Battle of Parral " For the battle during the French intervention in Mexico , see Battle of Parral ( 1865 ) " The Battle of Parral , on April 12 , 1916 , was the first battle between soldiers of Venustiano Carranza , known as Carrancistas , and the United States military during the Mexican Expedition . When a small force of American cavalry was leaving the city of Parral , in the Mexican state of Chihuahua , a superior force of Carrancista soldiers attacked which resulted in a bloody running engagement . Using a strategy of organized withdrawal , the Americans were able to repulse the Mexican attacks and safely escape to the fortified village of Santa Cruz de Villegas . Battle . In early April 1916 , Major Frank Tompkins , who fought in the Battle of Columbus , persuaded the expedition commander , General John J . Pershing , to allow him to lead about 100 men of the 13th Cavalry on a raid deep into Mexican territory . Tompkins ' intentions were to chase and eventually engage the elusive rebels of Pancho Villa . After preparations were completed , Major Tompkins left camp on or about April 5 . The Americans made a quick ride across the Mexican desert , traveling eighty - five miles in fifty hours . Following several days in the wilderness , Tompkins wrote ; " " We were ragged , shoes were gone and nearly everyone had a beard . We certainly presented a hard - boiled , savage appearance . " " The Americans were hoping to rest at Parral for a day , and they were told they ' d be welcome by a Carrancista officer along the way . However , when the column arrived at Parral in the early morning of April 12 , the Constitutionalist commander of the city , General Ismael Lozano , informed Major Tompkins that coming to the city was a bad idea and that he must leave immediately . Tompkins agreed so the Americans left Parral not long after getting there . On the way out of town , a group of Mexicans began shouting " " Viva Villa " " , and other phrases , so Tompkins shouted the same back . A few minutes later , as the column was just outside of town , a cavalry of about 550 Carrancistas launched an attack on the American column . Within the first few shots a sergeant standing next to Tompkins was hit with a bullet and killed while a second man was seriously wounded . Heavily outnumbered , the major had no choice but to keep going so he dismounted a rear guard to take up positions on a small hill and engage the pursuing Mexicans . In this first skirmish an estimated twenty - five Mexicans were killed and the rest were driven off . The guard then regrouped with Tompkins ' main force where they withstood another attack . During the second skirmish , an estimated forty - five Mexicans were killed . Tompkins continued his march to Santa Cruz de Villegas , a fortified town , eight miles from Parral , that the Americans could defend . Though by the time of their arrival the fighting had ceased . The Mexicans were not far away , Tompkins was facing the possibility of his 100 man force being besieged by hundreds of Carrancistas , so he sent out dispatch riders for reinforcements . Just before 8 : 00 am , a force of Buffalo Soldiers , from the 10th Cavalry , arrived . They had recently engaged about 150 Villistas at the Battle of Agua Caliente on April 1 . Following the arrival of reinforcements , the Mexicans retreated back to Parral , there was no more fighting . Two Americans were killed in the battle and six others were wounded , including Tompkins . For the Mexicans , they suffered the loss of between fourteen to seventy killed or wounded , depending on varying accounts . Aftermath . The Battle of Parral was a turning point in the Mexican Expedition , it marked America ' s furthest penetration into Mexico during the operation , 516 miles from the border , and marked the beginning of a slow withdrawal from Mexico which ended in early 1917 . General Pershing was encamped at Satevo , eighty miles north of Parral , when he heard news of the engagement at Parral . According to the journalist Frank B . Elser , of the " New York Times " , Pershing was " " mad as hell " " so he demanded that the Carrancista government , which by then was in control of Mexico , to make a formal apology . It never came and it made General Pershing believe that instead of fighting just the rebels of Pancho Villa , he would now have to engage the " " more numerous " " Carrancista army . Pershing even requested permission from his commanding officer , General Frederick Funston , to capture both the state and capital of Chihuahua , but it was denied . As Pershing suspected , his forces would be in an open conflict with the Carrancistas . Shortly after the battle at Parral , on June 21 , 1916 , a troop of 10th Cavalry soldiers attacked the town of Carrizal . The Buffalo Soldiers thought the town was under the command of Villistas , but instead a force of 400 Carrancistas was assembled and waiting for them . The battle ended in a defeat for the Americans and it , combined with the engagement at Parral , was a main reason for President Woodrow Wilson ' s decision to order the army ' s withdrawal back to the international border .