Background
Pancho Villa was no fan of Mexican President Venustiano Carranza, fighting against him and his Army whenever possible. During the Mexican Revolution, Villa sustained his greatest defeat during the 1915 Battle of Celaya. Villa’s Army, The Division of the North, was now disorganized, wandering around northern Mexico, short on food, military supplies, money and munitions. To continue his war of opposition against Carranza, Villa figured raiding Columbus, New Mexico would be a good way to obtain needed supplies.
Villa planned the attack, camping his army of an estimated 1,500 horsemen outside of Palomas on the border three miles south of Columbus. The area was populated by about 300 Americans and about as many Mexicans, which fled north from the advancing Villistas.
Villa sent spies into Columbus before the raid and they mistakenly told him only 30 troops were in town. In reality, there were 12 officers with over 340 troops from the 13th Cavalry, of which 270 were combat troops. On the night of the attack, half the men were on patrol or other assignments.
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