The Life and Times of Pancho Villa

In April and May 1916, with Villa in hiding recovering from his wound, the Carrancistas and the Americans were convinced that he was finished-both in political and military terms. Some believed that he was dead, others that he was so seriously wounded that, without access to a hospital, to which he could not be brought, since he would then easily be captured by the Carrancistas, he could never recover. But even if he did, there was a consensus among American and Carrancista observers that his army had been crippled beyond repair. Three of his most important lieutenants were dead, and more than half of the men who had accompanied him to Columbus were either dead or had dispersed. A huge array of outside troops, nearly 10,000 Americans and an equal number of Carrancistas, occupied Chihuahua. It seemed inconceivable that in the face of such odds, Villa could again become a force to be reckoned with in Chihuahua.

Even after Villa resumed operations, the Carrancista military commanders were convinced that, as the commander of Carranza's forces in Chihuahua, Jacinto Treviño, stated, "So far as Villa was concerned he was no longer a factor to be considered a Mexican problem. "1 The Carrancista commander in Durango, Francisco Murguía, expressed a similar opinion.