The only general available at the time who had had experience in handling large forces in the field was Victoriano Huerta.  Although he had never especially distinguished himself, Huerta’s record shows that he was one of the most progressive members of the army.

Huerta’s column encountered little resistance.  Chihuahua City was occupied on July 7th, and later, Juarez.  The rebels were not pursued to any extent away from the railroads.  They separated into bands, keeping up a guerrilla warfare, raiding American mining camps and ranches, and seizing and holding Americans and others for ransom.  Prominent among these leaders of banditti was Inez Salazar, a former rock driller in an American mine, who raised a force in Chihuahua and declared against Madero.  Little was done to destroy these rebel bands by the Federals, and no engagements of any size took place.  In fact, it was a current rumor that the Federals did not wish to put them down.  In the first place, the regular army was the same old Diaz organization which considered Madero largely as a usurper and which remained with the established Government in a rather lukewarm manner.  Besides, the bands of Orozco, Salazar, and others were instigated and supported by the adherents of the old regime, and, although opposed to the Mexican army, both had many ideas in common regarding the Madero Administration.  Furthermore, the officers and men of the army were receiving large increases of pay for the campaign.

An instance showing this disposition on the part of the Federals occurred in the State of Sonora in October, 1912.  General Obregon, now the commander of the Sonora State forces, was at that time a colonel of the army and had his battalion, composed largely of Maya Indians, at Agua Prieta, just across the border from Douglas, Ariz.  Salazar’s band of rebels had crossed the mountains from Chihuahua and had come into Sonora.  Popular clamor forced the Federal commander at Agua Prieta to do something, and accordingly he ordered Obregon to take his battalion, proceed south, get in touch with Salazar, and “remain in observation.”  Salazar was looting the ranch of a friend of Obregon’s near Fronteras.  The rebel had taken no means to secure his bivouac against surprise; his men were scattered around engaged in slaughtering cattle, cooking, and making camp for the night.  Obregon deployed his force and charged Salazar’s camp.  Forty of Salazar’s men were killed, and a machine gun and a number of horses, mules, and rifles were captured; whereupon Salazar left that part of the country.  Upon Obregon’s return to Agua Prieta he was severely reprimanded and nearly court-martialed for disobeying his orders in not “remaining in observation” of Salazar, and attacking him instead.  Had Obregon been given a free hand, he undoubtedly could have destroyed Salazar’s force.