[3/4] -- PANCHO VILLA -- Anti-Hero of The SouthWest - Mexican Revolutionary Part IV
Part III ends with Pancho Villa as Provisional Governor of Chihuahua, while the Mexican Revolution enters into its second phase. ( Part I & Part II)
Source: Pinterest
Part IV
Villa - The Governor
Francisco "Pancho" Villa was made Provisional Governor of the State of Chihuahua towards the end of 1913. Villa proved to be both a brilliant politician as well as General. Villa spent the early part of 1914 preparing for the next phase in the Revolution against President Huerta. His first priority was in securing the necessary funding to continue maintaining his large Division del Norte (Northern Division), Mexico's largest and most feared Military unit.
Villa (above x mark) and a few members of the
Division del Norte
Source: revistabicentenario.com.mx
Governor Villa would need a war chest in order to continue the fight southward, into the heart of Mexico, to battle with President Huerta's Federal Army. Villa would fill his coffers by any means necessary in order to maintain his army of men, the El Dorados, who were paid a daily wage. He printed his own paper currency and coins, signed Hollywood movie deals, would tax and force loans on the rich, appropriated Haciendas and lands, robbed Wells Fargo and other banks of Gold and he would sell and trade with the U.S and anyone else willing to deal.
Currency of Chihuahua, Mexico during the Revolution
Source: Wikimedia
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With his army well provisioned, Villa and his men were a formidable force to be reckoned with. Carranza had his generals, Alvaro Obregon in the Northwest, Pablo Gonzalez in the Northeast, and Pancho Villa in the North. Mid March he gave the order for them to head south. Villa took his modernized military machine, 12,000 strong, and steemrolled past Huerta's Federal Troops. Villa's troops took victory at a place called Gomez Palacios, then again in the 2nd Battle of Torreon on April 2, 1914.
Villa & his men during Battle of Torreon
A Hollywood Film Crew accompanied Villa and his army
Some of these pics are staged for the film that has been lost
Source: truewestmagazine.com
Villa's military prowess was not overlooked by his Commander, Venustiano Carranza. After Villa's victories, he was ready to make for Mexico City, but Carranza feared Villa's entering Mexico City without the other contingents of the Constitutional Army. Villa and Carranza each had different ideals for the Revolution. Carranza mostly sought political reforms while Villa wanted agrarian land reforms. At this point the common enemy was Huerta's rule but cracks were starting to show amongst the leading voices of the Revolution. Villa nonetheless acquiesced, and diverted to attack and win at the less important city of Saltillo on May 20, 1914.
Women of the Mexican Revolution
"Soldaderas"
Source: umich.edu
Villa was then pushed by his advisers like Gen. Felipe Angeles, to continue south and attack the key state of Zacatecas against the orders of Carranza. The Battle of Zacatecas from June 10 - 23, 1914, was the bloodiest of the Revolution both during and after the battle. Huerta's Federal army lost 9000 men and many of the prisoners were executed. Villa's disobedience to Carranza caused their rift to split open further. Villa would advance no further in defeating Huerta, although the damage had already been done. The Zapatistas in the south were advancing on Mexico City, and Gen. Obregon took the state of Guadalajara in July. After the fall of Zacatecas, Huerta resigned within the month and went into exile on July 14, 1914. The Revolutionaries, except Villa, would then enter Mexico City in August of 1914.
Venustiano Carranza entered Mexico City and on August 14, 1914, declared himself Provisional President of Mexico. Zapata and Villa refused to recognize Carranza as President. In October, the leaders of the Revolution congregated for the Convention of Aguascalientes, where they elected Eulalio Gutierrez President of Mexico, much to the displeasure of Carranza. In January of 1915, war broke out between the factions of the Revolution. Carranza's General Obregon, a study in WWI tactics, captured the city of Puebla Jan 5, 1915. General Obregon then quickly served Villa another loss in Guadalajara.
In the First Battle of Celaya, General Obregon served Villa and his army their biggest defeat in April 1915. Villa's once formidable cavalry was no match for General Obregon's trenches and machine guns. Villa would head North, to the State of Sonora, in order to attack Carranza's and General Obregon's power base. In November, Villa's army was decimated in Sonora and by the end of 1915 he would find himself and his most loyal men in the mountain ranges of the Sierra Madre once again.
List Of Villistas Attacks
Source: Wikimedia
Villa felt betrayed by the United States and President Woodrow Wilson. The US stopped selling him bullets and guns. Instead, the US government recognized Carranza's government, and supported its actions against Villa and his troops. The US allowed Carranza's troops to use the U.S. railway to transport troops from the East coast of Mexico to the North of Mexico via Texas to Arizona. The U.S. also provided equipment to help thwart Villa's attack against General Obregon's army during a night attack in Sonora. The Wilson Administration was obviously protecting US business interests in siding with Carranza.
In 1916, Villa would commence a series of guerilla style attacks on the United States and against Carranza's forces. Attacks on the US were to acquire much need arms and munitions to continue his battle against the Carranza Administration. On March 9, 1916, Villa's men attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico, seizing horses and military supplies. The U.S. responded by sending General Pershing in pursuit of Pancho Villa into Mexico.
Columbus, New Mexico after
an attack from Villa's Group
Source: Wikimedia
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Sources:
wikimedia.org
wikipedia.org
http://staff.esuhsd.org/balochie/studentprojects/panchovilla/index.html
http://mexicanhistory.org/Diaz.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/mexico/mexico-timeline
https://trendyreportmexico.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/la-coyotada-cuna-intacta-de-pancho-villa/
http://www.inafed.gob.mx/work/enciclopedia/EMM08chihuahua/historia.html
http://centaurodelnorte.com/
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http://regeneracion.mx/el-5-de-junio-nacio-francisco-villa-o-el-centauro-del-norte/
https://www.geni.com/people/Maria-Luz-Fierro-Corral-De-Villa/6000000008692502255
http://www.truewestmagazine.com/senora-dona-maria-luz-corral-de-villa/
http://www.sitesmexico.com/notas/2009/marzo/pancho-villa-entrada-revolucion.htm
The Life and Times of Pancho Villa - Katz
http://felixsommerfeld.com/news/mexican-revolution-blog/2013/9/30/the-battle-of-torreon-september-29-to-october-1-1913
http://bobbrooke.com/panchovilla.htm
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pancho-Villa-Mexican-revolutionary
http://academics.utep.edu/portals/1719/publications/mexicanrevolutiontimeline.pdf
http://www.emersonkent.com/history/timelines/mexican_revolution_timeline_1913.htm
https://www.laits.utexas.edu/jaime/jrn/cwp/pvg/revolutionary.html
http://old.laizquierdasocialista.org/node/1639
http://cnparm.home.texas.net/Nat/Mx/Mx05.htm
https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/902782.rumbo-al-centenario-de-la-toma-de-torreon-de-1913.html
http://umich.edu/~ac213/student_projects06/joelan/
great story, very good post congratulations thank you for sharing such a beautiful post
Thank you @jlufer I am glad that people do appreciate it. I wasn't sure how it would go. I think that people are really going to like the next Anti-hero. I have one more post for Villa, and then the final 4th Anti Hero.
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