Buffalo Soldiers: South of the Rio Grande

By William C. Moton

Captain Gilmore, an African American officer, and Jenkins Craves, an old buffalo soldier with combat experience, make an odd duo. But together they serve one mission. At the height of the Mexican Revolution, they are commanded to transport Lieutenant Calderon and several other Mexican prisoners to make an exchange for American prisoners.

The mission should be simple, with the Americans being held in a small town a few days ride from the pairs location, but as Gilmore soon finds, nothing is simple south of the border. Their team meets a young woman who travels alone to collect the belongings of a relative: a soldier shot dead by Mexican federal soldiers.

Gilmore feels the need to protect this woman, so she joins their team. Its a good thing, too, as they are soon attacked by bandits, the Mexican Federal Army, and a variety of no-good turncoats. Despite these hazards, Gilmore and Craves are determined to complete their mission and save American lives but who will save them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490747279

William C. Moton

William C. Moton served four years in the US Navy, where he spent time in Vietnam. He then studied international relations and Latin American studies at the University of the Americas in Cholula Puebla, Mexico, where he also worked in the local film industry.

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Copyright 2014 WILLIAM C. MOTON.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-4729-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-4728-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-4727-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014917197

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CONTENTS

Author’s Note

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

This book is dedicated to my mother, Viola Mae Moton, who told me that I was a natural-born storyteller and that I would one day become a writer and share my stories with the world.

Special thanks to Holly Vincent Gurauskas for helping to organize the manuscript.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Though this is a work of fiction, it is based on an actual incident, and it is an attempt to focus on a forgotten and unknown part of America’s history. It will refocus attention on America’s unsung heroes: the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry and the Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Infantry Regiments.

Much of the factual history was taken from Chasing Poncho Villa, written in the 1930s by Colonel Frank Thompson, who was part of the expedition. Another book, The Buffalo Soldiers, by William H. Leakey, furnished much of the early history of the regiments.

During the Indian wars in the Southwest, these troops earned sixteen congressional Medals of Honor. These early regiment ranks were filled by men from the eastern part of the country, the Midwest, and many former slaves. They had been organized to help relieve some of the hardships the settlers faced along the trail leading west. They built forts, dammed rivers, assisted peaceful Indians onto reservations, and they protected the railroad workers from Indian attacks while they were laying tracks across the western plains.

They were relentless in their pursuit of gunrunning, kidnapping Comancheros and cattle rustlers. They brought justice to many outlaws during those years in the far west, and they assisted in the upholding of the law.

They made long treks through the wide, open spaces of the West—Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah—enduring sandstorms, prairie fires, and other natural disasters, eventually becoming known to all the Native Americans on the southern plains, including the Kiowa, Comanches, Southern Cheyenne, Apaches, and Kickapoo. Some of the Native Americans formed large nations; others were small bands. Those brave men were neither heroes nor, as some would later claim, doups. They were men of their times who adapted and persevered under often-hostile circumstances.

With the western movement of settlers from eastern cities, southern farms, and immigrants from Europe, the troops, known as colored or Negro troops, made up one-fourth of all US Cavalry stations on the frontier. They helped accommodate those settlers.

South of the Rio Grande

Three different people from completely different backgrounds were caught up in the changing world after the beginning of the twentieth century. This occurred during the height of the Mexican Revolution. The three were destined to participate in a saga that would try their will and resolve. Captain Gilmore, an African American officer, and Jenkins Craves, an old buffalo soldier with many combat experiences, were part of the event. They, along with a small platoon, would take Lieutenant Calderon, who was a prisoner, along with other Mexican prisoners to be exchanged for American prisoners being held in a small town a few days’ ride from their location.

During their travel, they encountered a young African American woman who has come south to get the belongings of a relative, a soldier who had been killed in an earlier shoot-out with Mexican troops. During this time, they were engaged in various unexpected events, being attacked by bandits, the Mexican Federal Army, and an assortment of turncoats. The three, along with their prisoners and the platoon, finally returned to their lines with a newfound understanding and respect for the revolutionaries and their cause.

PROLOGUE

At the turn of the century, Mexico was in the process of rapid change. This change had been constant over the last twenty years. At the same time, political and economic power remained in few hands. These were the landowners, the church, and the foreign nationals. The foreigners owned or controlled the mining, oil, railroads, and banking. Most were Europeans; however, some large estates were in the hands of citizens of the United States. The small farmers were in a marginal position that kept them alive, but in a state of existence that gave them little hope for betterment. Many who refused to commit themselves or conform to these conditions began a life of banditry then were constantly pursued by governmental authorities.

By 1910, the president, Porfirio Diaz, had been in power for thirty years. He had done much to modernize the country, but the poor classes had not benefited. The coming election of 1910 was the beginning of a change with far-reaching consequences. The incumbent would be challenged by an upstart politician, Francisco Madero, who had been educated outside of the country and brought new ideas to the debate. Because of this, he was backed by liberals and moderates.

Through the traditional method of tampering with the ballots, the incumbent was declared victorious, claiming a landslide over his opponent. The entire country was outraged. The government ceased to function, and chaos ensued. Many generals denounced the administration. Some outlaws and gangs of bandits began to take over and control large regions of the country. Noncompliance was declared. The president left the country and went into exile.

The new president, along with his appointed vice president, took over. Their administration was launched with enthusiasm. No one expected that he would try the reforms and changes that he had campaigned on. They wanted to maintain the status quo. Many of the powerful elite became alarmed because of his progressive practices. Before the changes could be implemented, the military intervened. The president and vice president were arrested; soon after, the two were murdered. The presidency was taken over by General Huerta, who would start a revolution that would last for the next ten years. The whole country became consumed, and before peace was restored, over two million people lost their lives.

This was the first revolution of the century. It happened before the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the Fascists in Italy, and the Nazis in Germany.

The legendary revolutionary general and former bandit, Pancho Villa, and his division controlled the north, while in the south, Emiliano Zapata and other generals controlled other areas.

Diplomatic relations were cut off by the government in Washington, DC. The US government demanded that its citizens living in Mexico be protected along with their property. The two countries were on a collision course that neither wanted.

Along the border, incidents escalated. Roaming bands of outlaws and revolutionaries fought each other for control. Gunfights were common on both sides of the border. A movement started on US soil by the former ex-president sympathizers. It was small, but they expected it to grow. They wanted to form a breakaway government that would include all the northern Mexican states that bordered the United States. They wanted to form an independent confederation that would join the United States as Texas had half a century before. Meanwhile, the war in the South waged on. The Mexican government changed hands again. General Huerta, whose administration had been tainted by the murder of the former president and vice president, was removed, and a new administration came to power. This administration was headed by General Venustiano Carranza. Diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States were reinstated even though they remained strained.

During this time, Zapata was tricked into a proposed negotiation; he was ambushed and killed. President Carranza and Pancho Villa were on the outs because of the administration’s policies. Many Americans favored Villa because he had the backing of the people. American general Pershing and his junior officer, Patton, had taken a famous picture with the Mexican general. Villa soon was defeated by federal troops. The Mexican troops had been permitted to travel by rail through US territory. They did this and thus outflanked Villa. Afterward, Villa promised revenge.

A work train was stopped in Chihuahua, and an American worker crew of sixteen was gunned down. Villa was blamed. He denounced the action and denied being involved.

The tide began to change with the introduction of modern techniques borrowed from the war that was being waged in Europe. Bad strategies had begun to plague Villa. Soon a man that had once led an army that numbered in the thousands was reduced to leading a ragtag band of hit-and-run guerrilla fighters. His arms were limited to those shipments received by arm smugglers and those he took by ambushing federal troops. The facts are muddled and have been lost over the years. But what stands as an accepted possibility is that at a meeting where a large shipment was expected but did not materialize, Villa gave the order, Vamos por las armas! (Let’s go get arms!).

CHAPTER ONE

Early morning, March 16, as the moon ducked behind the clouds that drifted over the small town of Columbus, New Mexico, ghostly shadows crept across the landscape full of cacti and mesquite. The air was cool, and there was little breeze. Inside the camp that guarded the armory, the soldiers slept. They were oblivious to the impending attack from the Lion of Northern Mexico.

Pancho Villa and his ragtag band of men numbering approximately four hundred came in from the southeast. They were unseen from the observation towers. They had left their horses outside of town then sneaked across the flanks and attacked the post from both sides. They robbed supplies and munitions at a great loss of life, mostly Mexicans. During the fight, they set fire to a hotel and carried torches. Unbeknownst to them, the torches made them easy targets. Even though they were surprised and outnumbered, the Americans put up a good fight. Afterward, the area in the center of town lay in ruin. The intruders left after a battle that lasted the better part of a half hour.

Pancho Villa led the remainder of his troop to their sanctuary in Northern Mexico. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were further strained by this bold crime. Acting from a need for retribution, an expeditionary army headed by General John J. Pershing was sent into Mexico. This army was called the Punitive Expedition. The Tenth Cavalry, better known as the buffalo soldiers, was a part of this force. Their orders were to catch the perpetrators of the attack on the American town and do whatever deemed necessary to stop the outrages along the border.

The expedition chased the revolutionaries though rough terrain and through the dustiest towns of the northern part of the country. The trail was long. They went through cold mountain passes where the water froze in the canteens carried by the men and the hair froze on their heads and faces. Then they rode through plains where the heat was almost unbearable. Some of the older soldiers, both white and black, could remember the long treks across the endless wastelands that separate the United States and the Mexican heartlands.

Some of the expeditions in the 1880s were into the Sierra Madre Mountains. Then, they were trying to catch roaming bands of Apache, Limpa, and Kickapoo raiders. These marauders would cross the border after committing unimaginable depredations. Apache descendants of those earlier renegades were serving as scouts with the expedition.

The hardship to be endured was only anticipated by a few of the old-timers. The mounted troops’ diet consisted of fresh beef, hardtack, beans, and corn.

When they left the high altitudes, they were met by swarms of pests. The droppings from the many thousands of horses and pack animals from both parties produced enormous herds of horseflies and other varmints. Their nuisance came after sunrise, then would subside with the chill of the night, then return the following day. The rains during the season intensified the suffering.

Despite those problems, the army continued south. The army that was organized had been the largest put together to travel by land and rail since the Civil War. The last military actions the United States had been involved in had all occurred overseas; there was the Spanish-American War, there had been a small American presence at Peking during the Boxer rebellion, and there had been an ongoing fight in the Philippines against the Moros, the local Muslim independence fighters.

The United States government set up an official meeting in Connecticut. They were to discuss the crossing and recrossing of the borders by the military of each country in hot pursuit of outlaws. This arrangement had been made years before during the Indian wars. The Mexican government refused to participate. They wanted the United States to unconditionally return to the US. Meanwhile, the National Guard from several states, numbering 150,000, had been mobilized along the southern border.

The word from various Mexican generals had been that there should be no movement either east, west, or south by the American forces. General Pershing had distinctively assured them that the Americans would go north when he received orders from his superiors, and no one else. Mexican federal troops, estimated at ten thousand, had assembled on rails around Chihuahua City. It was understood that those troops were not there to pursue revolutionaries, but to drive out the Americans.

Initially, only ten thousand American troops had crossed the border, but before the incursion was over, twenty thousand Americans were there.

The Mexican Federale units were constantly fighting the rebels. When not doing so, they kept themselves at a distance while keeping a steady vigil on US troops’ movements. There had been little interaction between these parties. The newly organized air units had done much of the reconnaissance. Most airplanes were soon put out of action by crashes caused mostly from experienced pilots. The army had to return to its old-fashioned methods, mainly small patrol. Some of these patrols had gone to capture Villa’s high-ranking officers, the ones who had participated in the cross-border raids at Columbus. The men hunted were Julio Acosta, Roberto Sebastian, Canderlaro Cervantes, Antonio Angel, Cruz Dominique, Martin Lopez, and Nicholas Fernandez. Some of them were subsequently apprehended and sent back to face trial in the US courts.

Most were killed in various shoot-outs with American or Mexican federal troops. The Carrazana government had given a blanket pardon to the underlings of the Columbus operation. This further annoyed General Pershing. One of the officers in charge of these patrols got into a large firefight. It was none other than Lieutenant Patton, who later became the famous General Patton.

Many of the distances covered could have been cut by one-third; the problem was with the guides. The American scouts, including the Apache, had never been in the territory before. The local people, even when offered money, would only hunch their shoulders and say, Quien Saba? (Who knows?) When asked other information, the same response, Quien saba? followed. When following guides who were paid, they inevitably chose the longest route to a particular place. It was obvious; these men worked against the progress of the expedition. This was from fear of reprisals or sympathy with the rebels.

At the town of Guerrero, Villa had escaped the night before, when the American forces had been taken in a circular route and brought into the town at the wrong entrance. Villa had been wounded in a shoot-out with Federales a few days before and had had his leg broken. He had it fixed by a local doctor then left town in a wagon with an escort of chosen men. Upon arriving, the troops were to witness something that soon would become common. When arriving at a federal garrison, the local authorities would execute