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| |result=U.S. victory, cease fire arranged | |result=U.S. victory, cease fire arranged | ||
| |combatant1={{flagicon|United States|1912}} ] | |combatant1={{flagicon|United States|1912}} ] | ||
| |combatant2={{flagicon|Mexico|1917-1934}} ]< |
|combatant2={{flagicon|Mexico|1917-1934}} ]<|commander1=] | ||
| |commander1=] | |||
| |commander2=unknown | |commander2=unknown | ||
| |strength1=estimate: 100–200 infantry and cavalry | |strength1=estimate: 100–200 infantry and cavalry | ||
| |strength2=unknown | |strength2=unknown | ||
| |casualties1=U.S. Army: 3 KIA, 29 WIA<br/>American |
|casualties1=U.S. Army: 3 KIA, 29 WIA<br/>American Civilians:<br/> 2 KIA,<br/>unknown WIA {{Fact|date=May 2009}} | ||
| |casualties2=Mexican Army: 129 KIA, |
|casualties2=Mexican Army: 129 KIA,unknown {cn} | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''The Battle of Ambos Nogales''' (lit. ''The Battle of Both Nogales''), was an engagement fought on August 27, 1918. Between U.S. forces, stationed in ] |
'''The Battle of Ambos Nogales''' (lit. ''The Battle of Both Nogales''), was an engagement fought on August 27, 1918. Between U.S. forces, stationed in ] and a Mexican Federal garrison occupying ] | ||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| By 1918, the U.S. had declared war on ], thus entering ]. The situation in ] had been terrible since the beginning of the ] in 1910. While overseas fighting the Germans, U.S. forces still had an obligation to defend the ]' southern border. Throughout the ] U.S. forces garrisoned America's border towns, occasionally exchanging fire with ] rebels or federals. With the ] interception of the ] in 1917, the United States knew |
By 1918, the U.S. had declared war on ], thus entering ]. The situation in ] had been terrible since the beginning of the ] in 1910. While overseas fighting the Germans, U.S. forces still had an obligation to defend the ]' southern border. Throughout the ] U.S. forces garrisoned America's border towns, occasionally exchanging fire with ] rebels or federals. {cn} With the ] interception of the ] in 1917, the United States knew of Germany's attempt to bring Mexico into the war on the side of the ]. | ||
| In the beginning of 1918, the U.S. Intelligence Division in Southern Arizona began reporting that German agents were training the ] in ] procedures and building defences. A few days before the fighting began, an anonymous letter was received by Lt. Colonel Frederick J. Herman. The letter was from someone claiming to be a major from ]'s army. In the message, the unknown Mexican warns the Lt. Colonel of the German ] in and around ]. The letter also warns of an attack which is to take place somewhere around August 25, 1918. | |||
| ==Battle== | ==Battle== | ||
| ⚫ | On August 27 1918, a gun battle erupted unintentionally when a Mexican officer attempted to pass through the border, back to Mexico, without being interrogated at the ] house. As the Mexican soldier passed the office, customs inspector Arthur G. Barber ordered "halt". The Mexican failed to halt so Inspector Barber ran after him with pistol in hand, followed by two enlisted men. Another Mexican officer, on the Mexican side of the border, witnessed the chase, drew his pistol and fired at the customs inspector. The shot missed Barber but hit one of the soldiers, killing him instantly. The other enlisted man then raised his weapon and fired, killing the hostile Mexican officer. | ||
| ] | |||
| After the initial shooting, reinforcements from both sides rushed to the border line. Hostilities quickly escalated, The U.S. 35th Infantry, garrison of ], called in reinforcements, the ]s of the 10th Cavalry, commanded by Frederick Herman. | |||
| On August 27, 1918. A gun battle erupted unintentionally when a Mexican officer attempted to pass through the border, back to Mexico, without being interrogated at the ] house. | |||
| As the Mexican soldier passed the office, customs inspector | |||
| After observing the situation for a few moments, Colonel Herman ordered an attack on the Mexican held hilltops overlooking the bordertown. | |||
| ⚫ | Arthur G. Barber ordered "halt". The Mexican failed to halt so Inspector Barber ran after him with pistol in hand, followed by two enlisted men. Another Mexican officer, on the Mexican side of the border, witnessed the chase, drew his pistol and fired at the customs inspector. The shot missed Barber but hit one of the soldiers, killing him instantly. The other enlisted man then raised his weapon and fired, killing the hostile Mexican officer. | ||
| Under heavy fire, the U.S. infantry and dismounted cavalry advanced across the border through the buildings and streets of ]. Some armed Arizona citizens tagged along, or stayed on the US side, firing their weapons from their house windows. | |||
| After a couple hours the Mexicans waved a large white flag of surrender over their customs building. Lt. Colonel Herman observed and then ordered an immediate cease fire. Snipers on both sides continued shooting for a little while after the cease fire, but were eventually silenced upon orders from their superiors. | |||
| ==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
| ] | |||
| The U.S. Army suffered 3 dead and 29 wounded, civilian ] casualties were 2 dead and several wounded. {{Fact|date=May 2009}} It was reported the Mexicans suffered 125 dead and 300 wounded and that among the dead were 2 ] agents provocateurs. {(cn}} | |||
| Because the battle began as a minor shooting and not as a full scale assault, the Mexicans and German advisors were defeated before they could launch their suspected invasion. | |||
| The U.S. Army suffered 3 dead and 29 wounded. Arizona militia/civilian casualties were 2 dead and several wounded. According to the U.S. Army, the graves for 129 Mexicans were dug. The bodies of two Germans were recovered, thus meaning two Germans were killed in action. Others may have fell victim to the battle but only two have been confirmed. The fighting of ] ended a few months later and a peace treaty was ratified in 1919. The main phase of the ] ended in 1920. Never again were there reports of Mexican troops massing on the Arizona border or German soldiers in the region. | |||
| ] ended a few months later and a peace treaty was ratified in 1919. The main phase of the ] ended in 1920. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | |||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| Line 50: | Line 55: | ||
| ==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
| * | * | ||
| * Finley, James P. Huachuca Illustrated Vol. 2 Part 6, ''Buffalo Soldiers at Huachuca: The Battle of |
* Finley, James P. Huachuca Illustrated Vol. 2 Part 6, ''Buffalo Soldiers at Huachuca: The Battle of Ambos Nogales.'' Library of Congress 1996, ISBN 93-206790 | ||
| * Wharfield, Harold B. ''Tenth Cavalry and Border Fights.'' publisher: author | * Wharfield, Harold B. ''Tenth Cavalry and Border Fights.'' publisher: author | ||
| * | * | ||
Revision as of 22:28, 31 May 2009
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Battle of Ambos Nogales" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Battle of Ambos Nogales | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mexican Revolution World War I | |||||||
 Ambos Nogales | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
 Mexico< | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Frederick J. Herman | unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| estimate: 100–200 infantry and cavalry | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
U.S. Army: 3 KIA, 29 WIA American Civilians: 2 KIA, unknown WIA | Mexican Army: 129 KIA,unknown {cn} | ||||||
The Battle of Ambos Nogales (lit. The Battle of Both Nogales), was an engagement fought on August 27, 1918. Between U.S. forces, stationed in Nogales, Arizona and a Mexican Federal garrison occupying Nogales, Sonora
Background
By 1918, the U.S. had declared war on Germany, thus entering World War I. The situation in Mexico had been terrible since the beginning of the revolution in 1910. While overseas fighting the Germans, U.S. forces still had an obligation to defend the United States' southern border. Throughout the Mexican Revolution U.S. forces garrisoned America's border towns, occasionally exchanging fire with Mexican rebels or federals. {cn} With the British interception of the Zimmerman Telegram in 1917, the United States knew of Germany's attempt to bring Mexico into the war on the side of the Central Powers.
In the beginning of 1918, the U.S. Intelligence Division in Southern Arizona began reporting that German agents were training the Mexican Army in military procedures and building defences. A few days before the fighting began, an anonymous letter was received by Lt. Colonel Frederick J. Herman. The letter was from someone claiming to be a major from Pancho Villa's army. In the message, the unknown Mexican warns the Lt. Colonel of the German espionage in and around Nogales, Sonora. The letter also warns of an attack which is to take place somewhere around August 25, 1918.
Battle
On August 27 1918, a gun battle erupted unintentionally when a Mexican officer attempted to pass through the border, back to Mexico, without being interrogated at the U.S. Customs house. As the Mexican soldier passed the office, customs inspector Arthur G. Barber ordered "halt". The Mexican failed to halt so Inspector Barber ran after him with pistol in hand, followed by two enlisted men. Another Mexican officer, on the Mexican side of the border, witnessed the chase, drew his pistol and fired at the customs inspector. The shot missed Barber but hit one of the soldiers, killing him instantly. The other enlisted man then raised his weapon and fired, killing the hostile Mexican officer.
After the initial shooting, reinforcements from both sides rushed to the border line. Hostilities quickly escalated, The U.S. 35th Infantry, garrison of Nogales, called in reinforcements, the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry, commanded by Frederick Herman.
After observing the situation for a few moments, Colonel Herman ordered an attack on the Mexican held hilltops overlooking the bordertown. Under heavy fire, the U.S. infantry and dismounted cavalry advanced across the border through the buildings and streets of Nogales, Sonora. Some armed Arizona citizens tagged along, or stayed on the US side, firing their weapons from their house windows.
After a couple hours the Mexicans waved a large white flag of surrender over their customs building. Lt. Colonel Herman observed and then ordered an immediate cease fire. Snipers on both sides continued shooting for a little while after the cease fire, but were eventually silenced upon orders from their superiors.
Aftermath
The U.S. Army suffered 3 dead and 29 wounded, civilian Arizona casualties were 2 dead and several wounded. It was reported the Mexicans suffered 125 dead and 300 wounded and that among the dead were 2 German agents provocateurs. {(cn}}
World War I ended a few months later and a peace treaty was ratified in 1919. The main phase of the Mexican Revolution ended in 1920.
See also
- United States occupation of Veracruz
- Mexican Revolution
- World War I
- Zimmerman Telegram
- Buffalo soldier
- 10th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
- 35th Infantry Division (United States)
Sources
- website
- Finley, James P. Huachuca Illustrated Vol. 2 Part 6, Buffalo Soldiers at Huachuca: The Battle of Ambos Nogales. Library of Congress 1996, ISBN 93-206790
- Wharfield, Harold B. Tenth Cavalry and Border Fights. publisher: author
- 10th Cavalry Squadron History