Scenario 14: Finishing the Job: Attack on Diaz’s Train, May 30*, 1911.

President Diaz finally stepped down on May 25th, 1911. Soon, he was on a train heading from Mexico City to Veracruz, where he would board a ship to begin his journey into European exile. Sitting in the train, Diaz said, “Madero has unleashed the Tiger, lets see if he can control it.” But somewhere along the route to Veracruz, a large group of PLM rebels stopped the train, tore up the tracks, and threw dynomite at the train. Not satisfied with Madero’s settlement, the people of Mexico intended to say farewell to the dictator in their own way.

                            (Photo: Diaz in exile, from Wikipedia)

Set up: Lay a train track down the length of the table. Arrange the terrain as you would like, suitable for central Mexico or the Atlantic coastal area. 

Create a map of the terrain, and a separate map of the train, with each car drawn separately. If two opposing players are playing this scenario, the attacking/ambushing side gets the terrain map, and must mark the location on the track where the dynomite is placed. 

The defending player takes the map of the train, and must mark in which car the former President sits, and in which cars the escorts/Federal soldiers are stationed, their numbers etc. 

If you are playing this scenario as a solo game, make the map of the terrain and the dynamite as described above. For the train, make 1 blank card for each train car (excluding the engine or other sections with few riders), 1 card for Diaz, and 1 card for each unit of guards on board the train. Shuffle the small deck, and do not check the deck until the train becomes damaged. The cards above each train car card depict who is in said car. 

Conditions:

Clear - normal visibility 

Supply: 7 rounds of ammo for defenders, 5 rounds for rebels.

Forces: 

PLM Forces:

-40 rebels, organized as player chooses

Government forces:  

-Diaz, family and staff

-Maderista officer and staff

-1st platon, Federal soldiers

Captain plus 19 men

-2nd platon, Federal soldiers

Captain plus 19 men

Victory Conditions:

This whole scenario is based upon the life of the dictator. If Diaz dies, the rebels win. If not, the government wins. 

Historical note:

The anarchists of the PLM, refusing to recognize Madero’s new government and furious at the terms of the peace treaty, sprang upon the train carrying Diaz into his exile. The rebels tore up the train tracks, threw a stick of dynamite at the train, then, when the Federal soldiers guarding the deposed despot rush out to meet them, fought to get at the hated man. As Trejo writes, The Liberals were not willing to let the dictator who had caused so much suffering to the people of Mexico leave alive. However, the former president escaped the attack well. The press estimated at twenty the dead, three of whom were federal soldiers” (Trejo 223).

Magón, reflecting on the action, wrote “The liberal force tried to arrest and execute on the spot the monster that for more than thirty years had made the Mexican people unhappy; But a strong Maderista column rushed upon our companions with such fury, with such fierceness, that ours perished in great numbers. Good men died who wanted to do an act of justice...What is all this but plain and simple betrayal?“ (Magón, "The infamies of Madero and his henchmen", in Regeneración, No. 40, June 3, 1911).

Diaz escaped justice, and continued on into exile in Paris, where he died of natural causes four years later. The Magónistas and other lower class rebels continued to fight against the new government across the country.

*I have not been able to pin down the date of this occurrence, but it likely occurred on May 29, 30, or 31st.