|
|
Missouri
National Guard Soldiers from Nevada, Missouri
Second Infantry
Protecting the Mexican Border in 1916
General Harvey C. Clark commanded the Missouri troops on the Mexican Border in 1916, patrolling 145 miles of the Laredo District, which was regarded as the most troublesome on the Border. This was the era when Pancho Villa was attacking American towns.
National Guard on the Mexican Border
Pancho Villa
instigated a series of border incidents that culminated in a surprise attack by
500 to 1,000 of
his men against Columbus, New Mexico, on March 9, 1916. Villa’s troops killed
a substantial
number of American soldiers and civilians and destroyed considerable property
before units of
the 13th Cavalry drove them off. The following day President Wilson ordered
Brig. Gen. John J.
Pershing into Mexico to assist the Mexican government in capturing Villa.
On March 15 the advance elements of this
punitive expedition of the U. S. Army entered Mexico in "hot pursuit." For the next several
months Pershing’s troops chased Villa through unfriendly territory for hundreds of miles, never
quite catching up with him but managing to disperse most of his followers.
Although Carranza’s troops also failed to capture Villa, Presidente Carranza soon showed that he had no desire to have the United States do the job for him. He protested the continued presence of American troops in Mexico and insisted upon their withdrawal.
Carranza’s unfriendly attitude, plus orders from the War Department forbidding attacks on Mexicans who were not followers of Villa, made it difficult for Pershing to deal effectively with other hostile Mexicans who blocked his path without running the risk of precipitating war.
Some clashes with Mexican government troops occurred. The most important took place in June at Carrizal, where scores were killed or wounded. This action once again created a critical situation and led President Wilson to call 75,000 National Guardsmen into federal service to police the border. Each Guard unit was assigned a section of the border to guard, usually 100 to 200 miles in length.
Aware that the majority of Americans favored a peaceful solution, Wilson persuaded Carranza to resume diplomatic negotiations. The two leaders agreed in late July to submit the disputes arising out of the punitive expedition to a joint commission for settlement. Some time later the commission ruled that the American unit commander in the Carrizal affair was at fault.
Although the commission broke up in January 1917 without reaching agreement on a plan for evacuating Pershing’s troops, relations between the United States and Germany had reached so critical a stage that Wilson had no alternative but to order withdrawal of the punitive expedition.
The National Guard troops were recalled, and then sent to France.
Note: Many of these men were still in the Guard in 1918 and went to France during WW One.
Armstrong, Sunny J.,
Mechanic, Machine Gun Company
Bacher, Gilbert A.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Baker, Chester F.,
Supply Sergeant, Supply Company
Baker, Lee, Private,
Machine Gun Company
Balden, Archie A.,
Horseshoer, Supply Company
Baldwin, Thomas
Charles, Supply Sergeant, Supply Co.
Beagles, Harry J.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Berryhill, Thomas
P., Wagoner, Supply Company
Binns, Eddie,
Wagoner, Supply Company
Bishop, John H.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Boyce, Elva B., Mess
Sergeant, Supply Company
Bratton, Lewis,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Brokaw, Mancil H.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Brooks, Herbert C.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Brown, Harold W.,
Captain, Supply Company
Campbell, Floyd J.,
Bugler, Machine Gun Co.
Casenburg, Franklin
E., Corporal, Machine Gun Company
Caudell, George D.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Caudell, George C.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Cooper, Vincil,
Wagoner, Supply Company
Corey, James J., 2d
Lieutenant, Machine Gun Company
George A., Private,
Machine Gun Company
Cubbin, J. Alex,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Dalton, Dee C.,
Horseshoer, Machine Gun Company
Dempsey, Albert L.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Dempsey, Gomer W.,
Bugler, Machine Gun Company
Dyer, Byron,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Engelbrecht, Cecil
H., 1st Sergeant, Supply Company
Etter, James C.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Ferry, Langston B.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Grieble, John P.,
Private, Headquarters, 1st Separate Battalion
Griffin, William I.,
Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Halcomb, John A.,
Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Hanover, Ernest,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Harrel, Ival W.,
Corporal, Machine Gun Company
Hollingshad, Geo.
T., Wagoner, Supply Company
Hughes, Donald S.,
Corporal, Supply Company
Hughes, Russell L.,
1st Lieutenant, Machine Gun Company
Hunter, Lawrence O.,
Cook, Supply Company
Longstreth, Bruce,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Lowe, Floyd,
Wagoner, Supply Company,
Lucas, Leslie I.,
Stable Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Masoner, Clarence
C., Private, Machine Gun Company
Massey, Harold G.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
McClease, Ervin,
Private, Machine Gun Company
McClease, James R.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Mikesell, Chester
H., Private, Machine Gun Company
Minor, Bradford B.,
2d Lieutenant, Supply Company
Neel, Walter T., 1st
Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Patterson, Horatio,
Supply Sergeant, Supply Company
Pease, George E.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Peircey, Ernest D.,
Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Phillips, Laton F.,
Corporal, Machine Gun Company
Piercy, Ernest D.,
Sergeant, Machine Gun Co.
Price, Thomas A.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Redlinger, Jack J.,
Wagoner, Supply Company
Samuel, Edwin A.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Schellert, Peter,
Cook, Machine Gun Company
Schellert, Tony,
Cook, Machine Gun Company
Schuman, Edd,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Scott, Hiram,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Scott, James M.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Scroghem, Alpheus,
Supply Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Scroghem, Alphus,
Supply Sergeant, Machine Gun Co.
Senter, James L.,
Corporal, Machine Gun Company
Sephus, Frank,
Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Smith, Fred W.,
Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Strain, Donald L.,
Corporal, Machine Gun Company
Teel, Emmett,
Corporal, Machine Gun Company
Teel, Roy E., Mess
Sergeant, Machine Gun Company
Thralls, Vance R.,
2d Lieutenant, Machine Gun Company
Ulrich, Elwood,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Van Auken, Louis C.,
Saddler, Supply Company
Walden, Arthur,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Whaley, William,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Wilhelmson, George,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Williams, John,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Williams, William
M., Captain, Machine Gun Company
Wingate, Barnes I.,
Private, Machine Gun Company
Wolfe, Gibson G.,
Stable Sergeant, Supply Company
Wullschleger, Edwin, Private, Machine Gun
Company