Bandit War

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For the current conflict in Nigeria, see Nigerian bandit conflict.
Bandit War
Part of the
Border War, Mexican Revolution
DateJuly 4, 1915 – August 23, 1919[1]
(4 years, 1 month, 2 weeks and 5 days)
Location
Texas, United States
Result United States victory
Belligerents
 United States
Carrancistas
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Funston Basilio Ramos
Luis de la Rosca
Aniceto Pizana
Natividad Álvarez
Rodríguez Ramírez
Casualties and losses
Unknown 300
Civilians: Unknown but believed to be above 350

The Bandit War, or Bandit Wars, was a series of raids in

US Army
also engaged in small unit actions with bands of Seditionist raiders.

Seditionista campaign

The height of the fighting was in 1915. On January 6, Basilio Ramos and a group of his followers drafted the

scorched-earth campaign of annihilation" against both guilty and innocent Mexicans.[3][4]

Some people suspected that the current fighting would ignite a full-fledged war between the United States and Mexico. One South Texan wrote, "I have never been satisfied with the

Deputy Sheriff Frank Carr and the Texas Ranger Daniel Hinojosa arrested Munoz but according to the officers, when they were leaving San Benito, a party of eight armed men wearing masks forced them to give up Munoz. The next day, Munoz's body was found about two miles from town and had been "riddled with bullets" and hanging from a tree. The lynching, whether perpetrated by the rebels or by the Texans, created an atmosphere of distrust among the local Mexican population for the Texas Rangers and other American police forces. José Tomás Canales said that "every person who was charged with a crime refused to be arrested, because they did not believe that the officers of the law would give them the protection guaranteed them by the Constitution and the laws of this State." A lawyer in San Benito, William G. B. Morrison, said that Munoz's lynching had been "the spark that fired the flame among the white people." However, a federal investigator said that the lynching had been "an expression of the indignation of the people against the repeated failure to enforce the laws."[4]

John William Weber considers that "personal conflict" was the cause of some of the violence and that the "most important example" was that of Aniceto Pizana, the owner of Los Tulitos Ranch. Pizana's neighbor, Jeff Scrivener, was known for wanting Pizana's land and so in early August, he told American authorities that Pizana was in league with the rebels and had harbored some of them during one of their raids. Despite that accusation, no evidence suggests that Pizana ever had any significant ties with the rebels though he was a friend of Luis de la Rosca, a known raider who owned a store in

vigilantes. A posse led by the Texas adjudant general, Henry Hutchings, and Captain Ransom killed three people alone. Meanwhile, the rebels were destroying railroad property by ripping up tracks, burning bridges, and attacking the repairmen who were sent to fix the problems.[4]

The "most daring" raid during the Seditionistas' campaign occurred at the

cavalrymen, a few policemen and a few ranchers. During the two-hour battle that followed, at least a dozen people were killed or wounded and possibly many more before the rebels retreated back towards Mexico. Another battle was fought on the next morning, when the Mexican raiders encountered a force of Texas Rangers and soldiers as they attempted to cross the Rio Grande. The Americans reported that as many as twelve more rebels were killed and that very few made it across the river. For the next few weeks, West Texas was plagued by "almost daily killings," the most notable of which occurred on October 19. That day, a band of raiders derailed a train six miles north of Brownsville and killed several white people on board but left the Mexican passengers unhurt. When Captain Ransom arrived at the scene he found four Mexicans in the vicinity and executed them all. On October 21, Rosca and Pizana led 25 to 100 rebels in the last important raid of the Seditionista campaign. Like most of the raids, it was a failure for the rebels. This time, a squad of eight army signalmen was besieged by the Mexicans at Ojo de Agua until it was relieved by 12 men from the 3rd Cavalry, under Captain W. J. Scott. At least seven rebels died as result of the battle and at least seven others were wounded. The Americans suffered one civilian death, three soldiers killed, and eight wounded.[4][5][6][7]

By December 1915, the threat of Mexican raiders was slowly diminishing, but in the summer of 1916, a series of minor attacks began, all them occurring around

Villista cousin Jose Morin to capture San Antonio, but a baker in Kingsville, known as Victoriano Ponce, informed the Texas Rangers, who arrested both men in May. The two were apparently murdered by the Rangers since they were never seen again after their arrest. According to US Army investigators, over 300 Mexicans had been killed during the Seditionistas' campaign.[3][4]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0425219386
  2. ^ ODMP memorial Deputy Constable Falcon and Deputy Sherriff Cuellar
  3. ^ a b Plan of San Diego | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)
  4. ^ a b c d e Weber, p. 79-94
  5. ^ Pierce, p. 97
  6. ^ Investigation of Mexican Affairs, p. 1247
  7. ^ Norias Ranch Raid | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)
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