Qualla: Second Battle of Torreon https://qualla.com/second-battle-of-torreon en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:11 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Second Battle of Torreon https://qualla.com/second-battle-of-torreon Second Battle of Torreon: Introduction https://qualla.com/second-battle-of-torreon/ The Northern Division that rolled south from Chihuahua in March 1914 was not the improvised guerrilla force that had taken Torreon the previous fall. This time, Villa commanded over 8,000 men organized into named brigades, backed by 29 cannons and 1,700 grenades loaded onto purpose-built trains. He had 40 white-painted hospital wagons staffed by American physicians hired at high salaries. He had a personal cavalry escort called the Dorados, equipped with new uniforms, Mauser rifles, and Colt pistols. He even had a two-engine airplane with contracted foreign pilots. And he had Felipe Angeles, a brilliant artillery officer and old Maderista, who had joined the division just days before departure. Torreon would be taken again -- but this time, the cost would be measured in weeks of brutal urban combat.

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]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/s/w/3/second-battle-of-torreon-wp/9sw3-second-battle-of-torreon-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Second Battle of Torreon: An Army on Rails https://qualla.com/second-battle-of-torreon/ On March 16, 1914, the division departed for Torreon in a procession that stretched for miles along the rail line. A reconnaissance train led the way, followed by a repair train carrying rails and equipment to fix sabotaged track. Then came horse carriers, food wagons, the hospit...

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]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/s/w/3/second-battle-of-torreon-wp/9sw3-second-battle-of-torreon-an-army-on-rails.mp3 0:06 2 full Second Battle of Torreon: The Siege of Cerro de la Pila https://qualla.com/second-battle-of-torreon/ Torreon's defender, General Jose Refugio Velasco, had learned from the previous fall and distributed his 7,000 men, 19 cannons, and 35 machine guns across multiple positions, including outposts along the rail lines to Bermejillo, Mapimi, Tlahualilo, and Sacramento. Villa dismantl...

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]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/s/w/3/second-battle-of-torreon-wp/9sw3-second-battle-of-torreon-the-siege-of-cerro-de-la-pila.mp3 0:06 3 full Second Battle of Torreon: House by House https://qualla.com/second-battle-of-torreon/ On March 28, the Torreon garrison fired artillery at the surrounding mountains for eight hours, achieving nothing. That night Villa sent fresh troops from Durango forward: Carrillo's brigade toward the Calabazas peak, Ceniceros toward Huarache Canyon, Calixto Contreras toward La ...

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]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/s/w/3/second-battle-of-torreon-wp/9sw3-second-battle-of-torreon-house-by-house.mp3 0:06 4 full Second Battle of Torreon: The Price of Victory https://qualla.com/second-battle-of-torreon/ After twelve days of fighting, Torreon fell on April 2, 1914. The human cost was staggering on both sides. Federal forces, already demoralized by the loss of their outer positions, could not withstand the combined pressure of Villa's pincer -- forces converging from the mountains...

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]]> Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/s/w/3/second-battle-of-torreon-wp/9sw3-second-battle-of-torreon-the-price-of-victory.mp3 0:06 5 full