Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Today in Manhunting History -- May 25, 1916: Killing Cervantes

Since the fight at April 22 battle at Tomochic, Candelario Cervantes had been playing a game of cat-and-mouse with Dodd and the 7th Cavalry. Cervantes, whom Pershing called “the most able and the most desperate of Villa’s band,” was bold enough to raid in the area around Namiquipa, right under the nose of Pershing’s headquarters. On May 25 a small detachment of mappers and riflemen from the 2nd Engineers and 17th Infantry under Lance Corporal Davis Marksbury left Las Cruces, 12 miles south of Namiquipa, intending to study the Santa Maria Valley. While one group sketched the terrain, another began hunting for pigs in the brush of Alamia Canyon.

A band of Mexicans suddenly appeared on the horizon, firing and riding furiously towards the Americans. Marksbury was killed and three others wounded as the U.S. troops were quickly pinned down. Several soldiers noticed the fancily dressed leader of the Mexican band. Mounted on a large black horse, he wore a fancy sombrero turned up at the brim and a “fancy coat that looked like velvet or plush, with a white braid in front.” Infantry Private George D. Hullett emptied his pistol at the Mexicans and then picked up Marksbury’s rifle. He calmly aimed his weapon, drawing a bead on the flashily dressed Mexican. He fired once, knocking the tall man from his horse. The Mexicans withdrew and when inspecting the personal effects of the bandit, the Americans realized they had killed Cervantes, Villa’s deputy at the Columbus raid.
Cervantes, on the far left, with Pancho Villa
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3 comments:

  1. GJune 4, 2011 at 1:17 AM

    Wow, I was just informed that Candelario Cervantes is my great great grandfather. In a bit of shock but very very interesting. Could you point me in the right direction on how to get more information on him?

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  2. BenJune 4, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    G:
    Most of my research focused on the part of the Revolutionary period that involved the Punitive Expedition and relied primarily upon English-only accounts. However, in the Fredrich Katz's seminal, 818 page "The Life & Times of Pancho Villa" (Stanford University Press, 1998), the author writes: "Whenever Villa heard of a soldier or an officer who had distinguished himself by a particular act of bravery or of resourcefulness, he would recruit him into the Dorados. For example Candelario Cervantes attracted Villa's attention when during an attack on the hacienda of Santa Clara, in which the Villistas had no artillery to support them, Cervantes loaded a few pieces of wood on a mule train, approached the enemy lines, and loudly gave orders for his soldiers to prepare an artillery attack on the hacienda. The federal soldiers panicked and surrendered."
    So although you'll probably want to check an authoritative Mexican source on Villa and his commanders, Cervantes was clever and brave if nothing else.

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  3. pcrawford45669August 15, 2011 at 9:17 AM

    HERES MY STORY.LAST YEAR I FOUND OUT MY GRANDFATHER CANDELARIO MAYA REAL NAME IS CANDELARIO CERVANTES AND MY MOTHER NAMED ME AFTER MY GRANDFATHER CANDELARIO AND MY GRANDMOTHER STEPHAINET VILLA WAS RELATE TO PANCHO VILLA.MY NAME IS CANDELARIO CRAWFORD AND I HAVE A PICTURE OF MY GRANDFATHER AND THE TRUE STORY IS HE CHANGED HIS NAME TO CANDELARIO MAYA TO ESCAPED AND LATER DIED IN THE 1950'S THATS MY STORY.

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