CAMPAIGN OF GENERAL OBREGON IN THE WEST
BY COL. I. C. ENRIQUEZ
Perhaps the most interesting chapter of the Constitutionalist revolt
against the dictator Huerta is the campaign of rebellion led by the
brave citizens of the State of Sonora. When they decided to fight the
bloody dictator and resist his murderous deeds, they were confronted
by a very strong and well organized army. The Federal troops were
well equipped with ammunition and guns. Their positions were well
established, while the Constitutionalists had nothing more than desire
of justice, backed by reckless bravery. They had neither guns nor
ammunition, and certainly no trained army, and in spite of all this,
they were the victors.
[Illustration: GENERAL ALVARO OBREGON
Chief of the Western Division]
After the assassination of Señor Francisco I. Madero and Señor José
Maria Pino Suarez, a dreadful feeling of fear spread through the
country. This was especially evident among the civilians. What but
death had they to expect from such a brutal dictator as Huerta? For
this reason alone, there were at the beginning very few men who were
willing to take up arms against him. Even among the governors,
twenty-seven in number, only _one_ dared to throw down the glove of
challenge to the assassin. He was Don Venustiano Carranza, at that
time governor of the State of Coahuila. Half an hour after the news of
the assassination reached him, he called the state legislature into
session, denounced the dictator Huerta and demanded that they should
not recognize Huerta’s authority. He was the only man with sufficient
moral courage to openly revolt against Huerta.
At that time, Carranza was not the only one who had the historic
opportunity of coming out as a defender of his country’s honor. The
same message was transmitted to Señor José M. Maytorena, then the
governor of the State of Sonora, but unlike Carranza, he did not take
up the cause of his downtrodden countrymen. He saw at a glance the
danger of such a move, and realized that the struggle against Huerta
would be a very unequal one. Thinking of his own safety first, he left
Deputy Ignacio L. Pesqueira as acting governor, and fled to the United
States.
At that time, in Hermosillo, capital of Sonora, there were five hundred
men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Obregon, who later in
the campaign became a famous general under Carranza. Major Salvador
Alvarado, now general, had command of four hundred troops of the Yaqui
region, while in the southern part of the State, five hundred men were
under the command of Generals Juan Cabral, Benjamin Hill and Sosa.
Many of the officers and soldiers of this army had participated in the
revolution of 1910, consequently they were opposed to the dictatorship
of Huerta. This marked the beginning of the Sonora revolution.
Even before the assassination of Madero, there were a number of chiefs
who waged a relentless war. They were Col. Pedro F. Bracamonte, Col.
Plutarco Elias Calles, and Major Campos. They began to recruit people
on their own authority in the northern part of the State, and the
cutting of railway communication. They also began an open attack on the
Federals in many places. When the Sonora revolution was started, the
chiefs became united, and opened hostilities.
At the beginning of the Sonora revolution, the Federals had a force of
2,650 troops distributed throughout the State, from the frontier to
the coast. Bearing this in mind, the Constitutionalists mapped out a
careful campaign. General Obregon was appointed to direct the military
operations, as he had distinguished himself in the campaign of 1912
against the Orozquistas.
The difficult task that the Constitutionalists were confronted with,
was the prevention of the concentration and the union of the entire
Federal army. They knew that as long as the Federal army was divided
and spread throughout the State, their chances were more than equal.
Thus they had a double task: first, to prevent the union of the
Federal troops, and secondly to fight them in small groups. The main
object of the Constitutionalists was to secure the border positions of
the State.
As the revolution progressed and the fighting continued, the
Constitutionalists found their plans perfectly suited to their needs.
They marched from one city to the next, sometimes under terrible
difficulties, but always victorious. All those in command, and also
the troops, fulfilled their duties admirably. Soon, however, they were
confronted with new and unexpected troubles.
The taking of Naco, as also the greater part of the towns on the
frontier, involved many unnecessary dangers. As it was situated on
the international line, it could only be attacked from the east and
west,--if it was assailed from the south many projectiles would pass
over to the American side. The Constitutionalist chiefs were always
careful to respect the rights of the American people, and avoided as
much as possible the damage and troubles that a war waged at such close
quarters, would be likely to occasion them. The Federal generals,
realizing the position of the Constitutionals, took advantage of
their noble intentions and stuck close to the international line.
The Constitutionalists did not wish to attack them in the town--but
were anxious to meet them in the open country, where there would be
no danger of inflicting suffering to families, especially those of
American citizens.
Knowing that the Federals intended to join their comrades of Chihuahua,
the Constitutionalists decided to lay in wait for them. For more than
a week, they lay concealed behind ridges and in the mountains, but the
blow they had suffered a few days before was a lesson General Ojeda
could not forget, and all the attempts of the Constitutionals to lure
them out in the open country failed.
The chiefs of the Constitutionalists then decided not to wait any
longer. They demanded of General Ojeda, who was in charge of the
Huerta troops, that he come out of the city. They explained to him
the injustice of fighting near a town, where many innocent people and
non-combatants might be injured, but Ojeda’s reply was characteristic
of all the Huerta generals. As long as he was safe, General Ojeda said,
the whole human race might be slaughtered. Furthermore, he would not
come out of his fortified town position--the Constitutionals could
attack him there if they wanted to.
The Constitutionals, realizing that they would have to attack, although
he was entrenched in a position very disadvantageous to such action
on their part, began preparations for the battle. The Federals were
located in a position occupying a semicircle. Their six hundred men,
cannon and rapid-fire guns, could easily defend their positions.
They could sweep the open country with a deadly fire, there being no
protection for the assailants.
After a few days of reconnoitring, during which small skirmishes
took place, the final decisive battle took place, on the night of the
1st of April. It lasted more than twenty-four hours, after which the
Federals were forced to their barracks for protection, while General
Ojeda fled to the American side. The remaining troops surrendered, and
the fighting stopped. This victory gave the Constitutionals complete
control of the frontier towns, assuring them a base of operations.
One of the remarkable features of the Sonora Campaign was the wonderful
manner in which the Federals after each battle, left behind ammunition,
guns and equipment which the Constitutionalists so badly needed. The
reply of the Constitutional chiefs to their complaining soldiers
usually was: “Never mind, boys, Huerta himself will give us arms and
ammunition to fight him with.” This statement has proved true all
through the revolt.
Before the Constitutionals had a chance to recover from the hardships
of the Naco victory, a still greater danger threatened them. A strong
force of Federals, four thousand in number, well-equipped, was coming
from the south by way of the Pacific coast, General Luis Medina
Barron was in charge of them. Before leaving Guaymas, he pledged on
his “military honor” that he would be in Hermosillo in fifteen days.
He said he would have the head of Obregon stuck upon the point of
his sword and that he would banquet at the Hotel Arcadia. But the
Constitutional chiefs were not frustrated by the boastings of General
Barron, and quickly reorganizing their army, they took positions
between Ortiz and Guaymas at Santa Rosa, a flag station on the Southern
Pacific Railroad of Mexico.
Confident of their ultimate victory, the Federals marched towards the
Constitutionalists. Early in the morning of the 9th of May they opened
a vigorous fire. The attack lasted three days.
The Constitutionalists realizing the value of the springs and wells in
that torrid zone, fought desperately for their possession. Once the
water supply was captured, it meant the defeat of the Federals. On
the second day of the battle, this was accomplished and the Federals
were forced back to the Railroad tanks, which could supply them with
water no longer than one day. After the third day’s fighting, the
Federals, worn out with thirst, retired, leaving a large number of dead
and wounded. In their hasty retreat they left behind a great quantity
of armaments and provisions. The boasting General Barron escaped to
Guaymas, wounded by the enemy, while many of his chiefs were taken to
Hermosillo as prisoners of war.
While Obregon was fighting against General Barron, General Hill had not
remained idle. He was appointed to carry on operations in the southern
part of the State. This he accomplished admirably, especially the
wiping out of the “Battalion of Death.” This battalion carried a black
flag, with a skull and cross bones upon it and their method was to
terrorize the townspeople by killing innocent women and children. When
they met General Hill in open battle they were completely wiped out.
Later General Hill drove 450 from the town of Torin, forcing them back
to Guaymas, thus clearing the southern part of the State. After his
successes in this locality, he joined General Obregon, in the hope
of attacking Generals Ojeda and Barron. The following move of the
Constitutionalists is one of the most effective of the whole campaign.
It was a decisive battle for the main water supply, which the troops
were badly in need of and took place at Santa Maria.
The plans of Generals Obregon, Alvarado and Dieguez once more proved
very effective. The Federals, finding the water supply taken, were
forced to assume the offensive. They felt confident of success, and
burdened themselves with all kinds of unnecessary impediments. But
the Constitutionalists were not to be taken by surprise; instead of
waiting for the Federals to advance, they went out to meet them: by
this manœuvre the Federals found themselves face to face with the
Constitutionalists much sooner than they had expected.
For the Federals, it was a fight for existence. They were face to face
with death from thirst, and felt that unless they regained the wells a
miserable death would be their lot. With them, it was not a fight for
the honor of Huerta--they fought from sheer desperation. Under such
conditions, the battle could not last long. Four desperate assaults
were made upon the Constitutionalists’ positions, and were repulsed.
One of these assaults lasted more than twenty-four hours, resulting in
a hand to hand fight. In those hand to hand frays one could not help
admiring the remarkable way in which the Yaquis handled their daggers.
The Federal army was wiped out completely in a very short time.
While much credit is due to the soldiers who fought in the ranks of the
Constitutionalists, many of their victories are due to the remarkable
strategy of the generals. One instance will illustrate this. General
Alvarado, realizing the terrible thirst of the Federal soldiers, drove
them into a watermelon field. He knew fully well the result of such a
move. No sooner had they reached the watermelon field, when all the
fighting on their part ceased. The Federal officers had to force them
to fight at the point of their bayonets, but even that did little good.
Once they had entered the melon field, they were the easy victims of
the Constitutional fire. At the close of the battle, General Ojeda fled
from the scene, abandoning his officers and soldiers. He was followed
by the officers, while a small group of soldiers, braver than their
chiefs, kept on fighting till they reached Guaymas.
The Constitutionals did not realize how great a victory they really had
won, and waited a whole day thinking that the retreat of the Federals
was nothing but a trap set for them. But when they marched forward
they found nothing but dead and wounded, and a great quantity of
ammunition and supplies. They had left behind all the cannons, twelve
rapid-firing guns and sixteen hundred rifles, also a large number of
horses and trappings. But the Constitutionalists had no time to lose,
and they immediately went in pursuit of the enemy.
While I was overjoyed at our tremendous victory, pity and sorrow
embittered the cup of joy. The scenes of horror and misery which I saw
are still engraved in my memory. I saw the disastrous results brought
about by a tyrannical dictator who, in his effort to perpetuate himself
in absolute power, was willing to sacrifice everything and everybody.
It was dreadful to see the battlefield littered with the dead and
wounded, men who meant well but who understood little.
On the other hand there were the patriotic, well-intentioned men, full
of self-sacrifice, willing to die for liberty and the prosperity of
their native country. Alongside these sturdy young fighters were also
the poor women and children, innocent sufferers in the great strife.
They were the greatest sufferers,--they bore the greater burden.
* * * * *
The campaign of General Obregon through the State of Sonora, marks
only the beginning of the great struggle which led him victoriously
to the city of Mexico. This campaign, although never mentioned by
the newspaper correspondents, was nevertheless as important as the
campaign of General Villa. General Obregon not only had to fight an
army much larger than his own, but the geographical location of his
territory constantly endangered his rear wings. Unlike Villa, he was
constantly compelled to guard from rear attacks, as well as from
frontal attacks. This ever existing danger made the campaign much more
difficult, multiplying the dangers which constantly confronted him.
The remark of General Obregon to Don Venustiano Carranza when the First
Chief marked out the three lines of struggle, illustrates the nature
of the fighting General Obregon. When Carranza was about to depart
from Nogales, in February, 1914, Obregon said to him: “First Chief,
tell Generals Villa and Gonzales to hurry up in their march, for I am
going to get busy and get to Mexico.” And true to his word, several
months later, although beset by many more difficulties than the other
generals, he reached Mexico City before any of them. After the Federal
troops were routed and driven back in great disorder to Guaymas, the
State of Sonora was practically cleared from Huerta troops. But that
only meant the beginning of the great fight.
During the months of July and August, General Obregon was preparing for
his advance South. He had little time to waste, for even before he was
through with his preparations, he was forced to advance on San Blas,
Sinaloa. A strong detachment of Federals were sent up from Mexico City
to reinforce the defeated Huerta troops who landed at Topolobampo. But
General Obregon was not taken by surprise. Having assigned Generals
Hill and Iturbe to proceed against the Federals, he himself continued
his march further south. His objective point was the city of Sinaloa.
In the meantime Generals Hill and Iturbe had succeeded in defeating the
Federal troops which landed in Topolobampo, and joined General Obregon
in his attack upon the city of Sinaloa.
The storming of Sinaloa was one of the fiercest battles of the entire
campaign. It lasted nearly five days and again, as in all the previous
battles, the Federals retreated so hastily that they did not have
time to take their guns and ammunition with them. A great quantity
of ammunition and provisions were left behind by them, of which the
Constitutionalists were much in need.
One of the great difficulties which constantly confronted General
Obregon was the guarding of the frontier and the positions all along
the coast. The slightest error in the guarding of those positions might
have caused the annihilation of his entire army by a rear attack. So
that, whenever he took a city from the Federals, he was confronted with
the question of protecting that point. He was forced to always leave
troops behind him, to guard those conquered cities. Had he not done
so, the Federals might have sent up new forces by way of the Pacific
and re-taken the conquered posts.
The most important of all the battles of the entire campaign was the
storming of Culiacan. The Federals, realizing the dangers of Obregon’s
swift march, massed a strong force of troops in that city, numbering
about seven thousand. Needless to say, they were much better equipped
than the Constitutionals, who always had more men than rifles and guns.
When General Obregon, who personally conducted the battle, reached the
city, the Federals were well fortified in their positions. The fight
lasted a whole week, and fighting continued day and night, almost
without cessation. At the end of that time, the Federals were badly
beaten and were forced to retire to Mazatlan. The taking of Culiacan
meant to the Constitutionalists more than just an ordinary victory.
It meant the success of the operations towards their goal, and the
weakening and disintegration of the Huerta troops. The winning of this
battle enabled the Constitutional forces to move further south to the
Territory of Tepic, where General Obregon took the city of Acaponeta
and San Blas by storm.
The rapidity with which he moved and the persistency of his attacks
won him most of his battles. He lost no time,--he did not wait. As
soon as he had taken San Blas, he did not even wait long enough to
give his tired soldiers a good rest. He moved on to his destination
immediately. With his characteristic rapid fire action, he moved
towards Guadalajara in the State of Jalisco. The most interesting thing
about the storming of that city was the capture of fifty-six train
loads of supplies. Never before had they had such luck. The trains
were packed with all kinds of provisions, guns, rifles, cannon and
ammunition. It was one of the richest hauls they ever made.
The conclusion of his march towards the capital was marked by a series
of successful battles, in spite of the difficulties he had in guarding
his base of supplies and the frontier towns. After his victory at
Guadalajara, he marched on towards Irapuato, where he again succeeded
in routing the Federal troops, and thence proceeded to the city of
Mexico.