1916-1918 – Scrapbook and panoramic unit photo kept by a trooper in the 13th Cavalry after it repulsed Pancho Villa’s murderous surprise attack on Coumbus, New Mexico in the middle of the night

Item Details

Mexico, New Mexico, and Kansas, 1916-1918, Scrapbook

Very Good

1916-1918 – Scrapbook and panoramic unit photo kept by a trooper in the 13^th Cavalry after it repulsed Pancho Villa’s murderous surprise attack on Coumbus, New Mexico in the middle of the night

George E. Westman compiled this scrapbook and posed as one of the troopers in the panoramic photographs while assigned to Troop C, 13^th Cavalry Regiment during the Mexican Border Campaign between 1916 and 1918.

The undated panoramic photograph measures approximately 37” x 8” and shows members of C Troop seated upon stools on the parade ground of Fort Riley, Kansas. It shows some edgewear and minor soiling, and a 3½” section on the left had separated from the rest of the photograph and been reattached years ago with old sellotape.  The photo has been rolled for many years and has a curve that must be flattened for display.

The 5½” x 8½” scrapbook was made from a Topographical Field Note Book. Although worn, the binding and spine covering are sound, however the rear cover is missing. Westman labeled the front cover, “Troop ‘C’ – 13^th Cav”. 34 of the notebook’s pages have been used, and they contain approximately 40 photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, scraps, articles, poems, and Thanksgiving and Christmas menus. Westman affixed the items to the notebook’s pages in no particular order. The last item mounted was a military telegram from 3 May 1918 announcing.

“5,000 Mexicans encamped 3 miles from Reynosa, Mexico. Rumors that they are to attack Hidalgo to night or early to-morrow confirmed by friendly Mexican. They are short of rations and desperate. 24 machine guns and 2 field pieces are among their equipment.”

A War Department envelope glued to the last page contains 12 real photo post cards showing images of Westman and other cavalrymen on horseback, in camp, on the trail, and deep inside Mexico. One shows a herd of longhorn cattle and another dead Villistas following their unsuccessful attack on Columbus, New Mexico. All but one appear to have been taken by Westman; however, the card showing dead villistas was commercially produced by Kavanaugh’s War Postals.

Some of the captions include:

“George E. Westman enlisted Aug. 15, 1914, in the 13^th Cavalry. Went thru Mexican campaign. Was sent to Central Officer Machine Gun Training Camp at Camp Augusta Ga. . ..”

“This picture was taken in Columbus, New Mexico. . ..”

“This was taken at Colonia Dublan Mexico, 110 miles from the border. . ..”

“Colonia Juarez Outpost 129 miles from U. S. Border.”

“Pvts. Westman & Briggs / Augostura Chih. / Mexico / July 1916.”

“The x over the tent is where I live. . .. This is ‘C’ troops row of tents. There are electric lights in every tent and a stove. Also floors and running water (when you pour it). When there is a sand storm every door is shut and sides nailed down. . ..”

The 13^th Cavalry Regiment was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas in 1911, and its Troops (companies) were routinely deployed to the Mexican border, where they patrolled the desert on horseback, deterring outlaw raids and protecting American towns from the violence seeping over the border from the ongoing Mexican Revolution.  

In 1916 four cavalry troops and one machine gun company were stationed at Columbus, New Mexico. In the middle of the night, the town was attacked by Pancho Villa and his army of 600 Villistas. The cavalry and machine gun troops quickly responded, and a battle raged for 90 minutes until the Mexicans fled back across the border. Although 8 troopers were killed, the town was littered with more than 100 Mexican casualties. Within a week, President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John "Black Jack" Pershing to lead a Punitive Expedition into Mexico after Villa.  Four cavalry regiments, two infantry regiments, and two batteries of artillery formed the main body of the expedition; the 13th Cavalry was in the vanguard, leading the march across the border deep into Mexico.

While journals, scrapbooks, and correspondence from National Guard units deployed along the American side of the border during this crisis periodically turn up at auction or on ebay, similar material from Regular Army soldiers who invaded Mexico are exceptionally scarce. We’ve sold several similar 13^th Cavalry items (without panoramic unit photos) over the last ten years.

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