The battle prompted the first permanent U.S.–Mexico border fence between the two Nogales cities, reshaping border policy.
Key Facts
- Date
- 27 August 1918
- U.S. Units
- 35th Infantry Regiment; 10th Cavalry Regiment
- U.S. Commander
- Lt. Col. Frederick J. Herman
- Context
- Border War during Mexican Revolution and World War I
- Outcome
- First permanent chain-link border fence erected between cities
- Zimmermann Telegram
- Publicized February 1917, heightened anti-foreign sentiment
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Escalating tensions along the U.S.–Mexico border during the Mexican Revolution and World War I, fueled by anti-foreign sentiment following the Zimmermann telegram's publication in 1917 and the shooting deaths of Mexican nationals by U.S. soldiers in Nogales in early 1918, created a volatile atmosphere in the twin border communities.
On 27 August 1918, armed conflict broke out between Mexican military and civilian militia forces on the Sonora side and U.S. Army troops of the 35th Infantry Regiment reinforced by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment on the Arizona side, commanded by Lt. Col. Frederick J. Herman, in what had previously been an open international boulevard.
Following the battle, the United States and Mexico agreed to separate the two border communities with a chain-link fence, marking the construction of the first permanent border barrier between the two Nogales cities and setting a precedent for future U.S.–Mexico border wall construction along that stretch.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lt. Col. Frederick J. Herman.
Side B
1 belligerent