José Refugio Velasco Martínez (1849-1919) was a Mexican Divisional general as well as a governor of several Mexican states. He enlisted in the

Mexican army The Mexican Army () is the combined Army, land and Air Force, air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense o ...

when he was 17 years old, where he carried out his entire military life without going through any military college, fully training in the field. He stood out in the

Second French Intervention in Mexico The second French intervention in Mexico (), also known as the Second Franco-Mexican War (1861–1867), was a military invasion of the Republic of Mexico by the French Empire of Napoleon III, purportedly to force the collection of Mexican de ...

, during the

Porfiriato The Porfiriato or Porfirismo (, ), coined by Mexican historian Daniel Cosío Villegas, is a term given to the period when General Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico under an Authoritarianism, authoritarian military dictatorship in the late 19th and e ...

, and finally in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

. He came to play the position of Secretary of War and Navy of Mexico and had a relevant role in the end of the dictatorship of

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 23 December 1850 – 13 January 1916) was a Mexican general, politician, engineer and dictator who was the 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of ...

Earlier Years

José Refugio Velasco Martínez was born on July 4, 1849, in the city of

Aguascalientes City Aguascalientes (, lit. "hot waters" in Spanish) is the capital of the Mexican state of the same name and its most populous city, as well as the head of the Aguascalientes Municipality; with a population of 948,990 inhabitants in 2012 and 1,2 ...

, being baptized four days later in the parish church. On May 25, 1866, at the age of 17, he joined the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army () is the combined Army, land and Air Force, air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense o ...

when, in reaction to the abuses committed against his family by the French leaders who occupied the country because they considered them supporters of

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

, he voluntarily enlisted to the column of the Chihuahua National Guard commanded by Colonel Pedro Yépez and, at that time, was near

El Parral El Parral is a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2006 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating popula ...

. The following year he joined the regular army, thus taking part in the

pitting himself against the

Second Mexican Empire The Second Mexican Empire (; ), officially known as the Mexican Empire (), was a constitutional monarchy established in Mexico by Mexican monarchists with the support of the Second French Empire. This period is often referred to as the Second ...

.Army and Navy Magazine of October 1912, pages 271 to 274 of the Organ of the Secretary of War and Navy.Study of the Engineer José López Portillo y Weber on the General Velasco in Memories of the Mexican Academy of History corresponding to the Real de Madrid Volume XIX October–December 1960. participated in the Siege of Queretaro under the orders of

Mariano Escobedo Mariano Antonio Guadalupe Escobedo de la Peña (16 January 1826 – 22 May 1902) was a Mexican Army general and Governor of Nuevo León. Early life Mariano Escobedo was born in San Pablo de los Labradores (which is today known as Galeana), ...

. He also took part in the

Battle of San Jacinto The Battle of San Jacinto (), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General A ...

Life during the Porfiriato and the Mexican Revolution

From 1871 to 1906 he participated in the

Yaqui Wars The Yaqui Wars were a series of armed conflicts between New Spain, and its successor state, the Mexico, Mexican Republic, against the Yaqui people, Yaqui Native Americans in the United States, Natives. The period began in 1533 and lasted until 19 ...

in Sonora with uprisings such as the Guerrillas of Tetabiate and later campaigns of the Yaqui Wars at the end of the so-called Paz de Ortíz in 1897. He directly participated in the fighting of Zamauaca, Cerro del Gallo, Agua Alta, Cerro de Chunamove, Cerro de Huamare, Cajón del Álamo, Llano de los Algodones and Cerro de Zamahuaca; and shootings at Realito de Cumuripa, Puerto de Vázquez, Cerro de Zamahuaca, Tinaja del Bacatete and Cerro de Bachomobampo. In 1871 he was in the attack on the Citadel of Mexico and San Juan Epatlán, in the expedition from Mexico to the State of Hidalgo where he fought in Tenango and Tenguedó . He faced the rebels led by Colonel J. García de la Cadena in

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

. He participated in an expedition to

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

where he was in the fighting that took place in Tecomavaca, Los Cires,Tequila and Veracruz. He also participated in expeditions to the states of

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

and

Morelos Morelos, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos, is a landlocked state located in south-central Mexico. It is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Mun ...

where he participated in the fighting of San Pedro Coayuca, Rancho de Tlachinola, Jonatecatepe and San Juan Epatlán. In the states of Chihuahua and

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

, he participated in the repression of the different uprisings and disturbances that occurred as well as persecuting groups of people living in

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

.Revista Ejército y Marina, Page 273-274, órgano de la Secretaría del Ejército y la Marina. He was appointed Brigadier General by President

Francisco I. Madero Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who served as the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'état in Februa ...

and named Velasco Military Chief of Veracruz and Military Commander of Mexico City until the imposition of

by the coup known as the

Ten Tragic Days The Ten Tragic Days () is the name given to the multi-day coup d'état during the Mexican Revolution in Mexico City. It was staged by opponents of Francisco I. Madero, the democratically elected president of Mexico, between 9–19 February 191 ...

. Velasco informed Huerta that he would not recognize him until he was officially appointed, which he did as soon as Congress recognized Victoriano Huerta as president of Mexico. On July 14, 1913, Huerta appointed him Governor and military Commander of the states of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

and

on November 18 of that same year. He is appointed deputy in the XXVI Legislature and subsequently promoted to Divisional General and assigned as commander of the Nazas Division.

Second Battle of Torreón

The towns of

Torreón Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Coahuila. The city's population is 720,848 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in the state of Coahuila. Also Torreón is par ...

and

Gómez Palacio Gómez (frequently anglicization, anglicized as Gomez) is a common Spanish language, Spanish patronymic surname of Germanic origin meaning "son of Gome". The Portuguese language, Portuguese and Galician language, Old Galician version is Gomes, whi ...

were in the hands of the Villista chiefs, Calixto Contreras and the Arrieta brothers. On December 9, 1913, Velasco attacked these squares by capturing them. After heavy fighting, the fight intensified on March 30 and 31. On April 2, Velasco's troops withdrew, giving victory to

Francisco Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

in the so-called

Second Battle of Torreón The Second Battle of Torreón, which lasted from March 21 to April 2, 1914, was one of the major battles of the Mexican Revolution, where revolutionaries led by Pancho Villa occupied a city protected by Huertist federal forces. Background the f ...

. Velasco went with his troops to

San Pedro de las Colonias San Pedro (formally: San Pedro de las Colonias) is a city located in the southwestern part of the state of Coahuila in Mexico. San Pedro lies east-northeast of the city of Torreón and serves as the seat of the surrounding municipality of the ...

where

Federal Army The Federal Army (), also known as the Federales () in popular culture, was the army of Mexico from 1876 to 1914 during the Porfiriato, the rule of President Porfirio Díaz, and during the presidencies of Francisco I. Madero and Victoriano Huerta. ...

troops had been quartered. He arrived on April 5 and reorganized the combat preparations. The meeting took place on Tuesday, April 14, 1914, where General Villa defeated Velasco's troops. While Velasco was on his way to Torreón, Victoriano Huerta ordered

Juan Andreu Almazán Juan Andreu Almazán (May 12, 1891 – October 9, 1965) was a Mexican revolutionary general, politician and businessman. He held high posts in the Mexican Army in the 1920s and ran for the presidency of Mexico in 1940 in a highly disputed electi ...

to be shot but Velasco opposed to it, preventing his execution. Later,

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

would exhort Velasco not to surrender the Plaza de México to

Álvaro Obregón Álvaro Obregón Salido (; 19 February 1880 – 17 July 1928) was a Mexican general, inventor and politician who served as the 46th President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924. Obregón was re-elected to the presidency in 1928 but was assassinated b ...

and to unite his troops with his, offering him support with the division of his command to fight together against the

Carrancistas This is a list of factions in the Mexican Revolution. Carrancistas Revolutionary followers of Venustiano Carranza from 1913 to 1914, and thereafter the Government army from 1914 until his death in 1920. In 1915, an insurgent group known as the ...

, Obregonistas and against the invading Americans.

Secretary of War and Navy

On May 16, 1914, José Velasco was appointed

governor of San Luis Potosí The governor of San Luis Potosí exercises the role of the executive branch of government in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, per the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí. The official title is Goberna ...

. On July 15, Victoriano Huerta resigned as president and

Francisco S. Carvajal Francisco Sebastián Carvajal y Gual, sometimes spelled Carbajal (9 December 1870 – 30 September 1932) was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served briefly as president in 1914, during the Mexican Revolution. In his role as foreign ministe ...

was appointed as interim president, who appointed José Velasco as Secretary of War and Navy. On July 24, he expelled Victoriano Huerta from the country but refused to leave Mexico.

Treaties of Teoloyucan

The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

threatened to take over

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

with the troops already occupying the port of Veracruz, General Velasco opts, after talks with Alfredo Robles Domínguez, to dissolve the Federal Army thus avoiding direct confrontation with the United States. To do this, he edited two manifestos, one to the army and the other to the nation, which materialized in the

Teoloyucan Treaties The Teoloyucan Treaties were signed on August 13, 1914, at Teoloyucan, State of Mexico, Mexico between the revolutionary army and forces loyal to Victoriano Huerta. The Constitutionalist Army of First Chief Venustiano Carranza was represented by ...

signed on August 13, 1914, where the stipulated physical delivery of the federal corporations was authorized, signed by General Álvaro Obregón giving passed to the

Constitutionalist Army The Constitutional Army (), also known as the Constitutionalist Army (), was the army that fought against the Federal Army, and later, against the Villistas and Zapatistas during the Mexican Revolution. It was formed in March 1913 by Venustia ...

led by

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920), known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner and politician who served as President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during the Mexican Re ...

, ending the Huerta Regime. On August 15, 1914, before the First Chief of the Constitutionalist Army,

entered the city, he left the Federal District after meeting with General Álvaro Obregón and met in Veracruz with General

Jesús Carranza Jesús Carranza Neira (June 16, 1813 – May 25, 1899) was a Mexican mule driver, rancher, and landowner. He was a veteran who fought in the Mexican–Apache Wars, on the side of Benito Juárez and the liberals during the Reform War, and for the ...

to let him know that he had fulfilled the pact. Carranza requests information from the Federal District and

states in writing on August 21 that Even so, José Refugio Velasco went into exile to the

. On February 8, 1919, in a very delicate state of health, he returned to Mexico and settled in Mexico City where he died at dawn on March 27, 1919, being buried the next day in the Panteón Francés de la Piedad and later his remains were deposited in a crypt in the Metropolitan Cathedral.

References

Bibliography

* ''Velasco, El Último General del Ejército Federal'' José Antonio Velasco Lomelí, 2009, Casa Editorial Contreras. {{DEFAULTSORT:Velasco, José Refugio 1849 births 1919 deaths People of the Mexican Revolution People from Aguascalientes City People of the Second French intervention in Mexico Governors of San Luis Potosí Governors of the State of Mexico Governors of Coahuila Politicians from Aguascalientes 20th-century Mexican politicians 19th-century Mexican military personnel 20th-century Mexican military personnel Military personnel from Aguascalientes