ata of society, and,
except in the case of a foreign war, have to be impressed into the
ranks. They bring their women with them to act as cooks and to
transport their food and camp equipage. Military transportation, that
is to say, baggage trains of four-mule wagons and excellent horses for
the artillery, does not exist in the Mexican army. In fact, when away
from a railroad, the "soldaderas," as the women are called, carry
nearly everything; and they obtain the food necessary for the soldiers'
rations. A commissariat, as we understand it, does not exist. This ties
the Federals to the railroads, as they can not carry enough ammunition
and food for any length of time.

On the other hand, those who first saw Obregon's rebel forces in Sonora
and Villa's in Chihuahua were surprised at their organization. There
were no women taken with them. They had wagons, regular issues of
rations and ammunition, a paymaster, and the men were well mounted and
armed.

With Obregon, also, were regiments of Yaqui Indians, who are excellent
fighting material. These forces were mobile, and could easily operate
away from the railroad. They lacked artillery, without which they were
greatly handicapped, especially in the attack on fortified places and
on stone or adobe towns. As most of the horses and mules were driven
away from the railroads, the insurgents could get all the animals they
wanted.

The first large battle occurred on May 9-10-11-12th outside of Guaymas,
between Ojeda's Federals and Obregon's Constitutionalists, at a place
called Santa Rosa. The Federal advance north consisted of about twelve
hundred men and eighteen pieces of artillery. They were opposed by
about four thousand men under Obregon, without artillery. Eight hundred
Federals were killed and all their artillery captured. The
Constitutionalists lost two hundred and fifty men killed and wounded.
Comparatively few Federals returned to Guaymas. Each side killed all
the wounded that they found, and also all captives who refused to
enlist in the captor's force. This success was not followed up and
Guaymas remained in the hands of the Federals. The artillery captured
by the Constitutionalists had had the breech blocks removed to render
them unserviceable; new ones, however, were made in the shops at
Cananca by a German mechanician named Klaus.

In the summer, Urbina captured the city of Durango, annihilating the
Federals. The city was given over to loot and the greatest ex