Pancho Villa Expedition, Buffalo Soldiers, 1916

Entitled: Soldiers digging a ditch for rain water to flow off. Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the US 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. This nickname was given to the Negro Cavalry by the Native American tribes they fought in the Indian Wars. The term eventually became synonymous with all of the African American regiments formed in 1866: 9th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 24th Infantry Regiment, and 25th Infantry Regiment. The Pancho Villa Expedition was a military operation conducted by the US Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican revolutionary Francisco Pancho Villa from March 14, 1916, to February 7, 1917, during the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20. The expedition was launched in retaliation for Villa's attack on the town of Columbus, New Mexico, and was the most remembered event of the Border War. The declared objective of the expedition by the Wilson administration was the capture of Villa. Despite successfully locating and defeating the main body of Villa's command, responsible for the raid on Columbus, US forces were unable to achieve Wilson's stated main objective of preventing Villa's escape. Photographed by William Fox for Underwood and Underwood, 1916. NOTE: both the 10th Cavalry and 24th Infantry were involved in the Expedition, but the photographer made no indication which regiment these men belonged to

Picture No

12698693

Media ID

48540573

Size

3253px x 4350px (1.4MB)

Credit

LOC/Science Source/Mary Evans