Battle of Guerrero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Guerrero
Part of Border War, Pancho Villa Expedition, Mexican Revolution
Pancho Villa and his men at Ojinaga, Chihuahua in 1916.
Date March 29, 1916 Location Guerrero, Chihuahua, Mexico Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	Villistas
Commanders and leaders
George A. Dodd	Pancho Villa Elicio Hernandez  †
Strength
370 cavalry	200-500 cavalry
Casualties and losses
5 wounded	56 killed 35 wounded

The Battle of Guerrero, also called the Battle of San Geronimo, happened in March 1916. It was the first time Pancho Villa's rebels fought against the United States during the Pancho Villa Expedition. After a very long journey, soldiers from the American 7th Cavalry Regiment found a large group of Villa's fighters, known as Villistas. They were in the town of Guerrero in Chihuahua, Mexico.

In what some call the "last true cavalry charge," the American soldiers attacked the town. They defeated the Villistas, causing over seventy-five casualties. The Americans only had five men wounded.

The Battle Begins

The Mexican Expedition started after Pancho Villa's attack on Columbus, New Mexico. This happened on March 9, 1916. During that attack, eighteen American soldiers and civilians were killed. Because of this, General John J. Pershing led the United States Army into Mexico. His goal was to capture or kill General Villa.

On March 27, Villa and his army attacked three towns at night. These towns were San Ysidro, Minaca, and Guerrero. They were held by Mexican federal troops called Carrancistas, who Villa was also fighting. At Minaca and Guerrero, Villa's men took over the towns easily. But at San Ysidro, the Carrancistas fought back and stopped the attack. Villa was hurt in his right knee during this fight. This injury made it hard for him to lead his men for several weeks. It almost led to him being captured by American forces.

After the fight at San Ysidro, the Villistas went back to Guerrero. They started getting ready to defend the town. Around this time, General Pershing learned that Villa was in Guerrero. This town was about 230 miles south of Columbus. So, Pershing sent a message to Colonel George A. Dodd. He told Dodd to move his 370 cavalry soldiers to the area. Colonel Dodd had to ride very fast to catch Villa before he moved again.

The Long Ride to Guerrero

When the Americans reached Guerrero on March 29, they had traveled about 400 miles in fourteen days. They started from Camp Harvey J. Jones in southern Arizona. They even rode fifty-five miles in just seventeen hours after hearing where Villa was. The whole expedition had bad maps of the Mexican border area. So, Colonel Dodd and his men had to rely on a civilian guide named J. B. Baker. He led the cavalry on a "circular march" through the rough Sierra Madre mountains.

They lost a lot of time on this march. The soldiers faced very hot days and freezing cold nights. By the morning of March 29, the Americans were very tired from their journey. They also had low rations, or food supplies. Despite this, they had to fight a battle against a town that was well-defended.

The Attack on Guerrero

Different reports say there were between 200 and 500 Villistas in Guerrero. They were spread out across the town. For the first couple of hours after the 7th Cavalry arrived, Colonel Dodd had his men try to figure out how many enemy soldiers there were. The order to attack was finally given at 8:00 am.

Dodd split his soldiers into three groups. He told them to charge and surround the town. This was to stop the Villistas from escaping. When the Americans charged, fighting started in three different places. After the charge, the Americans got off their horses to fight the Mexicans on foot.

Guerrero had mountains on two sides, which made it hard to completely surround the town. The Villistas used these mountains for cover. Also, there were not enough American cavalrymen to block all the escape routes. Because of this, most of the Mexicans got away, including Pancho Villa.

Part of the Villista army got on their horses and rode east through a valley. Some of the American cavalrymen chased them for ten miles. Another group of Mexicans calmly rode out of Guerrero. They pretended to be Carrancistas by showing a Mexican flag. This group was not bothered by the 7th Cavalry.

Villa lost his friend, General Elicio Hernandez, and fifty-five other men killed in the battle. Another thirty-five Villistas were wounded. The Americans only had five wounded soldiers during the five-hour battle. Colonel Dodd and his men also captured thirty-six horses and mules. They took two machine guns, many small arms, and some war supplies. Several Carrancista prisoners, who were about to be executed, were set free.

After the Battle

At first, the Battle of Guerrero was seen as a big success for the American campaign. But later, it was a disappointment. This was because it was the closest the Americans ever came to capturing Villa in a battle. However, the battle was still considered the "most successful single fight of Pershing's Punitive Expedition."

After their defeat, the Villista army broke up. For the next three months, they were not a big threat to the United States military. Villa himself hid in the hills while his knee healed. One day, not long after the battle, Villa was camped at the end of a valley. He watched a group of Pershing's cavalrymen ride by. Villa heard them singing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary." This was the last time Americans got so close to the rebel leader. News of the American victory spread widely in the United States. This led the Senate to approve Colonel Dodd's promotion to brigadier general.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Guerrero para niños