Land of Blackjack and Pancho

The desert air was cool on that morning of March 9, 1916. It was well before dawn in the sleepy border town of Columbus, New Mexico.  But not for long as the thundering hooves of horses were heard down the main street. Amidst gunshots riders were yelling "Viva Villa!"," Viva Mexico!" The residents were awakened along with the soldiers in the garrison there. The 13th Calvary of the U.S. Army had three hundred soldiers there.  The soldiers with their machine guns and rifles, along with armed citizens, repelled the Villistas.     Major Frank Tompkins led the Americans as they pursued the Mexicans back across the border.    The Villistas lost about eighty of their five hundred man force, the Americans eighteen.  While on their raid the troops of Pancho Villa looted and burned quite a few buildings in Columbus.

I had always found this battle, or raid, fascinating. It occurred over one hundred years after the last invasion of the United States of America, the previous being by the British in 1812.  I was able to learn a great bit about the battle by visiting the Museum at the Pancho Villa State Park. We enjoyed the park.  Like many parks in the southwest it had a shelter with metal roof. Desert plants were in bloom when we were there. I think the main attraction of the park is the museum. The building is  a pale yellow with a tile roof.  I could tell it was something special  by the artillery pieces outside.  To me, the early 1900's are a fascinating time in history, especially technologically. The armored car out front was a great example. It was slab-sided with a gun turret on top and was mounted on hard rubber tires. I suppose locomotion was provided by an early gasoline or diesel engine. If you ever saw the old John Wayne western, "The War Wagon", you would have a good idea what this armored vehicle looked like, sans horses of course. The armies of the world were transitioning from horse oriented armies to those of machines.  Although the Americans had chased General Francisco "Pancho" Villa back across the border, president Woodrow Wilson wasn't satisfied.  He sent his best general, John "Blackjack" Pershing to invade Mexico and apprehend Villa. There were many technological advances in warfare used in that Pancho Villa Expedition.

As I entered the Museum, the building dates from 1916, I immediately was taken aback by the Jenny biplane hanging from the ceiling. This was the first armed conflict in which aircraft were used. I should clarify that by saying airplanes, because observation balloons were used in the American Civil War. A Dodge touring car is on prominent display with bullet holes courtesy of Pancho's raiders.  There were other relics and artifacts as well.  I was quite interested in the  French Chauchat  machine gun.  It was a light weight  gun  capable of about 240 rounds per minute.  I'm not sure how successful Pershing's troops were using it, but I know that in WWI most doughboys preferred to use it as a club! It jammed frequently and would not fire.  Colt's 1911 model .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol was on display, a well designed  gun that is still manufactured today. There was  an army truck as well, a four-wheel drive model.  It should be noted that many of these innovations were less than perfect. The airplanes had difficulty flying over the mountains. The trucks would mire down and get stuck in the desert sand. The firearms would jam and refuse to fire. But, it was a great opportunity to test new technology under battle conditions. The Expeditionary Force did not capture Villa.  One grizzled veteran of that expedition told a friend of mine, "Don't know what Blackjack was lookin' for, but me and the boys was lookin' for them hot Mexican women!"

We had a good visit at the Pancho Villa State Park. It wasn't quiet at night though; the road to Palomas, Mexico, was busy all night.  (We could see the lights of the city from our campsite.)
They advertise  360 days of sunshine in this part of New Mexico.  It rained while we were there.  And, Claudette got stung by an ant. I think it was a Mexican ant that had sneaked across the border, maybe Pancho's revenge!