May 16, 1916 – Namiquipa – Captain Spalding’s tent
Private Morgan, the Captain’s aide strode up and quietly said: “Lieutenant Rommel, the Cap’n like a word or two wit’cha now, if ya please”. Rommel quickly finished up his instructions to Corporal Bryggen and then made his way to Captain Spalding’s tent.
“Sir. You wanted to see me?”
“Round up your gear, and report to Major Madden(12) over at the General’s headquarters. You are now on detached service with the General’s staff, ….at least till we return to the US.” Captain Spalding read from a written order. He handed the document over to Rommel. “Lieutenant Orton will take your place for the time being.”
This time, it was Rommel’s turn to open and close his mouth in surprise, but he regained his composure quickly. “Do you know what that’s about, Sir?
“Heh, all I know is what you see on the paper. Madden is the Chief Quartermaster down here, so I’m gathering you must be assigned to his staff. I’m guessing your fight in the Canyon impressed some of the brass over there, so now you’re going to be tested in other ways. I know your preference is with the line soldiers, but this could be an outstanding opportunity for your military career. Congratulations and good luck!
May 16, 1916 – Namiquipa – Major Madden’s bigger tent
“Lieutenant Erwin Rommel reporting as ordered, Sir.”
“Have a seat. We will be at this for a while. I’m sure you’re wondering what you are doing here in Quartermaster country. You may blame Captain Burtt and Captain Pope for the idea. You impressed them with the way you organized and ran the fight at El Tintero. The Army needs fighters and those fighters also need to understand how to keep their men supplied in any long-term fight. This experience will make you a better Infantry officer. Consider this assignment as an early trip to the War College.”
“On to the business at hand. Here’s the idea in a nutshell. Starting on June 1, the whole Expedition will begin a controlled and staged withdrawal from Mexico. That will be a considerably complicated event, that will require close co-ordination from start of the movement, till the last man wades across the Rio Grande. There will be a number of seemingly conflicting events going on at the same time: Soldiers and Troopers heading north on tight schedules, large quantities of supplies coming
south, in order to keep those northbound soldiers fed, watered and clothed. We also will be dismantling several good size supply depots along the way during that withdrawal, and some important decisions will need to be made at different times on whether to relocate supplies to the US, consume them during the withdrawal, sell them to the locals, or destroy them in place. Meanwhile, my counterparts back in the US will fight me tooth-and-nail to restrict every fleck of hay, every single shirt button, and every scrap of paper that we need to complete the withdrawal on time. Are you with me so far on the general enormity of this move?”
With furrowed brow, Rommel nodded in the affirmative.
Major Madden: “Your part in this enterprise is to be one of my extensions in the field, my factotum of sorts in the beginning, till you instinctively understand what needs to be done. You will need to unsnarl snags, to bully or cajole the recalcitrant into following our supply plan, whether they like it or not. That may include persuading Captains, Majors, and Colonels of the wisdom of that plan. To be fair, some of the Cavalry units in the field may be facing some hostile action from locals trying to goose them along their way, so that adds yet more calculations. Your experience with infantry on the march will help, as you well know, they don’t move at the speed of the cavalry, or even the artillery. Our mule trains carrying forage don’t move at the speed of our truck convoys. There are some spots, closer to the border, where our engineers have improved the roads to the point where they are no longer an impediment, but elsewhere, pfffft…. Basically, our clocks and calendars don’t work at the same speed throughout this Army. I will run you ragged before you cross the Rio Grande yourself, but you will have gained a useful education along the way.”
Following those preliminaries, Major Madden spread out a large map of Chihuahua and the US border country, and the lengthy discussion settled into planned routes and timetables.
(Rommel would be a frequent sight during the withdrawal, speeding along either in the Dodge car assigned to him, with his “driver” riding shotgun; or, when he could arrange it, making his rounds aboard a motorcycle, again with his “driver” riding in the sidecar. He endeavored to appear at the moving headquarters locations at intervals so that he could be seen by the staff that Lieutenant Erwin Rommel was making a useful contribution to the process. (A little self-promotion never hurt). Still, Major Madden had been correct, this was an enormously complex operation and like an early trip to the War College for what he learned about supplying a large force on the march in hostile country)
As noted earlier, the US Army recruited and employed many Chinese in their intelligence operations during the Villa Expedition. Those traders, tinkers, and others moved frequently and unobtrusively throughout Northern Mexico - between Villista and Constitutionalist territory. They were present in many locations, but not part of the local community structure, or part of the local extended families, so their irregular comings and goings were expected. When the US Army returned to the US in OTL 1917, those Chinese and their dependents were brought back to the US – 427 people in all. General Pershing had to arrange for a special dispensation from the Chinese Exclusion Acts (anti-immigration laws) of the time. Most settled in different spots in South Texas and were referred to as “Pershing’s Chinese”. Part of Rommel’s efforts in this withdrawal was to arrange transport or at least security for part of these folks on their way to Texas.
(12) Major John Madden – OTL Chief Quartermaster for the Expedition
