October 1, 1913 · Coahuila / Durango, Northern Mexico Theater
October 1, 1913
Villa's División del Norte captured Torreón, the most important railroad junction in northern Mexico, after a week of intense fighting. Control of the railroad nexus connecting Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango was crucial for supplying and moving armies across the vast northern desert. The capture also placed the División del Norte astride the main supply lines to Mexico City. During the battle and its immediate aftermath, Villista troops and local Maderista supporters massacred approximately 300 Chinese immigrants in the city — a pogrom that remains one of the darkest atrocities of the Revolution.
Commanders