Pershings' Doughboys WW1 U.S. Army Living History Group are proud to be supporting Pancho Villa State Park in commemorating this little remember piece of America's and Mexico's history.

Traveling to Columbus via El Paso, Texas, the group joined the State Park state legislators and fellow living historians from across the U.S.A to commemorate the raid and open a new visitors centre dedicated to this historical event.

For further reading about the life and times of Francisco "Pancho" Villa, we recommend www.ojinaga.com.

General Francisco "Pancho" Villa

General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing

80-year-old Profirio Diaz ruled Mexico as a dictator for 30 years. Diaz was revered as a great statesman by foreign governments as Diaz made Mexico a safe place for foreign investors to leech Mexico of its great wealth in silver, copper, oil and cattle.>

In 1910 many small uprising of disaffected Mexicans and were fanned into full-scale revolution by Francisco Ignacio Madero. After defeating federal troops at the battle of Juarez (watched from across the Rio Grande River by American soldiers and reporters), Diaz agreed to step down and went into exile in Paris, where he died on obscurity four years later.

Picture of Huerta >

Picture of Caranza >

After hearing of Madero's murder by Huerta, Villa recruited 3000 men and began driving Huerta's forces out of one town after another. In December 1913 Villa entered Chihuahua City and declared himself governor. Meanwhile in the United States, President Wilson decided to back Caranza's rebellion. Wilson offered to abet the overthrow of Huerta if Caranza allows the U.S.A to 'guide' the Consitutionalist's along lines advantageous to the U.S.A. Caranza dismissed this out of hand, demanding guns not guidance.

Believing the removal of Huerta more important Wilson agreed in, 1914, to list an arms embargo, in effect since 1912, and munitions flooded across the Rio Grande.

The Fall of Huerta

The occupation of the port of Veracruz was a blow to Huerta's regime but Caranza and others who were fighting Huerta did not support the American's actions and bitter anti-American demonstrations erupted throughout Latin America. Complete military victory over Huerta was in Caranza's grasp. As more and more cities fell to Huerta's enemies denying him much needed revenue from oil etc. the end was inevitable. On July 15th 1914 Huerta resigned and went into exile in Spain.

During the campaign to oust Huerta Caranza and Villa had fallen out, Caranza publicly saying Villa as insubordinate while privately jealous of the publicity Villa received. In November 1914 they declared war on each other during which many Americans resident in Northern Mexico were raided and forced off of their land.

The recognition by the U.S.A of Caranza as the legitimate leader of Mexico; the arms embargo re-introduced to try and stifle Villa and the American assistance to Caranza in trying to defeat Villa was too much. Villa determined to wreak vengeance upon America.

The Raid on Columbus

In the small hours of March 9th 1916 Villa crossed the Mexican/ U.S.A border 3 miles West of the border gate at Palomas (manned by 151 men and 7 officers of the 13th Cavalry).

The town, garrisoned with 341 men and 7 officers, lay quiet until around 4.30am when Villa's men rode in from the west, dividing their force to attack the town itself and the military camp.

Half the Villistas penetrated as far as the Commercial Hotel, halfway up Main Street where they robbed and butchered 9 guests. The other half struck Camp Furlong from the Southeast targeting the stables in order to spook away as many of the horses as possible. The cook wide awake and at work defended themselves with foraging shotguns as point blank range. Meanwhile at the cross roads of main street and the railroad the Machinegun Company had set themselves up and would discharge 20,000 rounds of ammunition. Eventually the raiders withdrew from the town and were hotly pursued by Captain Tompkins, 56 cavalrymen verses 400 Villistas. Tompkins drove Villa 15 miles back into Mexico killing 32. Tompkins returned to Columbus at around 1pm to the sight of 67 dead Villistas being doused with kerosene and set ablaze.

The Subsequent Mexican Punitive Expedition lead by General John J. Pershing lasted some 10 months but it failed to capture Villa. It did however disperse his forces who never again penetrated American soil.

The diorama received many positive comments from the public as well as from fellow reenactors who had created many excellent dioramas them selves. Below are a number of images of the diorama.