Battle of Ciudad Juarez
The Battle of Ciudad Juarez was one of the first military engagements of the Mexican Revolution. It was fought between the revolutionary forces, under Pascual Orozco, and the federal army, on May 10, 1911, near and in the city of Juarez, right on the border with the United States of America.
The Battle of Ciudad Juarez was part of the armed rebellion against the Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz. He had sent the federal troops to the north of the country to quell the revolutionary uprising and attack the rebels, who were headed by Francisco Madero, Pascual Orozco, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata.
Pascual Orozco was a good commander as he had previously defeated General Juan Navarro and his forces in El Mal Paso Canyon, on January 2, 1911. This time, his army was much stronger as it had been beefed up with Pancho Villa’s men. The fighting at Ciudad Juarez was vicious as they attacked it from the west and south side. About 70% of the revolutionaries used Winchester repeating rifles (M1873 and M1886), while the rest of the rebel troops employed either Remington or Springfield bolt-action rifles. This victory at Ciudad Juarez was so important that the dictator Porfirio Diaz was forced to step down from power and to flee into exile.
Below, two revolutionaries aiming their Winchester rifles at the federal forces on the outskirt of Ciudad Juarez.
Orozco’s rebels looking for enemy soldiers right after the battle.
