United States occupation of Veracruz, 1914
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| United States occupation of Veracruz | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Tampico Affair | |||||||
 American soldiers hoisting the US flag over Veracruz. |
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| Combatants | |||||||
| United States | Mexico | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Frank Friday Fletcher | Gustavo Mass Manuel Azueta |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Total: 3948 Landing force: 757 |
N/A | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 22 killed 70 wounded 92 total |
152-172 killed 195-250 wounded 347-422 total |
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The United States occupation of Veracruz lasted for six months in response to the April 9, 1914, Tampico Affair. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations with the United States, related to the ongoing Mexican Revolution.
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[edit] The battle
In response to the Tampico Affair, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson ordered the Navy to prepare for the occupation of the port of Veracruz. While waiting for authorization of the US Congress to carry out such action, Wilson was alerted to a German delivery of weapons for Victoriano Huerta due to arrive to the port on April 21. As a result, Wilson issued an immediate order to seize the port's customs office and confiscate the weaponry. Huerta had taken over the Mexican government during a coup d'etat in early 1913 known as La decena trágica. The Wilson administration's answer to this was to declare Huerta a usurper of the legitimate government, embargo arms shipments to Huerta, and support the Constitutional Army of Venustiano Carranza and Pancho Villa.
The arms shipment to Mexico, in fact, originated from the Remington Arms company in the United States. The arms and ammunition were to be shipped via Hamburg, Germany to Mexico allowing Remington Arms a means of skirting the American arms embargo. (Sweetman:1968)
In the morning of April 21 41 ships of the Atlantic Fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher, started the bombardment of Veracruz. By 11:30 AM American Marines started landing operations, prompting the retreat of the Mexican forces lead by General Gustavo Mass in order to avoid bloodshed. On the face of this, Commodore Manuel Azueta encouraged cadets of the Naval Academy to take up the defense of the port for themselves.
Soon after landing the American troops captured the customs, post and telegraph offices. An urban battle then ensued in which many civilians are said to have taken part. Arms were distributed to the population, who were largely untrained in the use of Mausers, and who had trouble matching the arms with the ammunition. In short, the defense of the city by its populace was hindered by the lack of central organization and a lack of adequate supplies. The defense of the city also included the release of the prisoners held at the feared San Juan de Ullua prison. In the meantime, the building of the Naval Academy was being bombarded by the USS Prairie. American troops took the central town square by 5 PM and eventually forced the evacuation of the Naval Academy building a few hours later. Even after their quick success, the invading forces continued to fight off sniper fire from rooftops and towers from an incencesed population eager to rid their city of foreign soldiers.
The USS San Francisco and the USS Chester continued with the bombardment of the Naval Academy building until the following day. Some pockets of resistance occurred around the port, mostly in the form of hit-and-run guerrilla tactics, but by April 24 all fighting had ceased.
The son of Commodore Azueta, Lieutenant José Azueta, was wounded during the defense of the Naval Academy building. A cadet himself, José Azueta was manning a machine gun placed outside the building, facing the incoming American troops on his own and causing a number of casualties. José Azueta was rescued from the battlefield after sustaining two bullet wounds and taken to his home. After the battle, Admiral Fletcher heard of Azueta's actions in battle and sent his personal doctor to take care of him. However, in a gesture of defiance, Azueta refused to see the doctor. José Azueta would die of his wounds on May 10. He is remembered as one of the heroes of the brief defense of the port city.
[edit] Aftermath
Admiral Fletcher took control of the administration of the port. While Huerta and Carranza officially objected the occupation, neither were able to effectively oppose it, being more preoccupied by events of the Mexican Revolution. Huerta was eventually overthrown and Carranza's US backed regime was installed. The occupation, however, put the two countries to the brink of war and worsened US-Mexican relations for many years. The ABC Powers conference was convened in Niagara Falls, Canada on May 20, 1914, to avoid an all-out war over this incident. American troops remained in Veracruz until November 23, 1914.
[edit] In popular culture
Warren Zevon's album Excitable Boy features a track called "Veracruz" named after this event. It depicts the battle and chaos for what one may presume was a resident of Veracruz. The last verse, written in Spanish, is the character saying they will return to Veracruz, destiny has changed their life and in Veracruz they shall die.
[edit] See also
- Victoriano Huerta
- Mexican Revolution
- Tampico Affair
- United States involvement in the Mexican Revolution
[edit] References
- Mitchell Yockelson (1997). "The United States Armed Forces and the Mexican Punitive Expedition: Part 1". Prologue Magazine 29.
- Sweetman, Jack (1968). The Landing at Veracruz: 1914. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
- Veterans Museum & Memorial Center (2003). Veterans Museum & Memorial Center, In Memoriam, United States Interventions in Mexico, 1914 - 1917. Retrieved December 28, 2005.
