Carranza and Obregón vs. Villa and Zapata
After the overthrow of Huerta, the rebel warlords that defeated him-Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Álvaro Obregón, and Venustiano Carranza- had turned on one another. Zapata remained in the state of Morelos and rarely ventured out, so Carranza and Obregón turned their attention to the North, where Villa was still in command. Obregón led forces from Mexico City to Villa, which would ultimately settle who would control the North.
The Battle of Celaya
Villa commanded an intimidating force, but his armies were divided among several generals fighting Carranza's forces. On April 4, 1915, Obregón moved his forces to the small town of Celaya. He dug in, placing his machine guns and building trenches, daring Villa to attack. Although Villa's general, Felipe Angeles, attempted to convince Villa not to bear his machine guns on Obregón's forces, Villa ignored him, claiming that he did want his men to think he was afraid to fight.
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“My sole ambition is to rid Mexico of the class that has oppressed her and given the people a chance to know what real liberty means. And if I could bring that about today by giving up my life, I would do it gladly."
-Pancho Villa
-Pancho Villa
At dawn on April 6, the battle began. Obregón made the first move, sending 15,000 men to occupy El Guaje Ranch; however, Villa already had troops waiting there. Obregón ordered his men to fall behind the machine guns, and in turn, Villa sent several waves of his skillful calvary to attack. That night, Villa relented. On April 7, Villa, once again, sent his calvary in, but with each charge, it became more difficult for the horsemen. The Villistas began running low on ammunition, and Obregón sensed this. He sent his own calvary against Villa. Villa had no forces in reserve, so his forces retreated to Iraputo. As a result, Villa had lost over 2,000 men in just two days.
After receiving reinforcements, both sides prepared for another battle. On April 13, Villa had attacked again by sending in several more waves of calvary. He attempted to soften Obregón's line with artillery, but most of the shells missed Obregón's soldiers and trenches. The fighting continued on the 14th, until a heavy rain that night forced Villa's forces back. On the 15th, Obregón's forces counterattacked. Villa's forces soon ran low on ammunition after two days of fighting, and his men scattered. In the end, the Battle of Celaya was a victory for Obregón.
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