Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-05

it was at Cusi. Ordered on April 10
toward Parral as a thanking force, it
arrived at point twenty miles from
that city just in time to reinforce
Major Tompkins' squadron, which had
retreated from that city. The regi-
ment was concentrated during the re-
tirement and camped at Colonia Dub
Ian on May 10.
Commissary Faulty.
The regiment, on May 5, lost its
commander, when Colonel Brown, i'll,
left for home. Brief mention only is
made Of the hardships the only negro
cavalry in the expedition endured. 1t
received no clothes until May IS. The
horses began to suffer early in the
campaign from lack OF forage and on
March Is they were further disabled
when their shoes began to wear out.
The first supply of coffee, hard bread
and bacon received since March IS
was furnished the men on April 20.
During that time the command sub
sisted almost entirely on beef killed
on the range and corn ground in small
hand mills. No details are given con-
corning the scouting expedition in
which Troop c from Ojo Federico
and Troop X from Dublan were en-
gagged in when cut up at Carrizal.
The narrative of the Eleventh. the
most detailed of the five submitted,
contains extracts from the war diaries
OF the commanding officers and fur
nishes valuable sidelights on the CAM
paign as viewed during its critical
period. Arriving at Colonia Dublan
on March %, the regiment was split,
four picked troops under Major
Howe moving south on Villas trail,
reaching Namiquipa on March n.
Four others, under Lieutenant Colonel
Fl. T. Allen, who later become colonel
of the Thirteenth, left March 80 for
Namiquipa with verbal instructions in
regard to the pursuit of the outlaw
leader. Colonel Allen, at San Antonio
on April 8, was ordered to follow
Pablo Lopez trail.
Men Are Ragged.
Major Howe, unable to pick up
Villas trail in the Sierra Puras, into
which range he had fled, skirted the
mountains, hoping to capture the ban
dit when he emerged. On April 10,
according to his diary, his horses
were thin and footsore, his men rag
ged and no food or grain was to be
had in the country"
Colonel Allen, meanwhile, had
been making marching history. Or
dered on April II toward Parral, he
led his men, after sixteen consecutive
days of travelling, ON march that
lasted to the day of April Ia, and the
night of the 14th and 5th.
The situation that obtained during
the days following the Parral fight,
while the cavalry was near the Du-
range line, between Villa and safety,
is summarized by General Allen in
his1war diary as follows:
THE story of Parral, thcronference
between the American and Mexican
authorities, the search for supplies
during our encampment at this little
ranch constitute one of the most in
teresting, characteristic and peculiarly
delicate situations within my knowl-
edge of the punitive expedition. The
attitude of the people of Parral, the
Instructions from General Gutierrez
not to go step farther south, the die
tatorial manner of General Luis Her
rera at the conference on April q and
his reply to the request for disavowal
of the unprovoked attack, ending with
there is no reason for an apology on
my partS all these go to show the
character of the cooperation this ex-
petition was receiving from the au-
thorities and the people. The night
our column passed through Zaragassa
Immediately after; the Parral affair."
the situation was very tense, and |
was expecting an attack as we passed"
Nothing unusual marked the retire
ment northward of the 18th, save the
fight at Ojo Azules. Here on May 4
Major Howe, after all all-nighi
march, surprised TAO Villistas, killed
saved a Carranza lieutenant
and four men from execution and
scattered the band broadcast. Among
the more noted victims were Julio
Acosta, Cruz ,Dominguez and Antonio
Angel. All this without single cas-
ualty.
Among recommendations regarding
cavalry equipment resulting from OBJ
made during the campaign
are:
A lighter saber, if it is decided to
kept the saber at all; light pack out
fit Unnecessary cooking utensils fol-
the men; light hunting boots, hob
nailed, instead of the present leather
Ieggings; fuit complement (dried
or otherwise, to make room for
which the hard bread supply could be
.educed to the field ration; horses
about fifteen hands high, short
coupled and big-barreled. /