It was a sight to behold. As word spread, several hundred locals made their way to the depot at Longview Junction.
The date was July 16, 1916. The 69th Regiment of New York State was in town along with its famous chaplain, Father Francis P. Duffy.
For weeks, a steady stream of troops had been coming through Longview on their way to the Mexican border. President Woodrow Wilson ordered Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing and thousands of soldiers to South Texas to pursue Mexican bandit “Pancho” Villa, who had raided Columbus, N.M., in March 1916.
The 69th Regiment got its orders July 10 to head south. Leaving Camp Whitman, N.Y., the troops eagerly boarded a 40-coach train for their weeklong trip. “The regiment will be the best-equipped on the border,” reported the New York Times.
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