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