Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-24

| headquarters United states Punitive
Expedition, near Colonia Dublan, Chihua
hua, Mexico, March 22-(By wagon train
| to Columbus. y. NJ, March g0.-Reach
| ing here by a forced march that demon
strated the endurance of the American
soldier and obviously amazed the Next
cans. several thousand United States
| troops, cavalry, infantry and artillery,
| were scattered today between this point
! and the northern boundary of the dis
! trict of Guerrero. intent on the task of
capturing killing Francisco Villa in
the shortest possible time and eXtermi
mating the bandit band with which he
raided Columbus, y. NJ. and slaughtered
nine civilians on March 9. Troop move
ments, it was said. were shrouded in the
greatest secrecy by order of the war de-
partment
Spectacular Entry into Mexico
The entry into Mexico occurred al 12.07
=. NJ. March Is At that moment the
American colors with the standard of the
18th Cavalry, 300 men of which beat off
Villas raiders despite the surprise move
ment of the Mexican brigands. were car
ried over the boundary by the color
guard. Col. Herbert }. Slocum. comma nd
ing the 18th, was the first commanding
officer to cross. He was followed by Mai
James A. Ryan, acting chief of staff to
Gen: John J. Pershing. who commands
the punitive expedition.
Spies Dotted Route
| This was column No. /. consisting OF
infantry. artillery and cavalry and bur
dened with heavy wagon trains. 1t NOV
cd rather slowly and camped the frs
night at Palomas, filthy village Of
e adobe huts seven miles below the bound
Z airy. south of Columbus. Column No.
: entered Mexico from Culbersons ranch
81 miles south of Hachita n NJ. Gen
eral Pershing. who had accompanies thu
first column part of the way to Palomas
1 returned to Columbus the same after
Q noon, raced to Cuberson's in an auto
2 mobile and, taking command of the sec
p ond or flying column drove it NOR
than 40 miles over the desert of Chihua
e hua in 20 hours actual marching time
l Official records show that spies dottet
e the route of the first column. but tn
/ men of the second had forged their wa,
l 80 miles into the country before a singh
. native was seen, and to the surprise o
| the MeXicans reached here Friday night
exactly IL hours after crossing the border
at 3.l7 Thursday morning.
In this column every man was mountet
and the wagon trains were supplantet
by army mules. which made the entir,
distance under heavy packs with the los
of only three of their number
Speed and Endurance Record
, Battery b, of the 9th Field Artiller.
; commanded by Capt. Edgar H. Hule
and Lieut.. Charles p. George, formed
d unit of the flying column. While the
, cavalry traversed trails through bad
country of the Sierra Madre mountains
six to eight thousand feet high. the
battery, encountered by ambulances
and field wireless equipment, travelled
the valley roads longer by Is miles
Nevertheless, it reached camp only an
hour and half behind the cavalry
without the loss of mule or horse
and not a sore back among any of the
animals. officers declared this exploit
would long stand as a record of speed
and endurance.
The 18th Cavalry, because of its ac-
complishment in driving Villas great
ly superior numbers cut of Columbus
after a brief engagement was given
first place in the first column. Muster
rolls of the Villa command found here
after he passed through going south
ward eight days ago, showed that he
made the raid on Columbus with $50
men. Raving in anger after his defeat
deserters reported that the bandit
chieftain killed five of his officers and
men as towards. There were 293 in his
command when he retreated through
Colonia Dublan. The 18th accounted
for the rest. Maj. Frank Tompkins
who took 80 men Of his squadron and
drove the bandits Is miles into Mex
leo after they had crossed the border
commanded the advance guard. The
rest of the cavalry under Maj. Elmei
Lindsey followed. Then came the
mountain and field guns, next the
"Doushbovs" of the infantry regiments
and last the wagon trains. field hospi
tai and sanitary equipment and the
E field wireless.
3 Bio Ammunition Supply
q The orders were for every man t.
. "trayeI light" Officers and men were
not permitted to carr" mucn more thar
f the clothing and equipment worn upor
:. their persons. The trains nevertheless
were long and heavy. Vast quantities
. of ammunition for all types of arms
including the machi1, guns of the cav
alrv and infantry, accounted for mos
of the weight. Rations were carried FOL
J. only five days. They were bacon, hare
tack and coffee.
: The column stretched out lengt'
S of q mile and half. From Columbus
three miles north Of the boundary line
y only a vast cloud of dust which ros'
}. to a great height could be seen ant
II two hours later wher the troops De
g
: : ie he ont nd.nu