On 9 March 1916, Francisco “Pancho” Villa led 485 men in a raid upon Columbus, New Mexico. Six days later General John J. Pershing led troops of the U.S. army into Mexico to disperse or capture the Villistas. Although historians have analyzed the event in dozens of books and articles, Hurst’s work discusses a topic not included in these studies and, thus, fills a gap in our knowledge of the attack on Columbus. Using primarily the 184-page transcript of the trials of Villistas whom the U.S. army captured during and after the raid, he relates the fate of these men. The army captured seven Villistas in or near Columbus at the time of the raid and later apprehended approximately 20 others in Mexico. By early fall these captives were in local jails awaiting civilian trial. Hurst specifically identifies captured Villistas, describes the indictments and legal proceedings against them, and discusses...
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