Chapter XIII: Villa and His Campaign in the North

So much has been written about Francisco Villa that only a few preliminary remarks are necessary to describe the personality of the famous general. The enemies of Villa made the accusation that the rebel chief was not respectable because he had been an outlaw under the Diaz régime.

Those who have studied the Diaz rule with a mind unbiased by profits and interests, will have discovered that if Villa was a bandit under the Diaz reign, he certainly must have been an honest one; for almost without exception all the officials from the President down to the lowest Jefe Político, were robbers, cut-throats and grafters.

Villa is not better nor worse than the average Mexican, but his weaknesses are those of his unfortunate countrymen, and his strength is the latent strength of his people.

Villa, although directly responsible for the mutiny at Juarez in 1911, when with Orozco he almost succeeded in eliminating F. I. Madero, discovered that the three cientifico agents in El Paso were the instigators of the plot. Ever since then Villa remained loyal to Madero and continued to fight against Huerta, in memory of Madero.

Second in Command under General Obregon]

All the biographers of Villa spoke of him as a Napoleon, who had created an army out of nothing. It must not be forgotten that out of one hundred and thirty thousand soldiers who fought against the military dictatorship, there were at least forty generals who created armies out of nothing. They, too, were without money, ammunition, arms and with even less experience than Villa.

During his ten or more years as an outlaw, Villa was roaming all over the States of Chihuahua and Durango, as a leader of lesser outlaws, and his guerrilla experience was invaluable to him later.

In the case of most other Generals, like Obregon, Gonzales, Gutierrez, Natera, Herrera, Chao, Calles, Hill, Caballero, their experience was insignificant. Most of the chiefs who fought the Federals were either farmers, lawyers, engineers, clerks who had never before handled a gun in their lives till the last revolution.

When Villa crossed the American border into Mexico in the spring of 1913, he marched up and down the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. He gathered men, attacking small cities and doing very much the same as other revolutionists did--surprising small detachments of Federals in outlying districts, and capturing the arms, ammunition, and horses which were so badly needed. With him were co-operating the Herrera brothers, Chao, Rosalio Hernandez, and in Durango, the Arrieta brothers, Contreras, Triana, Carrillo and Urbina. They looted the banks to buy arms and ammunition from the United States, and stole horses and saddles to creat a mobile force and killed cattle to feed themselves.

The first important battle won by Villa was fought in San Andrés with eight hundred men against fourteen hundred Federals, who were defeated on October 4th, 1913. He attacked, captured and sacked Torreon. Near Chihuahua he again defeated the Federals, but as Juarez was still in their power, he had to take the border towns before attempting to fight towards the south.

How he outwitted the commander of Juarez by stealing a ride north of Chihuahua on a train loaded with coal, and surprised and drove the commander across the border, has been told before.

The battle of Tierra Blanca, when he defeated five thousand Federals who came from Chihuahua to relieve Juarez, was his first important strategical battle, and as far as the campaign is concerned, is the most important, even without excepting the battle of Torreon, in April, 1914. Without the battle of Tierra Blanca, no other successes could have had any decisive value. In Torreon, Villa had all the men, arms and ammunition he wanted, and with great recklessness, he sacrificed his men, counting only upon results.

After the capture of Torreon, Saltillo and Monterrey automatically fell into his power, for Torreon was the strategic key which opened the way south to his army, i. e., the Northern division.

In another chapter, the causes and details of the Carranza-Villa quarrel will be discussed. The character of General Villa must be studied, in order to understand the underlying causes of the quarrel.

Villa, like Zapata, is a man of the peasant class. Physically strong, with great will power and a good deal of horse sense. In men of this type, due to their utter lack of education, and inexperience in politics, they are an easy prey to their secretaries, friends, advisers and hangers-on. Being fundamentally honest, they take it for granted that their entourage is likewise, and being unable to read or write, they are constantly deceived by their secretaries. In the case of the other generals, like Obregon, Gonzales, etc., their education and political experience put them on their guard against petty, scheming politicians, and unscrupulous tools of the reactionaries.

Villa’s ideas outside of stratagems, spoils and the game of war, are primitive, and not always clear. His appetites and his contempt for human life is equal to that of the Apaches and Comanches; his attitude toward life is anarchistic, rebellious. Towards people he is cunning, suspicious, ostensibly good-natured and at times tyrannical. An uncontrollable temper is softened by a keen sense of humor, and a lavish generosity is encouraged by a propensity to acquisitiveness.

Villa is so terribly suspicious of everything and everybody, that he has been accused of being not quite so brave as he wants to appear. General Maclovio Herrera is admired for his courage and is nicknamed “the Lion”: Villa has an unbounded respect for him, tinged with a little envy. Villa’s enemies claim that he went to Aguascalientes escorted by eighteen thousand soldiers, because he was afraid,--although the other generals had none but bodyguards.

When Obregon was sent by Carranza to join Villa in a solution of the Sonora controversy between Maytorena and Hill, he went alone. Villa soon lost his temper and had Obregon arrested, and threatened to have him shot by his soldiers unless he acceded to his demands. Obregon, calm and cool, answered: “My life belongs to Mexico,--if you believe that my death is necessary to the solution of the question, I am ready to sacrifice it. I came here to meet Villa the patriot: I find a savage Villa who calls himself the savior of Mexico.” The manly and courageous attitude of Obregon conquered Villa, who instead of ordering an execution, gave a ball in his honor.

When Carranza was in Chihuahua with Villa after the fall of Torreon, he heard that Villa had ordered the execution of General Chao, Governor of Chihuahua. Villa was asked to appear before Carranza, who demanded an explanation. “I have shot Chao,” grinned Villa. Carranza was very indignant, and protested vehemently. Then Villa laughed, and admitted that the order had not been carried out. Carranza ordered him to free Chao immediately, and said to him: “You have no right to arrest and shoot an official not under your immediate command, without my authority, especially a governor who is under my jurisdiction. Am I the chief of the revolution or am I not?” Villa was impressed and he ordered the release of Chao. He excused himself by saying that Chao had grafted. Later it was discovered that Villa’s secretary had sent orders to Chao, Villa not being able to read what he had signed, and the whole scheme was engineered by Villa’s secretary to get rid of Chao, who was his personal enemy. Villa embraced Chao as a result.

One of Villa’s many wives was enterprising enough to induce Villa to let her sign some treasury notes, which were honored by the officials, who did not dare refuse.

Once, Villa gave an order for the exportation through Juarez of $5000 worth of material. The Secretary changed the order from five, to fifty thousand, which without his knowledge had been telegraphed to the official in charge of the Custom House in Juarez. The honest official refused to let the goods pass the border, and the irate Villa almost shot him for disobedience. Finally the matter was cleared up, and Villa declared that he had ordered five, and not fifty, thousand dollars’ worth. “But here is the order signed by you,” said the official. Villa had been deceived again, as he has been all along by his secretaries. The two following telegrams, one from Villa, and the answer of the Arrieta Brothers, will throw a very clear light on the attitude of Villa toward Carranza. It will also prove that the majority of the generals do not sympathize with Villa, as he is making a personal question, or better said, an alleged insult to his division, a pretext to overthrow Carranza, and become the political dictator of Mexico.

TELEGRAM.

CHIHUAHUA, General Headquarters,
Sept. 23d, 1914.

_Urgent._

GENERALS MARIANO AND DOMINGO ARRIETA.

Durango, Dgo.

Venustiano Carranza having deeply offended the honor and dignity of the Northern Division under my command, and not being able to tolerate any longer his whims and inconsequences, which would have sunk our country in ruins, disseminating anarchy, while creating distrust with foreign nations,--since yesterday, all my generals and myself have decided to repudiate him as Chief of the Nation.

For we are convinced that because of his alliance with the cientificos and his noted tendencies to favor a certain personal group which surrounded him, and prevented the solution of the real revolutionists, and to fulfil the promises made to the people.

As a consequence we have decided to fight only against the personality of Venustiano Carranza, and to drive him out of the country, without antagonizing or molesting the other chiefs who have fought to overthrow the usurping government which has just fallen. Therefore we repeat that our movement is solely against the personality of Venustiano Carranza.

As we have always understood that you have been animated by patriotic sentiments, like ourselves, we address ourselves to you, showing you the matter clearly, and we hope that in view of the right which is on our side, you will be with us, and will help by offering your services to the cause of the people.

Already the Governor of the State of Sonora and his forces, have repudiated Venustiano Carranza, and we hope that you will act likewise and will define your position informing us if you are with us or with Carranza.

We beg you to answer as soon as possible. Greetings.

The General in Chief,
FRANCISCO VILLA.

Answer to the above telegram.

DURANGO TO CHIHUAHUA, Sept. 24th, 1914.

SEÑOR GENERAL DON FRANCISCO VILLA,
Chihuahua.

We are in receipt of your telegram, in which you declare that the division under your command has repudiated the authority as Provisional President, of Don Venustiano Carranza, because of insults to the dignity of said Division and for not having fulfilled the promises made to the people.

We discover in your telegram a certain ambiguity, as we have no knowledge of the insults to which you refer.

Concerning the promises made to the people, we consider your pretentions premature, as a convention has been named to meet on the first of October, in which clearly and explicitly the programme of the government will be discussed and studied, so as to solve the various problems which will benefit the proletariat.

Therefore we would be grateful, if you would communicate to us the nature of the insults to which you refer, and the cause of the people which has been frustrated, so that we can intelligently come to a decision.

And lastly we appeal to your patriotism and the interest of the country which through this break would be more weakened, and be at the mercy of the American nation, which has not retired its troops from Vera Cruz. We beg of you if you are a real patriot, to calm your temper and meditate on the evils which would befall our country with this civil war--which would bring about as a consequence a foreign war.

1st. We are of the opinion that you should sacrifice your self-love for the good of the country, and you should not take notice of said insults, even if they existed.

Secondly. That we hope that the Convention which is to take place on the first of October, when all the Constitutionalist forces will be represented, to solve the great problems of our country, will put them into effect with the assistance of the arms which we will not relinquish until our ideals have been fulfilled.

Hoping for an answer to give our definite resolution, we salute you affectionately.

GENERAL DOMINGO ARRIETA,
GENERAL MARIANO ARRIETA.

As an answer, Villa sent General Urbina against the Arrieta Brothers. Urbina and his forces were defeated, and the general badly wounded. Innocent, well-meaning, but utterly deceived Villa! If he only knew that the Cientifícos whom he accuses of having affiliated with Carranza, are really pulling their wires from New York, and using him (Villa) as the tool to eliminate Carranza, and this because the first chief intends to carry out all the radical reforms of the revolution.