United States occupation of Veracruz

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The United States occupation of the Mexican port of Veracruz lasted for six months in response to the Tampico Affair of April 9, 1914. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, related to the ongoing Mexican Revolution.

The Battle

In response to the Tampico Affair, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson ordered the U.S. Navy to prepare for the occupation of the port of Veracruz. While waiting for authorization of the U.S. 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'état 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.

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.

On the morning of April 21, 1914, 41 ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, under the command of Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, started the bombardment of Veracruz. By 11:30 AM, American Marines started landing operations, prompting the retreat of the Mexican forces led by General Gustavo Mass in order to avoid bloodshed. On the face of this, Mexican Commodore Manuel Azueta encouraged cadets of the Veracruz 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 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 Ulúa 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 p.m. and eventually forced the evacuation of the Naval Academy building a few hours later. Even after their quick success, the landing force suffered sniper fire from rooftops and towers by an incensed population eager to rid their city of foreign invaders.

USS San Francisco and USS Chester continued 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, 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.

Aftermath

Admiral Fletcher took control of the administration of the port. While Huerta and Carranza officially objected to the occupation, neither was able to oppose it effectively, being more preoccupied by events of the Mexican Revolution. Huerta was eventually overthrown and Carranza's faction took power. The occupation, however, brought 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, Ontario, Canada, on May 20, 1914, to avoid an all-out war over this incident. American troops remained in Veracruz until November 23, 1914.

After the fighting ended, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels ordered that fifty-six Medals of Honor be awarded to participants in this action. This amount was half as many as had been awarded for the Spanish-American War, and close to half the number that would be awarded during World War I and the Korean War. It is said that many of the recipients were selected by drawing lots and rolling dice.

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.

Footnotes

External references

Mitchell Yockelson (1997). "The United States Armed Forces and the Mexican Punitive Expedition: Part 1". Prologue Magazine 29
Gallery, Daniel V. (1968) Eight Bells. Paperback Library.
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.
President Wilson's Speech in Response to the Tampico Incident, U.S. Department of State, Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, 1914, pp. 474-476.
The Tampico Affair and the Speech from Woodrow Wilson to the American People – from the PBS Special The Border, about life on the U.S.-Mexican border