Raid on Norias Ranch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raid on Norias Ranch
Part of the Bandit War, Mexican Revolution
Date August 8, 1915 Location near Kingsville, Texas Result United States victory, rebels retreat.
Belligerents
United States	Seditionistas
Commanders and leaders
Henry Ransom	Antonio Roche Luis de la Rosca
Strength
16	~60
Casualties and losses
3 killed 2 wounded	~4 killed ~12 wounded

The Raid on Norias Ranch happened in August 1915. During this event, a large group of Mexican rebels, called Seditionistas, attacked an American ranch in southern Texas. This was one of many small fights that took place on American land during the Mexican Revolution. After the raid, the United States Army worked harder to protect the border between the two countries. At least seven people died in the attack, and more may have passed away later from their injuries.

Why the Norias Ranch Raid Happened

In January 1915, some Mexican rebels created a plan called the Plan of San Diego. This plan encouraged Mexicans living in American border states to fight against the U.S. government. It also suggested harming white residents. However, the plan was not very realistic and changed many times. Because of this, the Seditionistas mostly launched small attacks into Texas from Tamaulipas, a state in Mexico.

Norias Ranch was about 70 miles north of Brownsville and 60 miles from Kingsville. At that time, Norias was the main office for the southern part of the huge 825,000-acre King Ranch. The Missouri Pacific Railroad also used the ranch to get water for their trains.

What Norias Ranch Looked Like

Norias Ranch was like a small town. It had a large two-story wooden ranch house, owned by Caesar Kleberg. There was also a small train station, a section house, a corral, and other buildings.

Getting Ready for the Attack

On August 7, Caesar Kleberg was in Kingsville. He heard that a large group of armed Mexican men were riding through the King Ranch. They planned to attack Norias. Kleberg quickly told the U.S. Army leader at Fort Brown. This leader then told Adjutant General Henry Hutchings.

Hutchings put together a group of 13 Texas Rangers. These included Captains Harry Ransom, Monroe Fox, and George J. Head. Eight cavalrymen, led by Corporal Watson Adams, also joined them. They all went to Norias Ranch by train to check things out.

When they arrived, the ranch foreman, Tom Tate, led Hutchings, the Rangers, and some local police to the Sauz Ranch. While they were gone, another train arrived around 5:30 PM. It dropped off three Customs Inspectors: D. P. Gay, Joe Taylor, and Marcus Hinds. A deputy sheriff from Cameron County, Gordon Hill, also arrived. All four carried many rifles and pistols.

The Attack on Norias Ranch

Now, there were 17 men, four women, and one baby girl at the ranch. This group included Sheriff Hill, eight soldiers, three customs inspectors, four male ranchers, and one railroad foreman.

The Fight Begins

Later that night, as the sun set, the people at Norias had just finished dinner. They were relaxing on the porch of the ranch house. Suddenly, Inspector Hinds saw a group of men on horseback coming from the south. They were carrying a red flag. At first, he thought they were Texas Rangers returning from their patrol. But when they got about 250 yards away, they started shooting at the house.

At the same time, a second group of rebels attacked from the east. They opened fire from only 90 yards away. The Americans quickly found cover behind a railroad dirt wall near the section house and shot back.

One of the ranchers, Albert Edmonds, called Caesar Kleberg for help. Kleberg told Edmonds that a train in Kingsville was ready with "armed men, supplies, and medical people." But it couldn't leave yet because there was no one to drive it to Norias. When the train finally arrived, the fighting was already over.

Taking Cover and Fighting Back

The four women scattered when the shooting started. One hid inside a boxcar with her husband, the railroad foreman, and her baby. Two other women went into the ranch house. A fourth woman, Manuela Flores, hid inside the section house.

In the first few minutes of the battle, four Americans were hurt. This included two soldiers and ranchers George Forbes and Frank Martin. Forbes was shot in the lungs while helping the wounded into the house. Both he and Frank Martin later died from their injuries.

Dad Martin, Frank's father, shot and killed the horse of the Mexican commander. This stopped the first charge by the rebels. But the rebels got off their horses and got ready for a second attack on foot.

Eventually, the Americans moved back to the ranch house for safety. But its thin walls didn't offer much protection. Because of this, Dad Martin had the two women and the wounded covered with mattresses. He and the other men then went back outside. They wanted to draw the Mexicans' gunfire away from the house.

Continuing the Battle

Outside, the Americans found cover behind a roll of wire fence and a steel water trough. When they shot back, the rebels hid in the section house, another nearby building, and behind a pile of railroad ties. It was at this time that Manuela Flores was found hiding and was killed by the attackers.

When the defenders started to run low on bullets, Dad Martin ran from behind the wires back into the house. He first checked on the women and the wounded, telling them to stay low under the mattresses. Then he got more ammunition and went back outside to give it to the others. All of this happened while bullets were constantly flying, but Dad Martin survived the two-hour fight without getting hurt.

Towards the end of the battle, the Mexicans made one last charge on foot. They wanted to push the defenders out before the sun went down. But they were forced back again, even though they got within 40 yards of the Americans. During this charge, Inspector Joe Taylor shot and killed the rebel leader. However, it's not clear who that leader was.

After being pushed back again, the Mexicans went to their horses. They tied their wounded comrades onto the horses. According to ranchers Pedro Longorio, Luis Solis, and Macario Longorio, at 2:00 AM on August 9, a group of 52 rebels, led by Antonio Roche and Dario Morada, made them feed and water their horses at another part of the King Ranch. Another report says that Luis de la Rosca led some of the raiders. His group of 15 men joined about 25 others for the attack on Norias. Either way, between 45 and 70 Mexican rebels took part in the fight. At least four of them were killed, and as many as 12 others were wounded.

What Happened After the Raid

The Americans said they had killed five Mexicans. But only four bodies appear in pictures taken on the morning of August 9. This was when Hutchings and the Texas Rangers came back.

However, Dad Martin said he was asked to bury 10 rebel bodies at the ranch the day after the raid. He also claimed that the five wounded Mexicans tied to horses later died. Their comrades supposedly buried them somewhere on the ranch.

One of the men at Norias wanted Hutchings and the rangers to chase the raiders. But by the time they finished taking photos with the dead rebels, the remaining raiders had already escaped across the Rio Grande into Mexico. While crossing at a place called Los Cavazos, the rebels met U.S. Army troops and other Texas Rangers. During another short fight, about a dozen more rebels were killed. Very few actually made it back to Mexico.

A wounded rebel later said that he and the others thought there were only a few men at the ranch. They had planned to rob the store, destroy the night train, and burn Kleberg's ranch house.

Dad Martin later found out that the rebels had offered money for him to be captured or killed. He learned this when he caught a Mexican who was trying to find him. Dad searched the Mexican and found a paper in his pocket. It had his name on it, as well as the names of the others who defended Norias, and Caesar Kleberg and his father Bob. Next to each name was the amount of reward money offered.