Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-05
AMERICAN SOLDIERS
ALMOST GET VILLA
Parral Fight and Order of
Withdrawal Soon After
Saved Bandit Chief.
HORSES AND MEN SUFFER

Field Headquarters, American Puni
tive Expedition in Mexico, Oct l.
Regimental narratives of the five cav,
airy regiments that participated in the
hunt for Villa, which have Just beer
brought up to date and submitted tc
headquarters, show in detail how neat
the American troopers came to accom-,
plishing the full purpose, of their ex.
petition.
They show that just after the Parra
fight, on April II, less than month
after the expedition had entered
Mexico, and Immediately prior to the
order to withdraw northward from the
Parral district, the Americans had run
Villa, sorely wounded, to earth, and
had cut off every avenue of his escape
to the south into Durango.
That Withdrawal Order.
When Major Frank Tompkins' l0C
men were attacked at Parral, Villa
disabled, had hidden at Santa Cruz.
Major R. /. Howe, with his hard
riding squadron of the Eleventh cav
airy, close on the bandits trail, had
run by his quarry. General Pershiig
was at Satevo, directing operations.
Colonel w. c. Brown, with five troops
of the Tenth cavalry; Colonel H. T.
Allen, with two picked troops of the
Eleventh cavalry; Major Tompkins
and Major Howe, four cavalry col
umns in all, were between Villa and
the haven of safety he was seeking in
the Sierra Madres, ready to beat the
brush for him. Wounded, virtually
alone, he apparently had little chance
to evade capture or death. Orders for
withdrawal came, however, after Par
raj, and the highwater mark of the
expedition passed. r
From the beginning of the border
trouble it was to the cavalry that fell
the responsibility Of dispensing the
Columbus raiders. That this task was
accomplished is evidenced by figures
showing that, of the 485 men who
rHded Columbus, 400 have been killed,
woHnded or captured. Full credit is
given in the narratives for the Co
operation of other branches of the
service, notably in establishing ad-
vanced bases and maintaining the line
of communication, but the fact re-
mains that it was the cavalry that
drove Villa in headlong, panic-stricken
flight into Durango, 500 miles from
the American border, scattered his
band to the four winds and set new
records for marches under terrific
handicaps. 1t also fought the four en-
gagements that had an important
bearing on this campaign: Dodd at
Guerrero, March %; Tompkins at Par
raj, April IL; Dodd at Tomoche, April
Il, and Howe at Ojo Azules, May a.,
1t was the victim, too, i'll the tragedy
of April q at Carrizal
Across the Line.
Two of the five cavalry regiments
now in Mexico, the Seventh and the
Tenth, crossed the line at Culberson,s
ranch early in the morning of March
10. Their dash to Colonia Dublan has
been told and retold. The Thirteenth,
which already had spent three and
half years on the border, crossed
March Is at Columbus, where it had
been attacked March by Villa. Two
squadrons of the Fifth left Columbus
on March % and were joined by the
third squadron April 10 at the Nor
mon Lakes, near Dublan. The first
detachment of the Eleventh entered
Mexico March II via Columbus.
The marches of the Fifth may be
summarized briefly as follows: Mani
quipa, April Is; San Geronimo, April
Is; Lake Itascate, April "a; San An
tonic, May g. About the time of the
Scott-Obregon conference the regi-
ment was given district, with Satevo
as headquarters, which it was ordered
to search intensively for bandits. Each
cavalry regiment was allotted similar
sector of southern Chihuahua. The
beating of the brush for Villistas,
however. was never fully carried out.
The Fifth, on May 10, was made part
of provisional cavalry brigade to
cover the withdrawal of the expedition
northward at time when $500 Car
ranzistas we're reported to be within
thirty miles of the Americans. Since
Carrizal it has been encamped at FL
Vale. a
Delay Does 1t.
The Seventh, after completing its
dash to Colonia Dublan with General
Pershing's column, proceeded post
haste to San Miguel, where Villa was
reported. Poor guides caused delay
and the bandit escaped. 1t then start
ed toward Guerrero. This town was
reached by forced marches twelve
days out from the border, with daily
average of thirty-two and half miles.
The longest days march was on
March II, when fifty-eight miles were
covered. The route chart shows that
the regiment and detachments on
"Reminiscences covered $500 miles.
Mention is made that during Dodds
historic ride his men many times had
only parched corn to eat. Nearly 300
miles was made in single file. the
troopers leading their mounts and
number of them leaving bloody foot
prints on the rocky trail, for their
shoes had worn out. Officers and
men lent their own money 10 buy
food and forage, but it was not until
the end of April that clothing could be
secured. By that time the men were
in pitiable state Two fights stand
to the record of the Seventh-Guer-
zero and Tomache.
The Thirteenth, which arrived at
Colonia Dublan on March II, fur
nlshed the two picked troops which
Major Tompkins commanded in his
dash after Villa and which were halt
ed at Guerrero. The itinerary of the
remainder of the regiment embraced
FL Vale, Las Cruces, Namiquipa, San
Geronimo, Lake Itascate and Ell Ru-
bio. where it made its headquarters
May ! TO hunt bandits in the district
TO which it had been assigned. 1t was
at San Antonio on Nav
10 and later went into permanent
camp at Colonia Dublan.
Hard Marching.
The history of the Tenth cavalry-is