had acquired many enemies over the previous
decade, and on July 20, 1913, he and several
friends were suddenly gunned down near the
town of Parral. Thus perished the avenging
angel of the Mexican Revolution.
Historians conjecture that Villa was mur-
dered at the behest of Obregon, a former gen-
eral and president, who feared him as a poten-
tial rival. This colorful, crude guerrilla—a
military leader of real ability—had literally shot
his way into the headlines by deeds of great
daring and cruelty. Very much a product of his
age, he embodied the violence, treachery, and
romanticism of the Mexican Revolution and
was an inspiration to the poor and powerless.
As such, Pancho Villa is still looked upon as a
folk hero to Mexicans even to this day.
Bibliography
Anderson, Mark C. Pancho Villa’s Revolution by
Headlines.Norman: University of Oklahoma Press,
2000; Eisenhower, John S.D.Intervention! The
United States and the Mexican Revolution,
1913–1917.New York: W. W. Norton, 1993; Guz-
man, Martin L., ed. The Memoirs of Pancho Villa.
Austin: University of Texas Press, 1965; Hall, Linda
B., and Don M. Coerver. Revolution on the Border:
The United States and Mexico, 1910–1920.Albu-
querque: University of New Mexico Press, 1988;
Hurst, James W. The Villista Prisoners of
1916–1917.Las Cruces, NM: Yucca Tree Press,
2000; Katz, Friedrich. The Life and Times of Pan-
cho Villa.Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press,
1998; Machado, Manuel. Centaur of the North:
Francisco Villa, the Mexican Revolution, and
Northern Mexico.Austin, TX: Eakin Press, 1988;
McLynn, Frank. Villa and Zapata: A Biography of
the Mexican Revolution.London: Jonathan Cape,
2000; O’Brien, Steven. Pancho Villa.New York:
Chelsea House, 1994; Stout, Joseph A.Border Con-
flict: Villistas, Carrancistas, and the Punitive
Expeditionary Force, 1915–1920. Fort Worth:
Texas Christian University Press, 1999.VINCENT, JOHN
Vincent, John
(1764–January 21, 1848)
English General
A
lthough little remembered, Vincent
was a doughty and aggressive defender
of Niagara during the War of 1812. His
decision to attack at Stoney Creek in 1813
saved the peninsula from capture and led to
an American withdrawal.
John Vincent was born in Ireland in 1764,
and he commenced his lengthy military ca-
reer by joining the British army as an ensign
in the 66th Regiment of Foot in 1781. Two
years later he transferred to the 49th Foot,
where he rose to captain in 1786. Vincent then
accompanied his regiment to the West Indies
and fought in the capture of Saint-Domingue
in 1793, the Holland campaign of 1799, and fi-
nally Copenhagen in 1801. By 1802, the 49th
had been transferred to Canada as part of the
standing garrison, where it alternated be-
tween York (Toronto) and Fort George, Nia-
gara. Vincent, a brevet lieutenant colonel
since 1800, oversaw much of the training and
disciplining that made the 49th such a formi-
dable outfit. When the War of 1812 com-
menced in June 1812, he was directed to
march several companies and help garrison
Kingston on the northern shore of Lake On-
tario. He was present on November 10, 1812,
when the American squadron under Com-
modore Isaac Chauncey sailed into the har-
bor. Several British vessels were severely shot
up, but Vincent manned the shore artillery
and kept the marauders from attacking the