General John J. Pershing’s mission to capture the guerrilla leader Pancho Villa in Mexico was quietly withdrawn on 28th January, 1917

Initiated in response to Villa's cross-border raid on Columbus, New Mexico, the mission was ordered by President Woodrow Wilson but proved embarrassing and ineffective for the U.S, Army, with Villa remarking that Pershing ‘came in like an eagle, but left like a wet chicken’.

In this episode, The Retrospectors track Villa’s career from highway thief to general in the revolutionary army; discover his unusual approach to finding a spouse; and reveal what happened to his head after he was assassinated…

Further Reading:

• ‘General Pershing's Mexican Expedition to capture Pancho Villa predates his World War I career’ (National Museum of American History, 2016): https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/general-pershings-mexican-expedition-capture-pancho-villa-predates-his-world-war-i

• ‘Pancho Villa’s Last Gasp’ (Texas Monthly, 1983):

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/pancho-villas-last-gasp/

• ‘UNITED STATES VS. MEXICO - THE PURSUIT OF PANCHO VILLA’ (Historic Films Stock Footage, 1916):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byL6QIDRY6o

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.

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