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Civil War troops were confronted by equally untrained levies." Behind this calm, clear and deliberate utterance it is easy to read the unspoken anxiety and the needless strain forced upon the commander of the punitive expedition in pursuit of Villa. And these words were written long before Pershing ever dreamed he would be the leader of a mighty host to cross the seas and in a foreign land fight not only the battles of his country but also those of humanity as well. Although the punitive expedition failed in its main purpose,--the capture of Villa,--the opinion in America was unanimous that the leadership had been superb. _The American Review of Reviews_ declared that "the expedition was conducted from first to last in a way that reflected credit on American arms." An interesting incident in this chapter of Pershing's story is that fourteen of the nineteen Apache Indian scouts whom he had helped to capture in the pursuit of Geronimo, in 1886, were aiding him in the pursuit of Villa. Several of these scouts were past seventy years of age; indeed, one was more than eighty, but their keenness on the trail and their long experience made their assistance of great value. One of the best was Sharley and another was Peaches. Several of these Indian scouts are with the colors in France, still with Pershing. The main facts in the story of the punitive expedition are as follows: LEADING EVENTS IN THE PUNITIVE EXPEDITION INTO MEXICO 1916 Feb. 17 Report in United States Senate that 76 Americans since 1913 had been killed in Mexico. 36 others had been slain on American soil. March 9 Villa and his band cross the border and attack the 13th U. S. Cavalry at Columbus, New Mexico. 8 troopers were killed and 9 civilians wounded. March 10-13 Notes were exchanged between the U. S. and Carranza. The U. S. decided upon an immediate punitive expedition. Two columns estimated at 6,000 men under Brigadier-General John J. Pershing and Colonel Dodd enter Mexico from Columbus and Hachita. March 20 Three columns are in Mexico. The maximum penetration is reported as 80
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