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Prieto examines the operation led by General John Pershing to search for, capture, and destroy Francisco "Pancho" Villa and his revolutionary army in northern Mexico in the year prior to the United States' entry into World War I. This campaign marked one of the final times cavalry was used on a large scale, and it was one of the first to use trucks and airplanes in the field. While Pershing's troops failed to capture Villa, both Regular Army troops and National Guardsmen stationed on the border gained valuable experience in these new technologies.

The Punitive Expedition led by Brigadier General John J. Pershing in Mexico from March 1916 to February 1917 in pursuit of Francisco Villa is one of the more obscure campaigns conducted by the United States Army. The changing role of the United States in the world should encourage Americans to reexamine the history which this country shares with Mexico. It is the purpose of this study to identify and examine the significant aspects of the Punitive Expedition and to provide an interpretive guide to the study of that subject. Perhaps the most important lesson to be gained from the study of the Punitive Expedition concerns General Pershing and the way he responded to the many challenges confronting him. The story of his responsiveness to his civilian leaders appears to offer a model study in proper civil-military relations. The diplomatic considerations which restricted Pershing's freedom of action compounded the problems caused by inaccurate information, inadequate maps, faulty equipment, poor communications, an uncooperative host government and overextended supply lines. In spite of numerous handicaps he maintained a high state of training and esprit within his command while satisfying his civilian and military supervisors. More importantly he kept the United States out of a war with Mexico at a crucial time in the world's history. (Author).

This study examines the political-military insights offered by the Punitive Expedition into Mexico, 10 March 1916 to 5 February 1917. This thesis uncovers these insights by examining how Major General Frederick Funston, commander of the United States Southern Department, and Brigadier General John J. Pershing, commander of the Punitive Expedition, in conjunction with the Department of War and the Department of State within the Wilson Administration, planned and conducted this nearly year-long campaign. This study examines how Funston and Pershing planned and conducted a military campaign in a country with which the United States was not at war, as well as a campaign characterized by numerous restraints placed upon its operations by the Wilson Administration. As such, this study highlights several important insights into the nature of an operation in a restrictive environment, to include the importance of establishing clearly defined and achievable objectives, establishing and maintaining legitimacy, maintaining perseverance, establishing unity of effort, operating with restraint, and continuously maintaining security of friendly forces.

Chasing Villa is a record of events in Western history, military history, the Mexican Revolution, and the last of the horse cavalry. Following its first publication in 1934, U.S. Army Colonel Frank Tompkins’ account of the Punitive Expedition by a participant became widely considered to be one of the most comprehensive. The book tells the story of the Columbus Raid and Pershing’s Expedition into Mexico. On March 9, 1916 the border town of Columbus, New Mexico was attacked by forces under the command of the Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa. Eighteen Americans were killed and a number of buildings were burned to the ground before the U.S. Cavalry, inflicting heavy losses, drove Villa and his mounted band back into Mexico. Frank Tompkins, a Major in the U.S. Cavalry at the time, led the counterattack against Villa’s mounted men on March 9th, and was with General John “Black Jack” Pershing during the subsequent year-long “Punitive Expedition” that sought to capture the elusive Villa in Mexico. The Columbus Raid and Punitive Expedition proved to be the last major campaign of the U.S. Cavalry. At the same time it presaged the more modern military techniques that would soon be employed by American forces in World War I. First published in 1934 and long out of print, “Chasing Villa” is a sound and literate record of milestone events in Western history, military history, the Mexican revolution, and the last of the horse cavalry.

Using primary Mexican sources, Joseph A. Stout Jr. takes a new look at the Mexican-American border conflicts of 1915 through 1920. Stout explores Mexico's difficult revolutionary period and its clashes with the United States as seen through the eyes of Mexican soldiers and statesmen. Border Conflict chronicles the activities of Venustiano Carranza's Constitutionalist army and presents original insights from Mexican correspondence, telegrams, and military documents. In the examination of the events along the border, the book includes the invasion of Mexico by the United States Punitive Expedition. The Punitive Expedition, under command of General John J. Pershing, further complicated the volatile situation on the northern frontier of Mexico and led to diplomatic tensions and the threat of war. The military education and leadership tactics of both armies are examined and compared. The struggles of the armies are presented in vivid detail by including a rich array of quotes from soldiers involved in the conflicts. Pancho Villa became an elusive target for both the Carrancistas and for the U.S. troops. Border Conflict provides a background on Villa and his relationship with the United States, the Constitutionalist government and the Mexican Revolution. The author argues that Carranza and the Constitutionalist army were dedicated to Villa's destruction, despite the contrary beliefs of American President Woodrow Wilson and his staff and generals. Based on his interpretation of military correspondence between Carranza and his commanders, Stout believes that Carranza considered Villa a more dangerous military problem than the presence of U.S. troops in Mexico. Pancho Villa was ". . . not over five feet ten, with the chest and shoulders of a prize fighter and the most perfect bullet-shaped head . . . covered with black hair. . . . A small black mustache serves to mask a mouth which is cruel even when it is smiling. The most attractive feature of the face is the eyes . . . they are really not eyes at all, but gimlets which seem to bore into your very soul."--New York Times, 1914 This fresh examination of the historical clashes at the border adds a new perspective to an old tale.