The Punitive Expedition: The fight at San Miguelito Ranch. May 14, 1916

 Cavalryman George S. Patton, in 1918 with a Renault tank.

On this day a motor patrol lead by Lt. George S. Patton engaged in a firefight with Julio Cárdena, second in command to Pancho Villa and the head of his body guard. All three Villistas were killed and all three were shot, at some point, but perhaps not fatally, by Patton, who eccentrically carried the obsolete M1873 revolver.  Patton reportedly carried the M1873 as he had suffered an accidental discharge with the new M1911 while wearing it in his belt.  Patton's party was searching residences of known Villistas but was principally searching for feed for horses.  Patton had the bodies of the dead Villistas strapped to the hood of the cars used by the party.  The group departed just as a larger party of Villistas arrived.

The incident would go on to be well known forming part of the story of Patton, who of course went on to become a famous Second World War general.

Patton was an aide de camp of Pershing's during the Punitive Expedition and was greatly influenced by him in his military career.  He remained in correspondence with him for the rest of his life.  It is often noted that Patton's sister Nita was courted to some degree, although the degree remains uncertain, sometime in the immediate pre Punitive Expedition time frame, but it ultimately went nowhere.  Pershing had been married to Helen Warren, the daughter of Wyoming's Francis E. Warren, who had died in a tragic fire along with three out of the four Pershing children.  Pershing's surviving son, enlisted as a private in the Army in World War Two.  Both of his sons would serve in Vietnam, with one being killed in action there.