War on the Border: Villa, Pershing, the Texas Rangers, and an American Invasion
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- Create Date：2021-06-07 12:31:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jeff Guinn
- ISBN：1797125931
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Summary
A dramatic account of the "Punitive Expedition" of 1916 that brought Pancho Villa and Gen。 John J。 Pershing into conflict， and whose reverberations continue in the Southwestern US to this day。Jeff Guinn， chronicler of the Southwestern US and of American undesirables （Bonnie and Clyde， Charles Manson， Jim Jones） tells the riveting story of Pancho Villa's bloody raid on a small US border town that sparked a violent conflict with the US。 The "Punitive Expedition" was launched in retaliation under Pershing's command and brought together the Army， National Guard， and the Texas Rangers--who were little more than organized vigilantes with a profound dislike of Mexicans on both sides of the border。 Opposing this motley military brigade was Villa， a guerrilla fighter who commanded an ever-changing force of conscripts in northern Mexico。 The American expedition was the last action by the legendary African-American "Buffalo Soldiers。" It was also the first time the Army used automobiles and trucks， which were of limited value in Mexico， a country with no paved roads or gas stations。 Curtiss Jenny airplanes did reconnaissance， another first。 One era of warfare was coming to a close as another was beginning。 But despite some bloody encounters， the Punitive Expedition eventually withdrew without capturing Villa。 Today Anglos and Latinos in Columbus， New Mexico， where Villa's raid took place， commemorate those events， but with differing emotions。 And although the bloodshed has ended， the US-Mexico border remains as vexed and volatile an issue as ever。
Reviews
RMazin
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Jeff Guinn has the talent to make history exacting and exciting， with parts of his book sometimes focusing on one or the other。 The first part of War on the Border is the more exacting part as it introduces Mexican political rivalries and jockeying during a turbulent era for that country。 Shifting allegiances， dominance of forces and broken promises made it not only a turbulent time for the leaders but precarious for their struggling people。 Hard to know then which side to support or back。The ex Jeff Guinn has the talent to make history exacting and exciting， with parts of his book sometimes focusing on one or the other。 The first part of War on the Border is the more exacting part as it introduces Mexican political rivalries and jockeying during a turbulent era for that country。 Shifting allegiances， dominance of forces and broken promises made it not only a turbulent time for the leaders but precarious for their struggling people。 Hard to know then which side to support or back。The exciting part of the book occurs after Villa’s raid on Columbus。 This may have been seen as the act that forged the Punitive Expedition， but it almost marked an intensification of border animosity that exists through today。 Guinn highlights military and political strategies behind the scenes that are frequently not as prominent in classroom teachings of this era。 More attention should have been given by those educators to that era…。。for reasons concerning the border now。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title to review。History buffs will enjoy Guinn’s details。 Readers with a new-found interest in this era and current events， will learn many new details previously omitted or glossed over in recounting SW history。 Recommended。 。。。more
Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir
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Reading history is a constant reminder that the world seems to be on a repetitive spin cycle of border conflicts， struggles for political power， and failed attempts at diplomacy。 Over the past several years， the border between the United States and Mexico has been a never-ending source of quarrels。 Some might think it began with Donald Trump's calls to build the wall， but as Jeff Guinn notes in his skillfully written history， WAR ON THE BORDER， Mexican-American relations have troubled both count Reading history is a constant reminder that the world seems to be on a repetitive spin cycle of border conflicts， struggles for political power， and failed attempts at diplomacy。 Over the past several years， the border between the United States and Mexico has been a never-ending source of quarrels。 Some might think it began with Donald Trump's calls to build the wall， but as Jeff Guinn notes in his skillfully written history， WAR ON THE BORDER， Mexican-American relations have troubled both countries since their founding days。In 1825， the first envoys of the young U。S。 government were sent to Mexico City， the capital of newly independent Mexico。 America’s southern neighbor had won her independence from Spain in 1821， and the two nations， each occupying 1。7 million square miles， shared a 2，400-mile border stretching from what is now Wyoming to Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico。 Mexicans were initially surprised when the first diplomatic contact was an American offer to buy land in what is now the western United States。Subsequent years would confirm Mexicans’ concern that the U。S。 would capture land by whatever means necessary。 By the early 20th century， more than half of the original Mexican nation now belonged to America， and Mexican citizens resented how their northern neighbor treated them。In 1916， a charismatic leader named Pancho Villa was engaged in conflict with the Mexican government of Venustiano Carranza。 Villa had been a friend of the U。S。 and felt betrayed when President Woodrow Wilson supported Carranza。 Recognizing the deep-seated animosity of Mexicans toward America， Villa sought to gain popular support by aggressive actions against the U。S。Further complicating diplomatic tensions between the U。S。 and Mexico was the ongoing war in Europe。 Possible American intervention in that conflict was the outgrowth of the emergence of the U。S。 as a world power。 Germany rightly assumed that if America became involved in the European struggle， it would be on the side of England and France。 The Germans hoped that an American military presence on the Mexican border would divert attention from a potential intervention in Europe。 Secretary of State Robert Lansing warned President Wilson that the one thing Germany was hoping to maintain in Mexico was chaos。 That chaos could be avoided by diplomatic recognition to one man in Mexico who could be trusted to get his country under control and take over the border。 Wilson finally agreed and chose Carranza。Both General John Pershing and the Texas Rangers are mentioned in the title of Guinn’s historical account， but they are not major players in the Mexican-American border conflict of 1916。 Pershing pursued Villa in Mexico， but it was an unsuccessful campaign。 The Texas Rangers， a revered Texas law enforcement organization presently undergoing a reevaluation of their role in Texas history， were involved at the border but not in sufficient numbers to influence the outcome of the diplomatic struggle。WAR ON THE BORDER is a great place for readers to begin a study of the subject， which will lead them to other books that are as deeply researched as Guinn's。 The history of the border between the U。S。 and Mexico is a complex issue that remains relevant today as the two nations continue seeking resolution over centuries of disagreement。Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman 。。。more
Deborah Dumm
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I really liked this book。 I read it in one day。 I gave it to my dad to read I liked it so much。 Worth reading。
Jadewik
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#GoodreadsGiveaway
Dan
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My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this history book。 Over 100 years ago the border with the United States and Mexico was only one or two misunderstandings from being a war， with repercussions that could have affected history and the world in many different ways。 This savage bloodthirsty time full of massacres and atrocities inflicted by both sides is seldom discussed or taught， or if so grossly underplayed。Jeff Guinn in his new work War on the Border: Villa， Pers My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this history book。 Over 100 years ago the border with the United States and Mexico was only one or two misunderstandings from being a war， with repercussions that could have affected history and the world in many different ways。 This savage bloodthirsty time full of massacres and atrocities inflicted by both sides is seldom discussed or taught， or if so grossly underplayed。Jeff Guinn in his new work War on the Border: Villa， Pershing， the Texas Rangers， and an American Invasion tells of border strife， miscommunication， politics， land， water， racism and greed that happened in the opening decades of the twentieth century。 I remember this being covered in high school， but only in one day， maybe and it was more a bandit attacked an American town， and the army went after him。 Not the lengths the army went， the casualties nor the history that still haunts the area today。 The book covers the contentious history of Mexico and the US， from the beginnings to almost the present day。 The massacres， refugees and the outside influence from Japan and German trying to influence American foreign policy is covered too。 I had an idea about German influence， mainly from the comedy movie Three Amigos， but this book tells more about the advisors and observers who helped to train Mexican officials in a attempt to keep America busy during World War I。 The writing and the research， just like all of Mr， Guinn's book is very good and he tells the history well， covering both sides， and never leaving the reader confused or lost in what seems a simple narrative， but is actually loaded with many players each attempting to leave their mark。 The saddest thing about the book is how little has changed at the border， nor our understandings of why things continue to happen。 A great book for Father's Day， or for anyone who wishes to know more about southern border and its history。 。。。more
Zeb Kantrowitz
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Though it looks like this is about Pershing chasing Villa for attacking American ranches and towns in Texas it a lot more than that。 There are two parts to this story， the first being how the 'Punitive Expedition' grew into an American invasion of Northern Mexico， and almost led to a shooting war between the US and Mexico。 The second part of the story is a very detailed discussion of the political problems of Mexico at the turn of the century。The approval for the Punitive Expedition came after m Though it looks like this is about Pershing chasing Villa for attacking American ranches and towns in Texas it a lot more than that。 There are two parts to this story， the first being how the 'Punitive Expedition' grew into an American invasion of Northern Mexico， and almost led to a shooting war between the US and Mexico。 The second part of the story is a very detailed discussion of the political problems of Mexico at the turn of the century。The approval for the Punitive Expedition came after multiple incursions over the border by Villa and other groups of bandits。 Villa would come over the border， robe small towns， steal cattle and pretty much anything that wasn't tied down。 But after he murdered all the men in a small Texas town the Texas Rangers were sent in。 The Rangers turned out to be worse than the Villaistas who murdered any Tejan/Mexican they encountered whether they were insurgents or not。Pershing was sent in with the vaunted Buffalo Soldiers and other Cavalry in the last major deployment of the US Cavalry。 They also used cars， trucks and airplanes in their search for Villa。 The constant incursions into Mexico when looking for Villa caused multiple problems for President Wilson as he decided whether to join the Allies in "The Great War"。 Eventually Pershing and the troops were pulled out without capturing Villa， but did kill a lot of his followers。After 1911 when dictator Porfirio Diaz was overthrown after thirty-five years， turn of the century Mexico was in constant civil war with Villa in the North and Zapata in the South， and Carranza in Mexico City。 It wasn't until 1920 that things settled down and the elected President was able to serve a complete term。 But over those nine years， governments in Mexico City was like a revolving door with some leaders serving for months and multiple governments in the same year。 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
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The book is based on the “invasion” of Mexico by the United States in pursuit of Pancho Villa and the border wars that he and others instigated。 The book is well written and the author does a very good job of making the events read more like a novel than dry history。 He addresses the concerns of both sides of the conflict and what they were trying to achieve。 The only misleading part of the book is that he includes the Texas Rangers in the title， but writes very little about them in the book its The book is based on the “invasion” of Mexico by the United States in pursuit of Pancho Villa and the border wars that he and others instigated。 The book is well written and the author does a very good job of making the events read more like a novel than dry history。 He addresses the concerns of both sides of the conflict and what they were trying to achieve。 The only misleading part of the book is that he includes the Texas Rangers in the title， but writes very little about them in the book itself。 A good book for anyone interested in the history of the American west as it came to a close with World War I。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon， my blog page and my Facebook page。 。。。more
Jordan
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Americans have been rediscovering the complexity of our history in recent years， and Guinn’s contribution on the subject is an invaluable one。The education system should provide the average American with at least some grasp of the Mexican-American War， Pacho Villa， and the Zimmerman Telegram。 However， how close the two countries came to having the ‘Border War’ escalate into full blown war is seldom addressed。 Guinn masterfully takes Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus， New Mexico and uses it to prov Americans have been rediscovering the complexity of our history in recent years， and Guinn’s contribution on the subject is an invaluable one。The education system should provide the average American with at least some grasp of the Mexican-American War， Pacho Villa， and the Zimmerman Telegram。 However， how close the two countries came to having the ‘Border War’ escalate into full blown war is seldom addressed。 Guinn masterfully takes Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus， New Mexico and uses it to provide a dramatic lens through which to examine relations between the neighbors from Mexico’s independence up to America’s entry into World War I。 It is particularly interesting how Germany sought to exploit the Border War in an effort to keep Mexico in chaos and America distracted from Europe。 This book is remarkably well written， capturing both the historical details and dramatic telling which makes readers interested in those details。 From Patton engaging in the first fully motorized military engagement to the joint construction of the first permanent border wall， there are events small and large which will fascinate and educate。 。。。more
David
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I enjoy histories written by non-historians （Guinn is a journalist） like this one。 A good non-historian writing history has a reverence for accuracy and a desire for readability， but is not bogged down by the need to address whatever topics and buzzwords are big with the academic crowd at the time of writing。 For example， at no point in this book is the word “other” used as a verb or a noun。Although he does not engage in the rhetoric now deemed appropriate for oppressed groups， Guinn is very awa I enjoy histories written by non-historians （Guinn is a journalist） like this one。 A good non-historian writing history has a reverence for accuracy and a desire for readability， but is not bogged down by the need to address whatever topics and buzzwords are big with the academic crowd at the time of writing。 For example， at no point in this book is the word “other” used as a verb or a noun。Although he does not engage in the rhetoric now deemed appropriate for oppressed groups， Guinn is very aware that the Mexicans and Tejanos of the World War I-era were often treated extremely badly by arrogant Anglos， especially in the form of the paramilitary Texas Rangers。 But he also knows and writes about the cruelty that Mexicans inflicted on themselves and the Americans， whether they were US soldiers wandering cluelessly around a hostile north Mexico landscape in a semi-authorized foreign invasion， or US civilians who felt （wrongly） that they were safe on the north side of the Rio Grande。All of the above has very loud reverberations in our own time。Being an East Coast born-and-bred history nerd myself， I was surprised because US history of this era， as I was taught it long ago， was marvelously uncontaminated by the violence and mayhem portrayed in this book。 All of this stuff in Mexico didn't even merit a mention。 As I remember it， we were taught that it happened like this: the US very reasonably held itself away from Europe's self-immolation for as long as it could， and then the Zimmerman telegram came along， and well then we just had to march in and show them they couldn't mess with US vital interests。 You know， it's too late to correct the boring pedagogy of the past， but I can't help wondering if border violence and mayhem may have held the attention of teenaged boys more closely than memorizing Wilson's 14 points。 Now that I think about it， the violence and mayhem in this book might even grab the attention of today's teenaged history nerd （if people like that still exist） – especially if he or she lives in the US southwest。I enjoyed reading this book because it told me about a place and time that I don't know enough about， in a way which actually stands a chance of sticking in my brain。I received a free advance electronic copy of this book for review。 Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for their generosity。 。。。more
Jeff
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Fascinating Read About Seemingly Forgotten History。 Let's face it， these days （and even when this elder Millenial was in school in the late 80s - early 2000s）， American schools （at least， perhaps， outside the Southwest） barely even teach World War 1 itself - much less the other actions that were going on as America was trying to stay away from that war。 I knew of exactly one story from the Punitive Expeditions before reading this book， and that was the story of George S Patton's first ever motor Fascinating Read About Seemingly Forgotten History。 Let's face it， these days （and even when this elder Millenial was in school in the late 80s - early 2000s）， American schools （at least， perhaps， outside the Southwest） barely even teach World War 1 itself - much less the other actions that were going on as America was trying to stay away from that war。 I knew of exactly one story from the Punitive Expeditions before reading this book， and that was the story of George S Patton's first ever motorized attack - one of the events early in his career that made him truly legendary。 Here， Guinn does a truly remarkable job of setting the stage and scope of the entire situation， from its earliest beginnings （even repeatedly referencing when the Spanish first came to central America） through the fates of the key players he has spent the text explaining。 If you've never heard of this last war on Continental US soil before， do yourself a favor and read this book。 If you want to understand more context for a lot of the current simmering tensions along the US/ Mexico border。。。 do yourself a favor and read this book。 Yes， the actions themselves were now slightly over a century ago - but if you're able to read at all， it means that it was in the time of no further from you than your great-great grandparents， and these actions still reverberate to this day in the lands and minds of those whose own great-great grandparents （or more recent） were actively involved here。 Very "readable" narrative， never sounds overly "academic"， and well documented to boot。 Very much recommended。 。。。more
William Harris
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