Second Battle of Rellano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Second Battle of Rellano |
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| Part of the Mexican Revolution | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Orozquistas |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Pascual Orozco |
 Victoriano Huerta Pancho Villa |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 7,000-8,000 | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| at least 600 dead | 140 (both dead and wounded) | ||||||
The Second Battle of Rellano happened on May 22, 1912. It was an important fight during the Mexican Revolution. This battle took place near the Rellano train station in Rellano, Chihuahua. It was fought between rebel forces led by Pascual Orozco and government troops under General Victoriano Huerta. This battle was a big loss for Orozco. He had won a battle against another government army in the same place earlier that year.
Why This Battle Happened
After Porfirio Díaz was removed from power, Pascual Orozco was not happy. He felt that Francisco I. Madero was not leading Mexico well. Orozco also wanted more power for himself. He was upset when Madero chose other people for important jobs. For example, Venustiano Carranza became the defense minister. Abraham González became the governor of Chihuahua. Because of this, Orozco officially started a rebellion against Madero in March 1912.
On March 24, 1912, Orozco defeated a government army. This army was led by General José González Salas. The fight happened near the Rellano train station. This victory was the strongest point of Orozco's rebellion. He controlled almost all of Chihuahua. Only the town of Parral was still held by government forces. Pancho Villa defended Parral and stayed loyal to Madero. Orozco then tried to attack Parral.
Villa eventually had to leave Parral. But his strong defense bought valuable time. This allowed another government army to arrive. This army was led by Victoriano Huerta. Huerta's troops moved north to Chihuahua. They were ready to face Orozco again. Villa joined Huerta and became part of his army, the División del Norte.
The Battle Begins
The first clash between Huerta's army and Orozco's rebels happened at Conejos. This was a train station north of Torreón. The government forces successfully pushed back Orozco's men. Orozco's followers were called colorados because of their red flags. During their retreat, Orozco's men left behind three cannons. This loss was very important for the next battle.
After making sure his army was safe, Huerta got more soldiers from Madero. This helped Madero by reducing pressure from Emiliano Zapata, who was also rebelling. Huerta then moved north, following Orozco along the railroad. Just like in the first battle of Rellano, Orozco's troops tore up the train tracks. They did this to slow down the government forces. Then, they dug in at a canyon near the Rellano train station. Orozco placed his men on both sides of the canyon. But because he lost cannons at Conejos, he only had artillery for the western hill.
When Huerta arrived at Rellano, he sent Villa to attack. These small attacks were easily stopped by Orozco's men. But they showed Huerta where the rebels were hiding. They also showed that the eastern hill had no artillery. So, on the night of May 22, Huerta ordered Villa to take that hill. Government cannons fired at both rebel positions to hide Villa's movements.
As soon as Villa captured the eastern hill, Huerta moved his cannons there. This eastern hill was higher than the western one. From this spot, the government forces could fire down on Orozco's men. The rebels tried to take back the hill but were pushed back by the cannon fire. Huerta kept shelling the rebels. At 9:45 the next morning, he ordered a cavalry charge. After a few hours of fighting, the rebels were forced out of their positions.
The retreating colorados got on trains waiting at the station and left. Huerta's troops were low on supplies. So, they could not chase Orozco right away. At this point, Orozco tried a trick he used before. In the first battle, he sent a train filled with dynamite (called the loco loco) at the government troops. This time, he had his men bury mines under the train tracks. He hoped Huerta would chase him too quickly and hit the mines.
But one of the mines exploded too early. It only damaged a coal car. This also warned Huerta about the danger. So, Huerta moved more carefully. His engineers found all the other mines Orozco's men had placed.
Huerta finally caught up with the rebels at the Bachimba train station. After a tough fight, Orozco's troops were tired and did not want to face Huerta's cannons. They ran away to Chihuahua. Then, they broke up into small groups of fighters.
What Happened Next
Orozco's loss at the Second Battle of Rellano ended his rebellion. Victorious Huerta took back Chihuahua City on July 8. He also recaptured Ciudad Juárez in July. Abraham González was put back as governor. Orozco himself fled to the United States. A young general named Álvaro Obregón then finished fighting the remaining colorados in Chihuahua and Sonora.
This battle also had a bigger effect. It made Huerta a hero to the army. Madero had to spend twice as much money on the military. This meant Madero became more dependent on the army. The army, in turn, started to plan against him. Huerta was even angrier because he expected Madero to promote him. Instead, Madero asked him to retire. Madero had finally realized that Huerta could be a threat. This led to Huerta's coup d'état against Madero in February. Madero was killed, and the next part of the revolution began. It's interesting that after Madero was overthrown, Orozco actually supported Huerta, his former enemy. After Huerta was defeated, both men fled to the United States. Orozco was killed in August 1915 while trying to sneak back into Mexico.
See also
In Spanish: Segunda Batalla de Rellano para niños
