| OCR Text |
Show STRONG LEADERS IN MEXICAN ARMY Long Era of Warfare Has Produced Pro-duced Several Highly Efficient Effi-cient Generals. OBREGON AND ANGELES BEST Angeles Said to Have Contributed Largely to Villa's Successes Obregon Is a Highminded, Humane, Capable Leader. San Antonio, Tex. Were the Mexican Mexi-can army throughout as capable us some of Its generals the United States would have no easy task in subduing its unruly neighbor. It mist he remembered that Mexico has fd almost uninterrupted war of one kind or another for a period longer long-er than the American Civil war. While conscientious American army oilicers have been puzzling over maps aud working out problems in military strategy and tactics, the Mexican generals gen-erals have been uctually leading large forces in the field and giving and receiving re-ceiving blows in the same territory where they now clash with Uncle Sum's Nupoleons. This is uu enormous enor-mous advantage. In addition, the Mexican military academy at Chapultepec, near Mexico City, which is similar to our West Point, has a high rating among institutions insti-tutions of this character. In the Mexican Mexi-can war of 1S-10-47 the Chapultepec cadets put up a desperate resistance to the American Invaders on the grounds of their school. Xuey were only overcome after nearly all had been killed or wounded. So, while the Mexican forces are badly equipped and lack ammunition and food supplies, they will In many cases be as well led as the Americans. Mexico's two leading masters of war leaving out the undoubted genius Francisco Villa are Alvaro Obregon, "Pancho's" conqueror and present minister min-ister of war, and Felipe Angeles, former form-er superintendent of Chapultepec. Obregon has the best record. Of him more anon. Angeles is the greatest artillery expert ex-pert Mexico ever produced. Indeed, his ability ts recognized by European military men. At Inst reports Angeles was In the United States, but It Is believed he will t "" I General Obregon. return to Mexico, unless apprehended by American troops, and offer his sword to Carranza. Supplied the Brains. " " . Angeles remained with Villa when the latter broke with Carranza. Ue contributed largely to many of Villa's victories. Some critics say ' most of Villa's glory should go to Angeles that he was the man behind the scenes and supplied the brains, while Villa Inspired the enthusiasm. He was Villa's minister of war when Villa had an organized government and was proposed several times as provisional president of Mexico. In this position he could have counted on the confidence and support of th United States. But Villa feared Angeles' An-geles' strength and kept him in a subordinate sub-ordinate position. Then Angeles quarreled with Villa over the bloodthirsty and unprincipled methods of the northern bandit general gener-al and left him. He did not go over to the constitutionalists, however, but Sinight refuge in the United Stales. On March 28 last he expressed the opinion at El Paso that there would be war between the United States and Mexico within 30 days if American troops remained for that period on M?xican soil. "Mexico Is a powder mngazine." said fne veteran general. "A spark will explode ex-plode it." If Obregon remains at Mexico City to direct operations from there, nctual charge In the field will probably be In the hands of Francisco Serrono, his chief of staff. He is another military man whose worth has been proved in the series of revolutions and is regarded re-garded by American officers as a capable capa-ble lender. He has not figured prominently promi-nently up to the present time. On the northern border the three principal leaders are General Ricaut, In the east : General Jacinto Trevuo, commanding in Chihuahua; and Gen. P. Elias Culles, military governor of Sonora. These are all war-seasoned veterans. veter-ans. General Calles has been friendly friend-ly to Americans and has gained a rather high opinion along the border. He gave his word he would personally see that American refugees were not molested in their flight out of Mexico. He will probably try to lead his force through the mountains to attack the American expeditionary forces from the west. It was General Calles who overthrew over-threw Moytorena, the Villa governor of Sonora. Calles Is believed to have 15,000 men under his command. Carranza himself may take the freid, with the object of inspiri4v Mexicans Mexi-cans and showing ie V' them heart and sliul. He has no uilitary ability, but has shown sense enmagh in previous campaigns not to Interfere with the plans of Obregon and other experts. Obregon is undoubtedly the man of the hour in Mexico. If he were not unswervingly loyal to Carranza he could seize the reins of government and become himself dictator. But he is as true to the bearded first chief as a good dog is to its master. Ho is unlike most Mexicans, a big. breezy, youthful fellow he Is only thirty-nine who reminds one more of an American westerner than of the sordid, dissolute, brutal type so often found In high places in the southern republic. ' . , Like Villa, he is a man brought to the command of an army without regular reg-ular military training and rising by the simple genius he possessed. He has been called the Cinciunatus of Mexico. He comes of an old Sonora family iind is wealthy. Mexico's troubles found him a peaceful peace-ful farmer, known to but a few people peo-ple in Sonora. He aided the revolution revolu-tion of Francisco Madero against Por-tirio Por-tirio Diaz in many , ways, but djd not take the field. Obregon's Fame Spreads. When in the early months of Ma-dero's Ma-dero's term of office Pascual Orozco :ind his "reds" became a terror in the state of Chihuahua, Obregon collected a band of 400 Maya Indians and under the command of Victoriano Huerta. then n Madero general, went out to quell the rebellion. . In the battle of Ojito. Obregon's men gained for themselves them-selves the title of "Invincibles." His fame spread, and so many came to join him that he rode home at the bead of an array of 4,000. He was made colonel in the Sonora state militia, and when Felix Diaz started the military uprising which resulted re-sulted in the death of President Madero Ma-dero and the seating of Huerta, Obre-gim Obre-gim organized 500 Indians and routed the garrison at Nogales. which had gone over to Huerta. Soon after this Governor Carranza -f Coabuila was declared first chief of the Constitutionalist army and he Made Obregon general of the army of I be West, while Villa became general of the central unny." it was the activities of Obregon In the Vicinity of Mexico City which forced Huerta to flee for his life. Obregon Ob-regon then occupied the capital with his troops. Then came Villa's break with Carranza. Car-ranza. Obregon was made Carranza's chief general, and organized the Inrg-est Inrg-est army Mexico had yet seen. His groat triumph came at the battle of Celaya, where Villa was crushed and forced to flee. In this battle Obregon was desperately desper-ately wounded. His right a was amputated a few days later. Ills robust ro-bust constitution resulted in quick re covery, and he was soon again directing direct-ing the operations which reduced Villa to a flying bandit leader, at the head of only a handful of cutthroats. Six feet tall, immaculately dressed, smiling and clean-cut, Obregon Is a man well liked by all who come In contact with him. Mexico's troubles are due to having too few men like him. |
