Pascual Orozco - Revolt Against Madero

Revolt Against Madero

On 3 March 1912 Orozco decreed a formal revolt against Madero's government. Orozco's forces known as the Orozquistas and Colorados (Red Flaggers) smashed Madero's army during several engagements. Seeing the potential danger that Orozco posed to his regime, Madero sent general Victoriano Huerta out of retirement to stop Orozco's Rebellion, which Huerta accomplished by August partially because Orozco was not able to acquire adequate supplies to defeat him. Orozco took refuge in the United States.

Madero ordered Victoriano Huerta to fight the rebellion. Huerta's troops defeated the orozquistas in Conejos, Rellano and Bachimba finally seizing Ciudad Juárez. After being wounded in Ojinaga, Orozco was forced to flee to the United States. After living for some months in Los Angeles, with his first cousin, Teodora Vazquez Molinar' Gonzalez (1879–1956) and husband, Carlos Diaz-Ferrales Gonzalez (1878–1953) he was able to return to Chihuahua but extremely ill, affected with periodic rheumatism seizures.

After Huerta installed himself as President of Mexico, Orozco agreed to support him if Huerta agreed to some reforms (such as payment of hacienda workers in hard money rather than company store scrip). Huerta agreed, and had Orozco, as Commanding General of all Mexican Federal forces, lead attacks against the revolutionaries and Pancho Villa. Orozco defeats the Constitutionalists at Ciudad Camargo, Mapula, Santa Rosalia, Zacatecas, and Torreón before Huerta was deposed.

After Huerta's fall Orozco announced his refusal to recognize the government of the new president, Francisco S. Carvajal whom he viewed to be similar to Madero. After briefly leading a revolt financed with his own money where he took in Guanajuato where he wins several successive engagements against the Constitutionalists but is forced to retreat because he lacked sufficient manpower to hold the ground he won. He was again forced into exile in the United States.

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