Constitutionalist forces under Obregón captured Nogales, Sonora, compelling federal troops to surrender to the U.S. Army across the border.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 13, 1913
- Federal garrison strength
- ~400 infantry
- Rebel casualties
- 6 killed, 9 wounded
- Federal casualties
- 4 killed, 5 wounded
- Federal commander captured
- Colonel Emilio Kosterlitzky
- Outcome
- Nogales, Sonora fell to Constitutionalists
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Mexican Revolution, Constitutionalist forces sought to wrest control of border towns from the federal government loyal to the old regime. Nogales, Sonora, held by a federal garrison of roughly 400 infantry under Colonel Emilio Kosterlitzky, became a target for rebel forces operating in the northwest under General Álvaro Obregón.
On March 13, 1913, Obregón's Constitutionalist army—comprising infantry, cavalry, and at least one artillery piece—attacked the federal garrison at Nogales, Sonora. Fighting lasted several hours before Colonel Kosterlitzky was captured. The rebels suffered six killed and nine wounded; federal losses were four killed and five wounded.
Following the defeat, surviving federal troops retreated across the international boundary into Nogales, Arizona, where they surrendered their weapons to the U.S. Army garrison under Captain Cornelius C. Smith. The town of Nogales, Sonora, passed under Constitutionalist control, marking a significant gain for Obregón's campaign in the northwest.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Álvaro Obregón.
Side B
1 belligerent
Colonel Emilio Kosterlitzky.