The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-04-21
THOUSAND REBELS
WIN VICTORY OVER
THE FEDERAL ARMY
'NSuRRECTlONIsTS oUTNUMeER
Ed BY SIX HUNDRED, BUT
ARE VICTORIOUS.
DOUGLAS Is UN.ER FIRE
seVen Non-Combatant Residents Of
American Town Are Wounded by
Mexican BuIIets-RebeIs Lose 20;
Ten Times That Number Federals.

Aqua PRIETA, Mex, April 49,
via Douglas, Ariz.-The most impor.
tant battle Of the Mexican revolution
was fought here today between I 600
federals, under command of Lieut.
Col. Diaz, and 1000 rebels under Ba,
lasario Garcia, and resulted in the
repulse of the federals.
The battle, however, was not final
ly decisive. 1t lasted from $50 q m.
until shutdown. At nightfall two fed
eral machine guns were in possession
OF the rebels and the federals had
sustained loss estimated by the reb-
els as at least 200 killed and wounded.
The rebels gave their own loss at 20.
From the beginning of the battle
regardless of the warning given BY
the United States government to the
leaders of both forces, rain of bull.
let's poured into the American town
OF Douglas, and when the day was
over it was found that seven non COM
blatant residents of that city had been
wounded. 1t was a day almost of ter
ror in Douglas.
Dawn revealed the federal forces
formed in fanshaped battle line, in
the level country about mile dis
tant from Aqua Prieta, with their
machine guns in the center. They
gave notice to the enemy of their ap.
proach with hail of bullets from
the<machine guns supported by rifle,
their evident intention being to gain
the international line with it's adobe
guardhouse, and from this vantage
ground turn their fire upon the reb-
els
The insurrectos directed their fire
at the crews manning the machine
guns. But the fire of the federals
was so fierce that it forced the reb-
els back to their second line of en-
trenchments The federals advanced
slowly. AS they came nearer, the
fire of the rebels became more effec-
tive.
Leaving the protection of their
breastworks they moved out into the
open, continuing to concentrate their
fire upon the machine guns The fed
erals, finding the rebel defense, after
three hours fighting, too strong to en-
able them to carry the trenches, be-
gan to retreat. Presently the machine
guns were silenced. SharpshoOters
had made it impossible longer to man
them. Sheer exhaustion occasionally
caused a partial lull in the fighting.
At II o'clock the repulsed federals
had reinforced and again advanced to
gain the boundary lines, masking
their movement with heavy rifle fire.
The machine guns were silent. The
rebels, encouraged by their early
success, returned the fire eagerly.
The interval had been employed by
the rebels in digging new trenches.
This attack consisted of fifty cav
alrymen and 300 infantry. Behind
them was supporting party that
kept under cover of trees and bushes.
The federals reserved their fire, but
an unceasing stream of bullets pour
ed from the trenches. These, strik.
ing the dry earth, made it appear as
though a duststorm was raging,and
for a time served to obscure a view
of the conflict.
The advancing federal again found
the insurrectos too great for them
They fell back, but in good order,
firing as they retired and left the
field. and their two machine guns
in the possession of the enemy
rDANcEERc