Tensions between Pancho Villa and the United States had been escalating ever since the U.S. government threw its official support behind Villa's rival — and former ally — Venustiano Carranza, recognizing him as Mexico's president in October 1915. Pouring fuel on the fire, the United States went a step further by arranging train transportation for more than 5,000 Carrancista troops from Eagle Pass, Texas, to Douglas, Arizona, enabling them to confront Villa at the Battle of Agua Prieta.
Pancho Villa Strikes Back
Villa's forces struck back on January 10, 1916, carrying out a brutal act of revenge over President Woodrow Wilson's decision to back the Carranza government. They pulled 17 U.S. mining engineers off a train and executed 16 of them in cold blood. But that wasn't the end of it — on March 9, 1916, Pancho Villa personally led hundreds of rebels across the border in a raid on the town of Columbus, where 17 Americans lost their lives. U.S. troops gave chase, killing 50 of the attackers on American soil and another 70 once they crossed back into Mexico.
Villa Wanted: Dead or Alive
President Wilson ordered that Villa be captured — alive or dead — and on March 15, Brigadier General John J. Pershing led a punitive expedition into Mexican territory to carry out that directive. Much like Carranza before him, Pershing spent the following 11 months in pursuit of the elusive Pancho Villa, all without success. The American military presence on Mexican soil triggered a diplomatic crisis, fueled by widespread Mexican outrage over what they viewed as a violation of their sovereignty.
The situation boiled over violently on June 21, when Mexican government forces clashed with Pershing's troops at Carrizal, Mexico. The engagement left 38 Mexicans dead and 17 Americans killed or wounded. By the end of January 1917, mounting pressure from the Mexican government finally compelled the Americans to withdraw and head home, their mission to capture Villa a failure.
A Long-Awaited Truce
Villa kept up his guerilla campaign until a shift in power brought Adolfo de la Huerta to the helm of the government, ushering in a new constitution. With Huerta in charge, Villa negotiated a peaceful agreement and chose to retire from political life. He received a government pardon in 1920, only to be assassinated a few years later in Parral.