in April of that year. As a result, by October 1915, Villa was in control of only his home state of Chihuahua which left him just the city of Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
as a connection with the United States through which he could illegally import arms.
Prior to late 1915 Pancho Villa's relations with the United States had been pretty good and at one time Villa even considered President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
as "a kind of American Madero, an idealist and friend of the poor". In fact, in April 1915, Wilson issued a sharply worded statement which threatened American intervention in Mexico if the civil war were to continue; this constituted a form of indirect support for Villa who was reeling from his defeat at Celaya as, Villa hoped, it might put an end to Carranza's advance.
As a result Villa believed that if he managed to wrest control of the north from Carranza, the United States would recognize him as president of Mexico. However, Villa was also running out of badly needed money with which to buy additional arms and pay his demoralized soldiers. As a result, in mid 1915 he turned to expropriating the haciendas and factories of people who had stayed out of politics so far, which meant that the revolutionaries had previously left them alone. Many of these were partly American owned. This contributed to political pressure in the United States for Wilson to back Carranza. Further factors that contributed to the switch in American policy included support for Carranza from the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
, concern over German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
intelligence operations in Mexico related to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Carranza's new found commitment to protecting properties of foreigners in Mexico, and the military successes of Carranza's generals. Unbeknownst to Villa, who was crossing the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
, in October 1915, the United States recognized Carranza as the president of Mexico.
However, the American support for Carranza now went beyond political recognition and diplomacy. The United States placed an embargo on sales of arms to Villa. More crucially, President Wilson gave his permission for Carranzista troops to cross through American territory in order for them to be able to quickly strengthen the garrison at Agua Prieta. About 3,500 fresh, veteran troops, travelled through Arizona and New Mexico and arrived in the town in early October, bringing the total number of defenders to 6,500. Villa was completely unaware of this development; according to the American correspondent and friend of Villa, John W. Roberts
John W. Roberts
John Wendell Roberts was a United States Air Force General and commander of the Air Training Command with headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He has a bachelor of science degree from Mankato State Teachers College and a master's degree from The George Washington University...
, Villa believed the town was defended by only 1,200 soldiers.
Additionally, concerned about bullets and artillery shells falling over the border and the possibility of the fighting spilling to the American side, General Frederick Funston
Frederick Funston
Frederick N. Funston also known as Fred Funston, was a General in the United States Army, best known for his role in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War...
stationed three 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...
regiments, some 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 one regiment of 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...
in the cross-border town of Douglas, Arizona. While the American troops in the end did not take part in the fighting, their nearby presence, would later lead Villa to believe that the Americans provided Carranza's forces with crucial logistical support, which contributed to his growing anti-Americanism.
Battle
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....
's experience at Celaya, had build extensive fortifications around the city, with deep trenches, barbed wire and numerous machine gun nests.
Villa arrived at Agua Prieta on October 30, where, while giving his men a day of rest, he finally learned that United States had recognized Carranza, but not that they had also permitted him to cross American territory to strengthen the defenses of the town. As a result, Villa still believed that a swift cavalry charge, carried under the cover of darkness was capable of capturing the city in one stroke. His staff officers believed that the town would be captured within five hours.
The next day, Villa began his attack with an artillery barrage in the early afternoon which only managed to detonate some of the land mines around the town that had been placed there by the Carranzistas. Once darkness has fallen he made some feints at various locations in order to hide the direction of his main attack. Shortly after midnight, on November 2, he launched his frontal assaults from the east and south of Agua Prieta.
As the Villista cavalry was charging towards the trenches however, two searchlights illuminated the battlefield, making the horsemen an easy target for Calles' machine guns. The front trenches were manned by units led by another future president of Mexico, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas del Río was President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940.-Early life:Lázaro Cárdenas was born on May 21, 1895 in a lower-middle class family in the village of Jiquilpan, Michoacán. He supported his family from age 16 after the death of his father...
. Villa's horsemen were decimated by machine gun fire and land mines. The few that managed to make it near the trenches encountered electrified barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
. The charge collapsed and the attack was a failure.
Pancho Villa wanted to continue with the cavalry charges on the following day, however, his troops were ready to mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
. He was also running low on supplies and ammunition. As a result, Villa withdrew and arrived at Naco
Naco, Sonora
Naco is a Mexican town and municipality located in the northeast part of Sonora state on the border with the United States. It is directly across from the unincorporated town of Naco, Arizona. The name Naco comes from the Opata language and means nopal cactus. The town saw fighting during the...
on November 4. Even though there his men were given rest and supplies were acquired, more than 1,500 deserted from his army.
Aftermath
After resting his troops at Naco, Villa gathered up the remainder of his forces and attacked the town of HermosilloHermosillo
Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...
, Sonora on November 21, 1915. In order to try to restore the morale of his troops, Pancho promised them that after they took the city, they could do whatever they wanted with the town and its inhabitants. This actually ended up causing the attack to fail, as his men almost immediately turned to looting and rape rather than fighting, which allowed the defending forces to reorganize and drive the Villistas out.
While most sources state that the searchlights which illuminated the battlefield for Calles' machine guns were on the Mexican side of the border, Villa strongly believed that they were on the American side. Coupled with the fact that Wilson had allowed Carranza to transport troops across Arizona, this led to a complete change in attitude of Villa towards the United States. Previously, while engaging in an occasional border raid for supplies, Villa considered himself a friend of the Americans; now he wanted revenge for what he regarded as their treachery.
As a result, in March 1916, Villa led the remains of his Division del Norte on a raid on the American town of Columbus in New Mexico. Some sources attribute the raid to American support for Carranza, while others point to the fact that some Columbus residents had cheated Villa out of money he had paid for armaments. This in turn resulted in the failed Mexican 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...
, led by General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
whose purpose was to capture Villa or kill him.