[2] On 24 March 1912, Orozco defeated a federal army under General José González Salas which had been sent to capture him, near the railroad station of Rellano.

This marked the high point of his rebellion, as he controlled all of Chihuahua except the town of Parral which was defended by Pancho Villa who had remained loyal to Madero.

While Villa eventually had to retreat from Parral, his stubborn resistance gave crucial town for another federal army, under Victoriano Huerta, to make its way north to Chihuahua and confront Orozco again.

The initial clash between Huerta's and Villa's force and Orozco's rebels took place at a railroad station of Conejos, just north of Torreón, Coahuila.

There, the federal forces successfully repulsed several attacks by the colorados (as Orozco's followers were known due to their red flags) and drove them back.

[3] After securing his rear and receiving additional reinforcements from Madero (whose redeployment eased the pressure on Emiliano Zapata, who was also in rebellion in Morelos) Huerta began moving north in pursuit of Orozco, along the railroad.

As a result, on the night of the 22nd, Huerta ordered Villa to take the hill, while the federal artillery shelled both rebel positions to hide the troops' movements.

After fierce fighting, Orozco's troops, demoralized and unwilling to face Huerta's artillery, fled to Chihuahua, and then scattered into small guerilla bands.