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The main factor which made for the importance of Ojinaga in the revolution, however, aside from the large numbers of men who were to join the rebel cause who came from the region, albeit that many of them were living in the United States at the time - there because they were forced to migrate due to the conditions brought about during the porfiriato - was its proximity to the border and the great volume of war materiel that was brought over from the United States. This not only included guns, but also clothing, uniforms, and rather large quantities of ammunition. Kleinman facilitated most of this trade, operating out of his store in Presidio.
Although it was Ortega who was at the center of the business negotiations that bought all of this commercial activity about, once the Revolution broke out and Madero crossed into Mexico and assembled all of the rebel armies at the Hacienda de Bustillos in 1911, Ortega's brigade now came under the command of the Maderista military leadership, and he operated with their army after that. Operations in Ojinaga continued under the direction of the Maderista leader there, Jose de la Cruz Sanchez.
The importance of cattle in all of these arrangements cannot be overemphasized, since this was the main commodity on both sides of the border anyway. It was "used by Chihuahua revolutionaries to finance the revolution", as one historian put it. Another important factor was the willingness of US Customs inspectors to enforce the periodic embargoes of supplies to the belligerents. Evidence shows that they were generally sympathetic to the rebels and let their shipments go through while stopping those going to the federales. Klienman, on the other hand, sold to anyone who had the money - rebels and federales alike.
Reports mention how Sanchez "is well liked by the ranchers of this county [Marfa, Texas] because through him they are furnished with all kinds of facilities for the purchase of livestock".
Ojinaga's proximity to the border, along with the well oiled trade mechanism operated by Klienman, Sanchez, and the Marfa and Shafter ranchers and businessmen, also rendered it an extremely important location for the importation on food supplies for communities whose economies had collapsed due to factors of the revolution. In 1914, Villa began to distribute "care packages" to various populations in the state, and a great deal of these supplies came through Ojinaga, where it was easy to bypass any embargoes.
Food was such an important issue that one complaint made to the Mexican president (presumably with the hope that he would send some diplomatic protest to the United States) in March of 1911 (during the first siege of Ojinaga) by the federales stationed in Ojinaga was that Maderista rebels operating in the area had access to the bakery in Presidio, and they did not.
The historian Ruben Osorio mentioned in a presentation in Ojinaga of his new book, "The Secret Family of Pancho Villa", that there were actually four battles of Ojinaga. The most famous was the battle in January of 1914, when Villa took the town from the Huertista commander, Salvador Mercado. The other battles were key events in the other phases of the revolution as they were played out in the state: the Maderista revolution, the Orozco rebellion, the Huertista phase, and the struggle between Villa and Carranza.
In each case, whichever side was on the losing end could find refuge in Presidio, Texas. A report dated September of 1912, for instance, mentions how, after the Oroquizta attack on Ojinaga, Col. Sanchez and rest of the Maderista leadership fled to Presidio.
Presidio was neutral territory for planning and meeting of rebel elements throughout the war, and it was reported that in 1913, as part of the planning for the eventual Villista attack on the city, a series of meetings took place there between Toribio Ortega and Jose de la Cruz Sanchez. Sanchez is reported to have actually lived in Presidio, in a house he had there, along with his wife and children. A report from 1912 mentions this fact. |
