Various Constitutionalist military issues

Julián Blanco was among the first to take military action against Porfirio Diaz’s government, attacking the military quarters in Chilpancingo, capital of Guerrero, in April 1911. Blanco served in President Madero’s forces and successfully undertook various military campaigns against Emiliano Zapata’s army. After Madero´s assassination on 9 February 1913 Blanco´s troops tried again to occupy Chilpancingo but were pushed back.

By 24 March 1914 Blanco was serving in Carranza’s Constitutionalist Army and he allied himself with the Zapatista Generals Jesús H. Salgado and Heliodoro Castillo in their campaign to take over Chilpancingo from the Federal troops of General Silvestre G. Mariscal.  Mariscal’s group soon joined Carranza’s Constitutionalist Army.

On Huerta’s renouncement the disagreements between the Carrancistas and Zapatistas flared again.

On 28 March General Salgado was appointed Director of the Provisional Government of Guerrero. In July Carranza appointed Salgado the Provisional Governor but after learning that his loyalty was to the Zapatistas he cancelled the appointment. On 26 December Carranza appointed Blanco Provisional Governor and his troops embarked upon an intense military campaign against the Zapatista army. On 31 December Chilpancingo was finally overcome and the Zapatista occupiers driven out.

Acapulco

On 24 March 1915 General Brigadier Mariano Barrios wrote to Carranza from Acapulco. He had come to pick up the supplies that were being sent in the gunboat Guerrero but had received only $2,000, not enough to meet what he owed to his troops, so he asked for permission to issue $50,000 as a temporary measure (bonos provisionales) to circulate until he received the necessary funds^{CEHM, Fondo XXI-4 telegram General Brigadier Mariano Barrios, Acapulco to Venustiano Carranza, Veracruz, 24 March 1915}.

If Barrios issued any notes, what were they?

Ejército Constitucionalista del Sur notes

At the beginning of 1915 the Constitutionalists issued a series of cartones. The notes are known in a variety of colours, with the serial number either handwritten or printed, and with General Canuto J. Neri’s signature or his handstamped name on the reverse.

A 5c note with handwritten number and Neri’s stamp

A 50c note with handwritten number and Neri's stamp

A 50c note with printed number and Neri’s stamp

A $1 note with handwritten number and Neri’s signature

A $1 note with printed number and Neri’s stamp

A $1 note with printed number and Neri’s stamp and initials

Canuto J. Neri was the son of General Canuto Neri, who in 1893 had led the first Guerrero revolt against Díaz. He joined the Maderista revolt in 1911 and later supported General Julián Blanco. By 1915 Canuto Neri had been detained by General Silvestre Mariscal in the San Diego fort in Acapulco but was released, supposedly in an effort to conciliate the various revolutionary factions. He retired confidently to his home on the calle de La Quebrada. "General Neri did not take long to suffer the expressed consequences of his faith in the promises of the conspirators, authors of the "trabajos de conciliación". In fact, at 9 a.m. on 6 August 1915, he fell dead when he opened the door of his house, cowardly riddled with bullets by a patrol under the command of Bruno Rosas, of Mariscal's forces. His body will be immediately stripped of his shoes and other garments for personal use." On that same day Mariscal ordered the assassination of the governor of Guerrero, General Julián Blanco and his son Julián, as well as General Miguel Serrano, all three in a dungeon in the fort of San Diego.

On 5 June 1915 Governor Blanco travelled to Veracruz where he informed Carranza of his displeasure at the appointment of General Mariscal as chief of the military operations in Guerrero, as Mariscal was building up his forces and undermining Blanco’s power. On 4 August, after his return to Acapulco, Blanco was out riding near General Mariscal’s military quarters when his horse and himself were shot by a Mariscal captain. The wounded Blanco managed to get to his headquarters where he ordered Colonel Simon Díaz to attack Mariscal’s troops. However, Díaz had been bribed and stayed neutral, and Mariscal, instead, attacked Blanco’s troops and forced Blanco and his son, General Bonificio Blanco, to surrender unconditionally. Blanco’s officers and some 50 additional soldiers were shot. Blanco and his son and General Canuto J. Neri were all executed on 6 August. Mariscal explained his actions by claiming that Blanco was going to betray Carranza to Zapata, had killed his own son and then committed suicide.

After Neri’s execution some 30 Mariscal soldiers stole his funds.

Tlapa

Ejercito Constitucionalista

Iguala

Quinta Brigada

This unit was the fifth brigade of the fifth division of the Army of the Northwest (Cuerpo de Ejército del Noroeste). In June 1916 this 5^a Brigada issued a a set of cartones (25c^{[image needed]}, 50c and $1) for local use. They would be exchanged for Veracruz Gobierno Provisional de Mexico notes.

On the face they read ‘Ejército Constitucionalista. Cuerpo de E. del Noroeste. 5a DIVISION. 5a BRIGADA.50 cts.’ and on the reverse ‘Emisión con valor local. Este Vale será canjeable por Billete Provisional de Veracruz. Iguala, Gro., ....'. So these are obviously issued to address a local shortage of tostones and $1 Veracruz notes. 

A couple of weeks later (if 19 not 1^o is correct reading) a new issue was changeable for infalsificables.

On the face of the 50c it now read ‘Ejército Constitucionalista. Cuerpo de E. del Noroeste. 5a DIVISION. 5a BRIGADA. Núm.        Serie D.’ and on the reverse ‘Vale Local. Cincuenta centavos En Billete infalsificable Igual, Gro., Junio 19 de 1916’.

Taxco

Quinta Brigada

Two similar issues were made by the 5th brigade in the town of Taxco, 35 kilometres north of Iguala. Though Gaytan lists these as one sequence, they hava a noticeable difference.

The first issue of three(?) values (20c^{[image needed]}, 50c and $1^{[image needed]}) was changeable for Veracruz Gobierno Provisional de Mexico notes.

The second issue of three(?) values (25c, 50c^{[image needed]} and $1^{[image needed]}) was dated 1 July 1916 and changeable for infalsificables.

Aldama

Jefatura de Armas