Mexican Border Campaign

Pancho Villa Expedition
Part of the Mexican Revolution, Border War
Cartoon by Clifford Berryman reflects American attitudes about the expedition
Date March 14, 1916 – February 7, 1917 Location State of Chihuahua, Mexico Result American objective failed United States withdrawal in 1917.
Belligerents
United States	Villistas Carrancistas
Commanders and leaders
John J. Pershing	Pancho Villa Alvaro Obregón
Strength
c. 10,000	c. 500 (Villistas) 22,000 (Carrancistas)
Casualties and losses
15 killed 28 wounded 3 missing	Villistas: 169 killed 115+ wounded 19 captured Carrancistas: 82 killed 51+ wounded

American objective failed

Villistas

The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa from March 14, 1916, to February 7, 1917, during the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920.

The expedition was launched in retaliation for Villa's attack on the town of Columbus, New Mexico, and was the most remembered event of the Border War. The declared objective of the expedition by the Wilson administration was the capture of Villa. Despite successfully locating and defeating the main body of Villa's command, responsible for the raid on Columbus, U.S. forces were unable to achieve Wilson's stated main objective of preventing Villa's escape.

The active search for Villa ended after a month in the field when troops sent by Venustiano Carranza, the head of the Constitutionalist faction of the revolution and now the head of the Mexican government, resisted the U.S. incursion. The Constitutionalist forces used arms at the town of Parral to resist passage of a U.S. Army column. The U.S. mission was changed to prevent further attacks on it by Mexican troops and to plan for war in the eventuality it broke out. When war was averted diplomatically, the expedition remained in Mexico until February 1917 to encourage Carranza's government to pursue Villa and prevent further raids across the border.

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Wikipedia