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Some of the most important battles of the Mexican Revolution from 1911 to 1918.
Highlighting interesting details and tactics used in each battle.
The First Battle of Ciudad Juárez took place from April 7 to May 10, 1911.
The rebel forces led by Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa captured the city from federal troops loyal to President Porfirio Díaz.
The rebels employed unconventional tactics such as using dynamite to blow through adobe walls to advance through the city.
The battle was watched by thousands of American spectators gathered in nearby El Paso, Texas.
The First Battle of Rellano took place on March 24, 1912.
The rebel forces under Pascual Orozco defeated government troops loyal to President Francisco I. Madero.
Notably, Orozco's men employed the tactic of sending a dynamite-laden locomotive (known as a "loco loco" or "máquina loca") crashing into the federal troops' train.
The battle ended with the federal commander, General José González Salas, committing suicide in despair.
The Second Battle of Rellano took place on May 22, 1912 during the Mexican Revolution.
The government forces under General Victoriano Huerta and Pancho Villa defeated the rebel troops of Pascual Orozco.
Notably, Orozco attempted to use a variation of his "loco loco" tactic from the First Battle of Rellano by mining the railroad tracks behind his retreating forces, but Huerta was alerted to the danger when one of the mines detonated prematurely.
The First Battle of Tijuana took place on May 8-9, 1911.
The rebel forces of the Mexican Liberal Party (known as Magonistas) captured the small border town of Tijuana from federal troops.
The vast majority of the rebel fighters were actually American volunteers, and the battle was watched by US cavalry and civilians from rooftops and train tracks on the American side of the border.
The Battle of Casas Grandes took place in March 1911.
The rebel forces under Francisco I. Madero attacked the town of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, but were defeated by federal troops loyal to President Porfirio Díaz.
Some of Madero's fighters were actually American citizens.
After the battle Madero blamed the loss on his scouts' failure to detect reinforcing federal troops, subsequently hanging all of the scouts.
The Battle of Cuautla took place from May 11-19, 1911.
The rebel forces of Emiliano Zapata captured the town of Cuautla, Morelos from the federal army after fierce fighting.
Zapata's troops set fire to the town's aqueducts and a machine gun nest in a railroad car, burning many federal soldiers alive.
The Zapatista victory at Cuautla, along with Madero's successes in the north, convinced President Porfirio Díaz to resign and go into exile.
The First Battle of Torreón took place from September 27 to October 1, 1913.
The revolutionary forces led by Pancho Villa captured the strategically important city of Torreón, Coahuila from federal troops loyal to President Victoriano Huerta.
Villa's forces obtained a significant amount of spoils from the battle, including weapons, ammunition, and trains, but also engaged in executions of prisoners and forced "loans" from wealthy landowners.
Despite the victory, Villa left only a small garrison in Torreón, allowing Huerta's forces to retake the city a few months later.
The Second Battle of Ciudad Juárez, also known as the "Capture of Ciudad Juárez" or "Villa's Trojan Train", took place on November 15, 1913 during the Mexican Revolution.
Pancho Villa's rebel forces cleverly hijacked a coal train and snuck 2,000 men into the border city under cover of darkness, quickly overwhelming the surprised federal garrison.
The victory provided a major boost to Villa's finances and military capabilities, as the capture of the city with its taxable casinos provided a steady income and its location on the US border eventually enabled a direct supply line for purchasing American weapons once the US arms embargo was lifted in 1914.
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During the 1913 coup against Mexican President Francisco Madero, U.S. Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson actively conspired with rebel generals, hosting a secret meeting at the U.S. Embassy where they planned the new government while Madero was still in power.
After Madero's arrest and forced resignation, he and Vice President Pino Suárez were assassinated near a prison under mysterious circumstances, with Ambassador Wilson later defending the killings by claiming Madero "had to be eliminated" and blaming Madero's wife for making it "impossible to allow him to leave the capital."
The Battle of Zacatecas, also known as the "Toma de Zacatecas", took place on June 23, 1914.
It was the bloodiest battle in the campaign to overthrow President Victoriano Huerta.
Pancho Villa's División del Norte decisively defeated the federal troops defending the strategic city of Zacatecas.
Leading to Huerta's resignation on July 15, but also marking the end of support for Villa from Venustiano Carranza and US President Woodrow Wilson.
The Battle of San Pedro de las Colonias took place on April 12, 1914.
Pancho Villa's Northern Division decisively defeated the Huertista federal forces in the town of San Pedro de las Colonias, Coahuila.
Remarkably, Villa's troops suffered only 650 casualties compared to the federal army's 3,500 losses, despite the federal forces numbering between 10,000-12,000 men according to Villa's own testimony.
The Battle of Paredón took place on May 17, 1914.
Pancho Villa's Northern Division decisively defeated the Federal forces, capturing over 2,000 prisoners and numerous weapons.
Remarkably, Villa's artillery commander, General Felipe Ángeles, devised the battle plan but his artillery did not fire a single shot during the engagement, as Villa's cavalry and infantry quickly routed the Federal troops in a massive charge.
The Second Battle of Torreón took place from March 21 to April 2, 1914 during the Mexican Revolution, where revolutionary forces led by Pancho Villa captured the strategic city of Torreón, Coahuila from Huertista federal troops.
Villa's forces expelled the Spanish population of the city after the battle, locking them in cellars and cramming them into train cars headed north, due to their support for Huerta and the extremely low wages they paid employees, which outraged Villa.
The Battle of Ojinaga took place on January 10-11, 1914.
Pancho Villa's División del Norte decisively defeated the last stronghold of the Huertista federal army in northern Mexico.
Interestingly, Villa signed a contract with the American Mutual Film company just days before the battle to film his military operations in exchange for a share of the profits, although the resulting films ended up not showing any actual combat footage from Ojinaga.
The Battle of Celaya was fought in two engagements on April 6-7 and April 15-16, 1915.
Where Álvaro Obregón's Constitutionalist forces defeated Pancho Villa's Conventionist army.
Obregón utilized modern warfare tactics like trenches, barbed wire and machine guns, while Villa relied on traditional cavalry charges, leading to a decisive defeat that was seen as Villa's "Waterloo" and marked the beginning of his decline.
The Battle of El Ébano was a 72-day conflict from March 21 to May 31, 1915.
Constitutionalist forces under General Jacinto B. Treviño successfully defended the strategic town of El Ébano, San Luis Potosí against Conventionist troops loyal to Pancho Villa.
This battle saw one of the earliest uses of aircraft in Mexican military history, with Constitutionalist planes conducting reconnaissance and bombing missions against the Villistas.
The Second Battle of Nogales took place on November 26, 1915.
It was a three-way engagement between Pancho Villa's forces, Venustiano Carranza's Constitutionalist Army, and US troops stationed in Nogales, Arizona.
Notably, the battle began when Villista snipers in Nogales, Sonora began firing on US soldiers across the border, leading to an hours-long skirmish until Carranza's forces arrived and accidentally opened fire on the Americans as well, mistaking them for Villistas.
The Second Battle of Agua Prieta took place on November 1, 1915.
Where Plutarco Elías Calles' Constitutionalist forces decisively defeated Pancho Villa's Division of the North in the border town of Agua Prieta, Sonora.
Villa believed the US had aided Calles during the battle by allowing Constitutionalist reinforcements to cross through American territory and by illuminating the battlefield with searchlights, which contributed to Villa's growing anti-Americanism and his subsequent raid on Columbus, New Mexico in 1916.
The First Battle of Naco took place from April 8-13, 1913.
Where rebel Constitutionalist forces under Alvaro Obregón captured the border town of Naco, Sonora from federal Mexican troops.
The federal commander Pedro Ojeda and many of his men, including a large contingent of Yaqui native fighters, retreated across the border and surrendered to the US Cavalry at Fort Huachuca, Arizona after being defeated.
The Battle of Columbus, also known as the Columbus Raid, took place on March 9, 1916, when Pancho Villa and several hundred of his men attacked the small border town of Columbus, New Mexico.
Villa's raid was ultimately repelled by a small contingent of the 13th US Cavalry Regiment, who then pursued the Villistas into Mexico against orders, marking a rare instance of American troops fighting Mexican revolutionaries on Mexican soil years before the US formally entered the conflict.
The raid led President Woodrow Wilson to order the Punitive Expedition under General Pershing to unsuccessfully attempt to capture Villa in Mexico.
The Battle of Carrizal took place on June 21, 1916 between US Army troops of General Pershing's Punitive Expedition and Carrancista forces of the Mexican government.
The US cavalry attacked the Mexican troops against orders, believing them to be Villistas, resulting in a Mexican victory where both American commanding officers were killed and 24 US soldiers were taken prisoner.
The battle was a major factor in the US decision to wind down the Punitive Expedition and avoid escalating into a full-scale war with Mexico.
The Battle of Guerrero took place on March 29, 1916 and was the first military engagement between Pancho Villa's forces and the United States Army during the Mexican Expedition.
The battle involved what has been called the "last true cavalry charge", where the 7th US Cavalry Regiment assaulted the town of Guerrero, Chihuahua, routing the Villista defenders and inflicting over 75 casualties for the loss of only 5 wounded.
Despite this tactical victory, the battle proved disappointing as Villa himself escaped, and it was the closest US forces came to capturing him.
The Battle of Parral took place on April 12, 1916 during the Mexican Expedition, where a small force of US cavalry under Major Frank Tompkins clashed with a larger force of Carrancista soldiers loyal to Venustiano Carranza.
Despite being outnumbered, the Americans were able to repel the Mexican attacks and safely reach the fortified town of Santa Cruz de Villegas using a strategy of organized withdrawal.
The battle marked the furthest penetration of American forces, 516 miles into Mexico, during the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa.
The Third Battle of Torreón took place from December 21-23, 1916.
Pancho Villa's Conventionist forces captured the city from the Constitutionalist Army.
After the battle Villa's troops cut off the ears of many captured Carrancista soldiers, especially those who had previously fought for Villa but switched sides.
One of the prisoners, Jesús Salas Barraza, survived a gunshot to the head during the battle and would later participate in Villa's assassination over 6 years later in 1923.
The Battle of Ambos Nogales was a border clash between U.S. and Mexican forces on August 27, 1918, resulting from growing tensions during the Mexican Revolution and World War I.
The battle began when a Mexican civilian was shot by a U.S. soldier after refusing to stop for inspection.
Remarkably, the mayor of Nogales, Sonora, Felix Peñaloza, was killed by a shot from the Arizona side when he tried to stop the fighting by waving a white handkerchief.
The battle led to the erection of the first permanent border fence between the two towns.
Some U.S. accounts alleged German military advisors fighting alongside the Mexicans, but this claim was never substantiated.
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