The Mexican Expedition
The Mexican Expedition was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Francisco "Pancho" Villa from 1916 to 1917. The expedition was in retaliation for Villa's illegal incursion into the United States and attack on the village of Columbus, Luna County, New Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution. The United States Army Center of Military History officially refers to the campaign as "the Mexican Expedition". The official beginning and ending dates are 14 March 1916 and 7 February 1917. National Guard units from Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico had been called into service on 8 May 1916. With congressional approval of the National Defense Act of 1916 on 3 June 1916, National Guard units from the remainder of the states and the District of Columbia were also called for duty on the border. By mid-June President Wilson had called out more than 110,000 National Guard for border service. None of the National Guard troops would cross the border into Mexico, but were used instead as a show of force.
In July 1916, the entire Arkansas National Guard was mobilized for federal service on the Mexican border. Arkansas units began to assemble immediately at Fort Roots, near Little Rock. Of the 2,078 Guardsmen that answered the call, only 1,208 passed the new physical standards for entry into federal service. The Arkansas troops received orders on 29 June to move to Deming, New Mexico in order to replace regular troops joining the actual expedition into Mexico and prepare if Mexico reacted to the incursion. The Arkansas troops were not engaged in Mexico and returned to Little Rock in February, mustering out of service 19–24 February at Fort Logan H. Roots. This mobilization of the National Guard along the Mexican border was the training ground for many future leaders of the Arkansas National Guard. Many of the officers who led Arkansas National Guard units in the early years of World War I and World War II began their service on the Mexican border. The 2nd Arkansas Infantry was mustered into federal service between 6–9 July 1916 at Fort Logan H. Roots, Arkansas; and mustered out of federal service on 9 March 1917 at Fort Logan H. Roots, Arkansas.
Read more about this topic: 142nd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
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