Battle of Guerrero

Battle of Guerrero
Part of the Border War, Pancho Villa Expedition, Mexican Revolution

Pancho Villa and his men at Ojinaga, Chihuahua, in 1916.
DateMarch 29, 1916
Location
Guerrero, Chihuahua, Mexico
28°32′52″N 107°29′08″W / 28.54778°N 107.48556°W / 28.54778; -107.48556
Result United States victory
Belligerents
 United States Villistas
Commanders and leaders
United States George A. Dodd Pancho Villa
Elicio Hernandez †
Strength
370 cavalry 200-500 cavalry[1][2]
Casualties and losses
5 wounded 56 killed
35 wounded

The Battle of Guerrero, or the Battle of San Gerónimo,[3] in March 1916, was the first military engagement between the rebels of Pancho Villa and the United States during the Mexican Expedition. After a long ride, elements of the American 7th Cavalry Regiment encountered a large force of Villistas at the town of Guerrero in the state of Chihuahua. In what has been called the "last true cavalry charge," the Americans assaulted the town and routed the defenders, inflicting over seventy-five casualties on the Mexicans with the loss of only five men wounded.[1][4]

  1. ^ a b Boot, pg. 199
  2. ^ First World War.com - Primary Documents - General Pershing on Military Operations in Mexico, 30 March 1916
  3. ^ Elser, Frank B. (April 5, 1916). "FIRST FULL REPORT OF GUERRERO FIGHT; Seventh Cavalry Had Drawn No Rations for Two Weeks Before Final Dash. ENCIRCLING THE OUTLAWS Troopers of the Tenth, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Regiments Also Helped to Set Trap". The New York Times.
  4. ^ 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment