Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-21
ATTACK CHANGES
VILLA CAMPAIGN
[Continued From First Pagel

| slty OF preparing for such diff1cultteS.
| Whether these preparations will have
to be completed depends upon the
future course of the CarranZa faction.
Only Had $50 Men
It can be stated that within a few
| hours after the Parral fight the new
| disposition of American troops was
partly completed and within two days
it's most important features had been
entirely carried out.
On April 12, about noon, Major
| Frank TomplIins, of the Thirteenth
Cavalry, who chased the Villa bandits
across the international line at Colum-
bus. went into Parral with only a small
portion of his force. which totaled
about $50 men, including a pack train
| outfit. He had Troops NJ and K of
the Thirteenth
Major Tompkins had taken the pre-
caution the night before to send word
| by a messenger to the presidente at
| Parral, Luis Herrera, that he would
call upon him next day to arrange for
buying provisions and to have the
Parral military officials designate some
| camping place for the Americans out
side of Parral in accordance with the
| agreement by which the American
| troops are not to occupy Mexican
cities. Major Tompkins left most of
his men outside of Parral, but took his
| advance guard into the city during his
call. The presence of this guard was
both a military precaution considered
necessary in a country credited with
| being strongly Villa inclined in senti-
ment and also was the usual formal
escort accompanying commanding OFF,
| GERS when, according to Mexican GUS
toms, they pay official visits.
Pack Train Fired On
The presidente said he had not re-
/ nHiN l1n Oern yxTI1i n M a iHTs
| Tompkins had dispatched. The mes
sepger was a Mexican, Carranza
| petty officer. After the Parral fight
tho authorities there claimed they had
| discovered that this messenger had
been captured and killed by Villistas
OH his way to Parral. The conference
in the city with the presidente and
with the Carranza general command
| ing in Parral, General Lozano, was
| pleasant. Promises were made to sell
| the Americans food and to show them
n good camping site. Immediately the
| Americans started out of the city, ac-
companied by Herrera and Lozano,
who were riding with Major TomplSins.
| When the Americans were out of the
| town, the pack train at their rear,
Major Tompkins heard firing. Look
ing back, he saw that some in the
town were shooting at the pack train.
He had heard shouts of 'Vive Villa"
and "Vive Mexico" and curses against
the "gringoes."
Major Tompkins turned to the Car
I rama leaders and asked them what
| they knew about firing on his pack
| train. General Lozano and the presi-
dente hurried back toward the town
to stop the shooting. The Americans
were in a column formed for defense
| when this firing began, a formation
which Major Tompkins had ordered as
he heard the shooting against his pack
train, which had been five or six hun
| dred yards to the rear. Both of the
| soldiers killed in the action were near
| Major Tompkins. AS the fire became
general, Major Tompkins and the men
of his command could see some of
| their assailants. They wore the khaki
| uniforms which are customary among
| the CarranZa soldiers. Major Tomp-
kins discovered one column of these
uniformed men moving out to cut off
| the road to the east and to the north,
| where he would have to retreat to es-
cape from the pocket at the camp site.
He shouted to these men to get away
| from the road. When they did not
heed his warning the American COM
mander wheeled his horse and ordered
his men to reply to the fire.
Sergeant First to Fall
Sergeant Jay Ridgley, of Troop NJ,
| Thirteenth Cavalry, was the first
| american TO Idll, dS ne TOueI IlTlnB
near Major Tompkins. The sergeant's
body lay all day where it fell in the
| road as his comrades were too hard
pressed to pick it up.
A bullet struck Major Tompkins in
the left breast. The wound was slight.
| according to military standards, and
| the major continued fighting all after
noon. Lieutenant ]. B. Ord, of the
Sixth Infantry who accompanied the
| cavalry expedition, was shot in the
left ear, slight wound.
Au-Afternoon Fight
AS the fight began Major Tompkins
| received word from the CarranZa gen.
| eral that the civilians were doing the
shooting, that his troops were unable
to control them, and advising the
| Americans to fall back. This falling
back movement continued for five
hours and a half, over distance of
fifteen miles, on road bordered by
| bushes and hills, affording good cover
for pursuers. During all this time the
American troops repeatedly caught
sight of men in Carranza uniforms
shooting at them, but saw few, If any,
civilians.
After moving out from the trap of
hills where the fight began, Major
Tompkins formed line of dismounted
men well spread out, across the road
and on adjoining eminences, who re-
tarded the attacks until the pack
animals and stores had time to get
back toward the American rear.
Defense line Forms
Repeatedly during the afternoon
this defense line continued to form,
to fire from the cover of rocks,
plcughed ground and bitches, and
then fall back to its horses for
further retreat. The Americans had
no machine guns, only their pistols
and rifles, and every man was in
structed to save his cartridges until
he could make them count. During
one of these defensive stands, Private
Herbert Ledford, troop M, the Thir-
teenth cavalry, was shot in the hand.
He continued to fight. Later in the
day his hand became swollen and al
most useless, but still fighting, he was
shot dead off his horse, a bullet pass
ing through his chest. His body lay
in the road but at all times under
cover of such an effective American
fire that it was not molested.
Sharpshooters Cover Retreat
The other American wounded dur
ing the afternoon fight were Corporal
BENJAMIN McGehee, of the Thirteenth
Cavalry, shot in the mouth; Corporal
walter e. Willingham, troop M, Thir-