Chapter XIV: Campaign of General Gonzalez in the East

Like most of the campaigns in the north of Mexico, where the strategic objectives are the border towns, so the campaign of General Gonzalez was fought, first for the possession of Piedras Negras (Ciudad Porfirio Diaz), Nuevo Laredo, Camargo and Matamoros, and later for the control of Tamaulipas.

The first battle of the revolution against Huerta was fought at Anhelo and ended in a defeat. Then Venustiano Carranza, with his brother Jesus Carranza, and Pablo Gonzalez, took Piedras Negras.

Huerta, as well as his generals, were of the opinion that if Carranza was captured and shot, it would end the constitutionalist revolution then and there. Therefore, they concentrated all their efforts upon Piedras Negras, which was defended by four hundred men. More than 9,000 Federals were sent against them, and although the revolutionists were forced to leave, the enemy did not succeed in capturing the leaders.

Chief of the Eastern Division]

Then Pablo Gonzalez, with the help of Jesus Carranza, roamed all over the States of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon defeating over twenty Federal garrisons and capturing the much needed arms and ammunition, which were so scarce and hard to get at the beginning of the struggle.

It is a fact worth noticing that, in the three campaigns in the North, Centre and South, the revolutionists captured many cities, and then departed. To the lay mind it seems absurd to fight so hard to capture a city, and then to let it go almost immediately without even waiting for the Federals to retake it. Nevertheless, it was good tactics. The Federal garrisons offered big stores of war material, while the cities supplied them with food, clothing and money.

Monterrey was attacked twice without success, and there was no chance of victory until Torreon, Piedras Negras, Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros and Tampico were in the hands of Pablo Gonzalez. When that was done, Monterrey was automatically evacuated by the Federals.

Tampico was attacked several times and besieged by Caballero. The Federals had a great advantage, as they controlled the city with their gunboats. Another drawback was the presence of foreign warships, of foreign Consuls and representatives of the great oil corporations. The Dutch, English and American Oil Companies protested most vigorously against the attack on Tampico, and the Federals took good care to use this protection to great advantage.

When Pablo Gonzalez was ordered to take Tampico at all costs, he did so after only four days’ battle. When the Federals began their retreat, they threatened to burn and destroy all the oil tanks and property of the foreigners, if they were followed by the Revolutionists.

Like many of the important moves in the campaign against Huerta, the great significance of the capture of Tampico was pointed out by a civilian. In this instance, the Secretary of the Interior in Carranza’s revolutionary Cabinet, Don Rafael Zubáran, was the wise counsellor.

The first reason given was that Huerta had practically given away many very valuable oil concessions to an English company, in return for cash. That the export tax on each barrel of oil was doubled from sixty cents to $1.20 and calculating that over half a million barrels of oil were exported daily, it will be seen what a rich source of income would have been taken away from Huerta.

The second reason was that the seizure of Tampico would eliminate a great source of friction between the foreign powers and the revolutionary government, besides relieving the anxiety felt in Washington as to the constant danger of foreign marines landing in Tampico to protect the interests of their countrymen.

The third reason was that Tampico, besides being the most important seaport in Mexico after Vera Cruz, was also a great strategic point. It cut off Monterrey and Saltillo from the coast, and endangered and flanked their communications. Huerta considered the possession of Tampico of such value that when it was threatened by the rebels, and he knew that it was lost to him, he decided to force American intervention by arresting some marines who had landed at the Tampico wharf on routine business. The action was deliberate and was meant to concentrate the attention of the revolutionists on American aggression, so that they would discontinue their attacks. The State and Navy Department very wisely kept the American warship outside of the Panuco River so as to offer as few pretexts as possible for attacks. It can be asserted that the fall of Tampico sounded the end of Huerta’s rule in Mexico.