1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast where we rip out 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: a page from the history books every day. Today is 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: March nine. The day was March nine, nineteen sixteen. The 6 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: Battle of Columbus began as a rate that Pancho Villa 7 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: led on the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. When 8 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: Ponto Villa ran into the U. S Army, the raid 9 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: turned into an all out battle. Pancho Villa was a 10 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,159 Speaker 1: revolutionary and a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution. He 11 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: was the commander of the Da Vision del Norte Cavalry 12 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: and for a time the governor of the Mexican state 13 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: of HuaHua at the beginning of the Mexican Revolution, which 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: started around nineteen ten. Pancho Villa had widespread support. When 15 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: Venusti and Carranza took over as head of state in 16 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen, he met opposition from Poncho Villa and US 17 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson supported Poncho Villa at least for 18 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: a short time. By late nineteen fifteen, after huge losses 19 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: in the Battle of Salaya, Pancho Villa had lost a 20 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: lot of support. He and his soldiers were in northern 21 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 1: Mexico looking for supplies, so he planned a raid on 22 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: the military garrison in the U. S town of Columbus, 23 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: New Mexico. It's not completely clear why he conducted the raid, 24 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: but he sent people to collect information on the garrison. 25 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: Villa led around fifteen hundred men across the border. Less 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,119 Speaker 1: than half of that number of men attacked the garrison 27 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: in the early hours of March ninth, nineteen sixteen. The 28 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: army set about looting and burning the town, but the 29 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: US quickly returned the violence. The thirteenth Cavalry Regiment of 30 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: the U. S. Army was stationed at the garrison. They 31 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: shot at via men with machine guns, and civilians living 32 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: in the town fought back to The Division Del Norte 33 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: resisted the counter attacks and civilian force until they were 34 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 1: forced to retreat. VIA's men had managed to gather supplies 35 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: from the raid, but they suffered a lot of losses. 36 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: More than one hundred people in the Division Del Norte 37 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,679 Speaker 1: were dead. On the U. S side, a couple of 38 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: dozen people were killed, with more wounded. The US soon 39 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: sent thousands of troops to the border. President Wilson sent 40 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: General John J. Pershing to Mexico to capture or kill 41 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: Pancho Villa in an effort known as the Punitive Expedition. 42 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: The The US searched for Via for months, using airplanes 43 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: and trucks to aid the operation. They did not find 44 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: Villa by February of nineteen seventeen, when the us is 45 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: entry into World War One was imminent, Pershing and the 46 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: troops abandoned the effort. Kranza withdrew permission for the occupation, 47 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: and Pershing returned to the US In nineteen Via was 48 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: granted amnesty and a decent pension after agreeing to cease 49 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: his independent military activities. He stayed in the hacienda into 50 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: Ohuahua until nineteen when he was assassinated. That year, a 51 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: formal commission began to negotiate claims against Mexico, including ones 52 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: from Columbus residents. Mexico didn't agree to pay off US 53 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: claims until more than a decade later. I'm Eve Steff Coote, 54 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 55 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, 56 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t D i h C podcast. You 57 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: can also shoot us an email at this day at 58 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: i heart media dot com. Thanks for listening. I hope 59 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: to see you here again tomorrow. For more podcasts from 60 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 61 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.