Ann T Gustavson

The Question of Pershing's Orders Ann T Gustavson

A little over a hundred years ago, on the night of June 17, 1916, Captain Charles T. Boyd was summoned to the tent of the commanding general of the Punitive Expedition, General John Joseph Pershing, at Colonia Dublán in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. With no one else present, Pershing verbally ordered Boyd to take his Troop C of the Tenth U. S. Cavalry Regiment, the Buffalo Soldiers, through the small settlement at Carrizal, and if necessary to challenge the Mexican garrison by force. Four days later, on June 21, Boyd and his command confronted and were defeated by a well-armed Mexican force. Pershing blamed the disastrous results at Carrizal on Boyd, who was killed while leading an advance with Troop C. He maintained that Boyd disobeyed orders and acted impulsively seeking glory for himself. Pershing's version of the encounter not only absolved himself but also enabled the U. S. government to wiggle out of a delicate situation and, on the surface, to maintain peace with Mexico. In his follow-up memorandum, Pershing later wrote "Even though Captain Boyd had been directed to fight his way through to Ahumada...." Extensively researched and thoroughly documented, The Question of Pershing's Verbal Orders corrects the historical record and paints a vivid picture of a pivotal time in American history.