Battle of Columbus (1916)

Battle of Columbus

Columbus, after the battle
DateMarch 9, 1916
Location31°49′51″N 107°38′30″W / 31.83083°N 107.64167°W / 31.83083; -107.64167
Result

American victory

  • Columbus heavily damaged
  • Villistas retreat with heavy casualties
Belligerents
 United States

Conventionists

Commanders and leaders
Herbert Slocum
Frank Tompkins
Pancho Villa
Strength
353[1] 484[2]
Casualties and losses
8 killed and 15 wounded 67 killed and many more wounded
7 captured
10 civilians killed

The Battle of Columbus (Burning of Columbus or the Columbus Raid), March 9, 1916, began as a raid conducted by remnants of Pancho Villa's Division of the North on the small United States border town of Columbus, New Mexico, located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the border with Mexico. The raid escalated into a full-scale battle between Villistas and the United States Army.

Villa himself led the assault, only to be driven back into Mexico by elements of the 13th Cavalry Regiment stationed at the town. The attack angered Americans, and President Woodrow Wilson ordered Brigadier General John J. Pershing to lead the Punitive Expedition in which the US Army invaded Mexico but failed to capture Villa.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cv44 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Louis Sadler, New Mexico State University, in forward to 1996 reprint of Chasing Villa. Pershing's report gave the figure as 485.
  3. ^ "Pursuing Pancho Villa - Presidio of San Francisco (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved August 9, 2023.

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