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Mexican Expedition photographs

 Collection — Folder: SP113
Identifier: SP113

Scope and Contents

This collection includes black-and-white photographs and postcards related to the Mexican Expedition ranging from 1916 to 1917, taken in Knox, Indiana and Llano Grande, Santa Maria, Brownsville and other points in Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, many depicting the activities of the 2nd Indiana Infantry Regiment. There are also two copies of a photograph of Company H of the Indiana National Guard led by Captain Henry F. Schricker, in front of the Knox, Indiana courthouse circa June 1916.

Dates

  • 1916-1917

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Historical Note

On March 9, 1916, General Francisco "Pancho" Villa's forces attacked the camp of the 13th Cavalry Regiment at Columbus, New Mexico, as well as the town, resulting in nearly two dozen civilian and military casualties. In response, President Woodrow Wilson appointed General John Pershing as commander of a U.S. Army expeditionary force intended to capture Villa and police the U.S.-Mexico border. Today this military operation is commonly known as the Mexican Expedition or the Pancho Villa Expedition.

During the Mexican Expedition, 140,000 regular army and National Guard servicemen, including the 2nd Indiana Infantry Regiment and the Indiana National Guard, patrolled the border between Mexico and the United States to discourage further raids. Meanwhile, the expeditionary force of 14,000 operated in northern Mexico for 11 months but failed to capture of Villa. The Punitive Expedition, as it was then called, ended in February 1917. Two months later, the United States entered World War I with Pershing at the head of its armed forces.

Sources:

Mieri, Magdalena and Erin Blasco. "General Pershing's Mexican Expedition to Capture Pancho Villa Predates His World War I Career." National Museum of American History, March 9, 2016. Accessed November 12, 2021. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/pershings-mexican-expedition.

Yockelson, Michael. "The United States Armed Forces and the Mexican Punitive Expedition: Part 1." Prologue Magazine 29, no. 3 (Fall 1997). Accessed November 12, 2021. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1997/fall/mexican-punitive-expedition-1.html.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2021/11/12 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2021/11/12 by Brittany Kropf.
Title
Mexican Expedition photographs
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671