Battle of Columbus (1916)

This article is about the raid on Columbus, New Mexico by the forces of Pancho Villa. For the American Civil War battle, see Battle of Columbus (1865).

Battle of Columbus

Columbus, after the battle
DateMarch 9, 1916
Location
Columbus, New Mexico, United States
31°49′51″N 107°38′30″W / 31.83083°N 107.64167°W / 31.83083; -107.64167
Result

Villista victory[1][2][3]

  • Columbus heavily damaged
  • Villistas withdraw with heavy casualties
Belligerents
 United States

Conventionists

Commanders and leaders
Herbert Slocum
Frank Tompkins		 Pancho Villa
Strength
353[4] 484[5]
Casualties and losses

19 US personnel executed 38 soldiers killed 3 wounded

22 civilians killed, 18 soldiers captured and shot in Mexico (Chihuahua) 3 missing and 8 taken prisoner		 67 killed and many more wounded
7 captured
10 civilians killed

The Battle of Columbus, also known as the Burning of Columbus or the Columbus Raid, began on March 9, 1916, as a raid conducted by remnants of Pancho Villa's Division of the North on the small United States border town of Columbus, New Mexico, located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the border with Mexico. The raid escalated into a full-scale battle between Villistas and the United States Army.

Villa himself led the assault, only to be driven back into Mexico by elements of the 13th Cavalry Regiment stationed at the town. The attack angered Americans, and President Woodrow Wilson ordered Brigadier General John J. Pershing to lead the Punitive Expedition in which the US Army invaded Mexico but failed to capture Villa.[6]

  1. ^ Periódico la Jornada UNAM
  2. ^ https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Columbus-1916
  3. ^ https://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/huachuca/HI1-12.htm
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference cv44 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Louis Sadler, New Mexico State University, in forward to 1996 reprint of Chasing Villa. Pershing's report gave the figure as 485.
  6. ^ "Pursuing Pancho Villa - Presidio of San Francisco (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved August 9, 2023.