Last Hostile Action by Foreign Troops

On the night of March 9, 1916, insurgent Mexican forces led by General Francisco (Pancho) Villa raided Camp Furlong, a United States army cantonment, and the nearby town of Columbus in the continental United States. Several people were killed, many others were wounded, and numerous buildings and tents were burned. The underlying motive of the raid remains disputed among survivors and historians. Six days later, United States punitive forces under General John J. (Black Jack) Pershing entered Mexico and pursued Pancho Villa and his band without success. In recognition of the subsequent long-continued friendly relations between the two countries, the New Mexico State Legislature in 1959 designated the site as a State Park.

Columbus, New Mexico · United States