Viva los America
The Battle of the Colorado had ended on December 24 just hours before Christmas & despite his best efforts General de Leon ordered his forces to withdraw to the new defensive line at Rocky Point. Rocky point however, had new problems to face as northeast of de Leon’s position there was the US-Mexican Sonoran front &, following the Battle of the Sierritas, the American 13th Army would be advancing on his flank. Though the 13th Army would once again face determined resistance near the town of Nogales, therefore stopping their advance at least temporarily, General de Leon opted to withdraw once more attaching his 5th Mexican Army to General Diaz’s 4th Army’s western flank. As de Leon withdrew west, General Stuart had the 2nd Army moving slowly through the Sonoran panhandle. Reason was, that as the Mexicans withdrew, destroyed all of the two rail lines moving through the area forcing the 2nd Army’s supplies to be brought in by trucks &, mostly, wagon.
The 2nd Army’s 1st Corp that had been left to defeat the Mexicans remaining in Baja had had little contact with the 40,000 Mexican soldiers reported to be in the area in the four months & over 100 miles since they were assigned to the peninsula. However, on February 21 Major General Frederick Funston received word of a divisions worth of Mexican formation of Mexican cavalry near the old Misión Santo Domingo. Unwilling to reroute his entire force on an unconfirmed report, General Funston decided to sent his corps cavalry, or more like mounted infantry, division under 27 year old Brigadier General Alexander Grayson to investigate. What came three days later would be one of the last cavalry battles in conventional warfare. The Battle of Misión Santo Domingo began on February 24 around 0845 as American cavalrymen, who had been spotted 20 minutes earlier, were met by 15,000 of the Mexican cavalry. While both sides troops were trained to dismount once the fighting started & continue the battle on foot. Within minutes the two forces were within one another’s ranks & the battle after the first magazines worth of rifle & pistol fire quickly turned into bayonets, rifle stocks, & sabre’s & became a bloody mess. By 1000 the Battle of Misión Santo Domingo was over & the exhausted Americans had the field. Thousands lay dead & many more lay wounded littering the landscape.
One of those wounded was a 24 year old Second Lieutenant George S. Patton who received a sabre slash across his face scarring him for life. He had however killed 12 Mexican soldiers & after being wounded carried his units captain, who’s horse had rolled over after being shot & broke his leg, over 200 yards on his soldiers to safety. For his actions Patton would receive a promotion & the Medal of Honor.
For two months General Porter & the 14th Army had slowly made its way to Chihuahua City where General Huerta awaited with the Mexican 3rd Army. Since withdrawing to Chihuahua City several months earlier Huerta had had his men dig trench after trench & build fortification after fortification. When the 14th Army reached the city’s outskirts on January 2 they stood in front of some of the best defensive lines in Mexico. The Battle of Chihuahua soon began as Mexican artillery began firing on the Americans attempting to take out as many as possible before their own trenches could be completed. For days the battle consisted only of artillery firing back & forth & the occasional firefight between American & Mexican patrols in No Mans Land. On January 11 however General Porter deemed it time to attack. At 1945 thousands of American troops swarmed out of their trenches & charged the Mexican lines as hundreds of rifles & machine guns opened up on them. Within an hour the attack had failed & defeated American limped, ran, & crawled back to their own lines. Three more assaults like this would take place in the month of January before Huerta’s first defensive line was taken. February saw eight more occur in the capture of the 2nd & 3rd lines. Throughout the month of March the Mexicans final line held strong repelling attack after attack by the Americans. On April 13 however Huerta’s last defensive line in front of Chihuahua City fell to US troops. Over the next two weeks the Mexicans retreated slowly through the city delivering the Americans as many casualties as possible. When the Battle of Chihuahua concluded on April 24 it had became the longest & bloodiest battle of the Mexican Theater to date.
The Battle of Lampazos de Naranjo ended on January 18 before the Mexicans withdrew to outside Sabinas Hidalgo which would see war come to it two weeks later on February 3. Here Houston’s army was held in their drive to Monterrey until March 31. However, despite winning the battle the 15th Army’s ranks & supplies were used up & the Monterrey Offensive was put on hold.
American Front May 1910
The Battle of the Colorado had ended on December 24 just hours before Christmas & despite his best efforts General de Leon ordered his forces to withdraw to the new defensive line at Rocky Point. Rocky point however, had new problems to face as northeast of de Leon’s position there was the US-Mexican Sonoran front &, following the Battle of the Sierritas, the American 13th Army would be advancing on his flank. Though the 13th Army would once again face determined resistance near the town of Nogales, therefore stopping their advance at least temporarily, General de Leon opted to withdraw once more attaching his 5th Mexican Army to General Diaz’s 4th Army’s western flank. As de Leon withdrew west, General Stuart had the 2nd Army moving slowly through the Sonoran panhandle. Reason was, that as the Mexicans withdrew, destroyed all of the two rail lines moving through the area forcing the 2nd Army’s supplies to be brought in by trucks &, mostly, wagon.
The 2nd Army’s 1st Corp that had been left to defeat the Mexicans remaining in Baja had had little contact with the 40,000 Mexican soldiers reported to be in the area in the four months & over 100 miles since they were assigned to the peninsula. However, on February 21 Major General Frederick Funston received word of a divisions worth of Mexican formation of Mexican cavalry near the old Misión Santo Domingo. Unwilling to reroute his entire force on an unconfirmed report, General Funston decided to sent his corps cavalry, or more like mounted infantry, division under 27 year old Brigadier General Alexander Grayson to investigate. What came three days later would be one of the last cavalry battles in conventional warfare. The Battle of Misión Santo Domingo began on February 24 around 0845 as American cavalrymen, who had been spotted 20 minutes earlier, were met by 15,000 of the Mexican cavalry. While both sides troops were trained to dismount once the fighting started & continue the battle on foot. Within minutes the two forces were within one another’s ranks & the battle after the first magazines worth of rifle & pistol fire quickly turned into bayonets, rifle stocks, & sabre’s & became a bloody mess. By 1000 the Battle of Misión Santo Domingo was over & the exhausted Americans had the field. Thousands lay dead & many more lay wounded littering the landscape.
One of those wounded was a 24 year old Second Lieutenant George S. Patton who received a sabre slash across his face scarring him for life. He had however killed 12 Mexican soldiers & after being wounded carried his units captain, who’s horse had rolled over after being shot & broke his leg, over 200 yards on his soldiers to safety. For his actions Patton would receive a promotion & the Medal of Honor.
For two months General Porter & the 14th Army had slowly made its way to Chihuahua City where General Huerta awaited with the Mexican 3rd Army. Since withdrawing to Chihuahua City several months earlier Huerta had had his men dig trench after trench & build fortification after fortification. When the 14th Army reached the city’s outskirts on January 2 they stood in front of some of the best defensive lines in Mexico. The Battle of Chihuahua soon began as Mexican artillery began firing on the Americans attempting to take out as many as possible before their own trenches could be completed. For days the battle consisted only of artillery firing back & forth & the occasional firefight between American & Mexican patrols in No Mans Land. On January 11 however General Porter deemed it time to attack. At 1945 thousands of American troops swarmed out of their trenches & charged the Mexican lines as hundreds of rifles & machine guns opened up on them. Within an hour the attack had failed & defeated American limped, ran, & crawled back to their own lines. Three more assaults like this would take place in the month of January before Huerta’s first defensive line was taken. February saw eight more occur in the capture of the 2nd & 3rd lines. Throughout the month of March the Mexicans final line held strong repelling attack after attack by the Americans. On April 13 however Huerta’s last defensive line in front of Chihuahua City fell to US troops. Over the next two weeks the Mexicans retreated slowly through the city delivering the Americans as many casualties as possible. When the Battle of Chihuahua concluded on April 24 it had became the longest & bloodiest battle of the Mexican Theater to date.
The Battle of Lampazos de Naranjo ended on January 18 before the Mexicans withdrew to outside Sabinas Hidalgo which would see war come to it two weeks later on February 3. Here Houston’s army was held in their drive to Monterrey until March 31. However, despite winning the battle the 15th Army’s ranks & supplies were used up & the Monterrey Offensive was put on hold.
American Front May 1910
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