Maneuver and Battle in the Mexican Revolution: Rise of the Praetorians

The largest land battles ever to occur on the North American continent outside of the US Civil War took place during the Mexican Revolution, yet there has never been any scholarship approaching what might be called traditional military history, and certainly no monographs that holistically treat the topics of tactics, operations, and strategy—until now.

While a common perception of the Mexican Revolution as a guerrilla war persists, author Joe Lee Janssens draws on access to the restricted archives of the Mexican Secretary of Defense and the use of long-overlooked primary sources to illuminate a scope, scale, and sophistication of operations that is in every way consistent with maneuver warfare.

Covering the rise and fall of Francisco Madero from 1910 to the beginning of 1913, this first book in a fascinating series offers a fresh view of the Mexican Revolution, revealing it as, first and foremost, a crisis within the defense establishment initiated by Madero’s rebellion.

Introducing colorful actors, putting motives and influences (including that of the United States) into proper perspective, and exploring the role of the conflict in shaping the nation of Mexico, Dr. Janssens brings history vividly to life.