The Rough Riders was the name bestowed by the American press on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish-American War. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people
The 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was one of three Volunteer Cavalry regiments raised for the Spanish American War and the only one of the three to see action in 1898. The original nickname for the regiment was "Wood's Weary Walkers" after its first commander, Colonel Leonard Wood and an acknowledgment of the fact that despite being a cavalry unit they ended up fighting on foot as infantry. Leonard Wood (9 October 1860 &ndash 7 August 1927 was a Physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba When Colonel Wood became commander of the cavalry brigade (1st U. S. Cavalry, 10th U. S. Cavalry, and 1st U. S. V. Cavalry) the Rough Riders then became "Roosevelt's Rough Riders". That term was familiar in 1898, from Buffalo Bill who called his famous western show "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World". William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (February 26 1846 &ndash January 10 1917 was an American soldier bison hunter and Showman.
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Formation and early history
Command of the regiment was initially offered by War Secretary Russell Alger to Theodore Roosevelt. Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration Russell Alexander Alger ( February 27, 1836 January 24, 1907) was a Governor and U Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T Roosevelt, however, having limited military experience as an infantry officer in the New York National Guard, deferred to his more experienced associate, Colonel Leonard Wood, a Medal of Honor recipient and a doctor in the Army's medical corps having been assigned to regular cavalry regiments. Leonard Wood (9 October 1860 &ndash 7 August 1927 was a Physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. The Army Medical Department of the US Army, known as the AMEDD, comprises the six medical Special Branches of the Army Roosevelt was made a Lieutenant Colonel and second in command of the regiment. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies
Roosevelt had resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to fight in the war, and his forceful personality and notoriety among the largely yellow journalism of the period were probably the main driving factors resulting in the fame of this regiment, as well as its being one of the very few volunteer units to actually see action during the war. Yellow journalism is Journalism that downplays legitimate news in favor of eye-catching headlines that sell more newspapers
The regiment was mustered-in between May 1 and May 21, 1898, at mustering stations in the Indian Territory (today's State of Oklahoma), Texas, Montana, and New Mexico Territory. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Indian Territory, also known as The Indian Country, The Indian territory or the Indian territories, was land set aside within the United States Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern The Territory of New Mexico became an Organized territory of the United States on September 9, 1850, and it existed until New Mexico At this time, the official strength of a U. S. Cavalry regiment was a little over 1,000 men. Recruitment for the regiment was done largely by Roosevelt, and resulted in a widely varied force consisting of seasoned ranch hands, Pawnee scouts, Ivy League athletes, cowboys, policemen, and east-coast polo players, among others who represented a broad cross-section of American society. A ranch is an area of landscape including various structures given primarily to the practice of ranching the practice of raising grazing livestock such as Cattle The Pawnee (also Paneassa, Pari, Pariki) are a Native American tribe that historically lived along the Platte, Loup and The Ivy League is an Athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. Polo is a team sport played outdoors on Horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team Many of the volunteers had known Roosevelt from his earlier years in the "Badlands" of the Dakota territory and as the New York City Police commissioner. As there were more applicants than positions available, Roosevelt had to turn away large numbers of applicants. One of those disappointed was Edgar Rice Burroughs. Edgar Rice Burroughs ( September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author best known for his creation of the jungle hero
Cavalry training was conducted for about a month at Camp Wood in San Antonio, Texas and was highly rigorous. The regiment was then moved to Tampa, Florida, the port of embarkation for the Cuban Campaign. They departed on June 14, though a serious lack of transport resulted in almost all of the unit's horses and four of its twelve troops being left behind. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the A troop is a Military unit, originally a small force of Cavalry, subordinate to a Squadron and headed by the troop leader
The regiment landed near Daiquirí, Cuba on June 22 as part of the Cavalry Division under the command of Major General Joseph Wheeler, of the Army's V Corps. Daiquirí (IPA /daiki'ɾi/ is a small village 14 miles east of Santiago de Cuba. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Joseph Wheeler ( September 10 1836 – January 25 1906) was an American military commander and politician Although officially a cavalry unit, the regiment fought on foot. They immediately began marching towards Santiago, their objective. Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island nation of Cuba Two days later, the unit participated in the Battle of Las Guasimas. The Battle of Las Guasimas, the first true clash of arms in the Cuban campaign of the Spanish-American War, was a bloody skirmish which ended indecisively in favor Slightly outnumbered, the American contingent was nonetheless able to force a retreat of the Spanish troops to the city of Santiago.
Assault on Kettle Hill and San Juan Heights
Aftermath
The Rough Riders had been hit hard by a casualty rate of about 76% lost in battle, wounded, or down with one of the many tropical diseases native to the area. The Battle of San Juan Hill ( July 1, 1898) was the bloodiest and most famous battle of the Spanish-American War. Theodore Roosevelt caught malaria, but was one of the few to recover. By the end of July, the situation with disease had become dire. Roosevelt and a "round robin" of high-ranking officers and doctors wrote to the War Department on July 31, "The army must be moved at once, or perish. The term round-robin describes correspondence to a single Address authored or signed by numerous individuals (as found in a Petition) The United States Department of War, sometimes also called the War Office, was the department of the United States government 's executive branch Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently "
Consequently, on August 8, the remains of the regiment went by ship, along with other troops, to Montauk, Long Island, arriving to a heroes' welcome on August 14. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Montauk is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York on the South Shore of Long Island. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures This area was chosen because at the time it was relatively unpopulated, and therefore thought to be a good place for quarantine. They occupied the hastily-built Camp Wikoff, which, due to continuing Army logistical problems, was significantly short on food and medicine. Theodore Roosevelt County Park (formerly Montauk County Park is just east of Montauk New York and includes Montaukett Village where the Native Long Islanders did their part to remedy this situation.
The unit was mustered out on September 14, 1898, but held annual reunions until 1968. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Roosevelt used his experience with the regiment in subsequent campaigns for Governor of New York and Vice-President for McKinley.
Rough Rider Theatrical Productions
Col. Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders were popularly portrayed in Wild West Shows such as Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World and in Minstrel shows such as William H. West's Big Minstrel Jubilee. Wild West Shows were traveling Vaudeville performances in the United States and Europe The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits variety acts dancing, and Music, William H West ( June 18, 1853 - February 15, 1902) known as the "Progressive Minstrel" he copied the British minstrel owner More than anyone else, William Frederick Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, can be credited with helping to create and preserve the dramatic myth of the Rough Riders and American Old West. William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (February 26 1846 &ndash January 10 1917 was an American soldier bison hunter and Showman. His extravaganzas glamorized it into an appealing show for Eastern U. S. audiences and helped permanently preserve the legends.
Last survivors
The last two surviving veterans of the regiment were Frank C. Brito and Jesse Langdon.
Brito, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, whose father was a Yaqui Indian stagecoach operator, was 21 when he enlisted with his brother in May 1898. Las Cruces is the second most populous city in New Mexico, the County seat of Doña Ana County, and a United States Metropolitan Statistical Area The "Yoeme" or Yaqui are a Native American tribe who originally lived in the valley of the Río Yaqui in the northern Mexican state of For other meanings see Stagecoach (disambiguation. A stagecoach (also called diligence) is a type of four-wheeled enclosed He never made it to Cuba, having been a member of H Troop, one of the four left behind in Tampa. He later became a mining engineer and lawman. He died 22 April 1973, at the age of 96. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar.
Langdon, born 1881 in what is now North Dakota, "hoboed" his way to Washington, D. North Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States of America. Hobo is a term that refers to a Subculture of wandering Homeless people particularly those who make a habit of hopping freight trains. C. , and called on Roosevelt at the Navy Department, reminding him that his father, a veterinarian, had treated Roosevelt's cattle at his Dakota ranch during his ranching days. Roosevelt arranged a railroad ticket for him to San Antonio, where Langdon enlisted in the Rough Riders at age 16. He was the last surviving member of the regiment and the only one to attend the final two reunions, in 1967 and 1968. He died June 29, 1975 at the age of 94, twenty-six months after Brito. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
World War I
Just after the United States entered the war against the Central Powers, the U.S. Congress gave Roosevelt the authority to raise up to four divisions similar to the Rough Riders. The Central Powers ( German: "Mittelmächte" Hungarian: "Központi hatalmak" Turkish: "İttifak The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Roosevelt immediately selected eighteen officers (including: Seth Bullock, Frederick Russell Burnham, and James Rudolph Garfield) to raise a volunteer infantry division, began cooresponding with Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War. Seth Bullock ( July 23, 1849 &ndash September 23, 1919) was a western sheriff hardware store owner and U Frederick Russell Burnham, DSO (May 11 1861 – September 1 1947 was an American scout and world traveling adventurer known for his service to the For his father the 20th President of the United States, see James Abram Garfield. Newton Diehl Baker Jr ( December 3, 1871 &ndash December 25, 1937) was an American Politician of the United States After several months, many more men joined Roosevelt's World War I volunteers, but Baker refused to offer any assistance or guidance to the new unit. In his book Foes of Our Own Household (1917 Theodore Roosevelt explains that he had authorization from Congress to raise four divisions to fight in France, similar Frustrated, Roosevelt telegrammed President Woodrow Wilson requesting his assistance; however, as Commander-in-chief, Wilson refused to make use of the volunteers and Roosevelt disbanded the unit. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. A commander-in-chief is the Commander of a nation's Military forces or significant element of those forces [1]
Muster Roll
- Mustered In:
- Officers: 47
- Enlisted Men: 994
- Mustered Out:
- Officers: 76
- Enlisted Men: 1,090
- Total Number Accounted for on Muster Out Roll:
- Officers: 52
- Enlisted Men: 1,185
- Losses While in Service:
-
- Officers:
- Promoted or Transferred: 0
- Resigned or Discharged: 2
- Dismissed: 0
- Killed in Action: 2
- Died of Wounds: 0
- Died of Disease: 1
- Died of Accident: 0
- Drowned: 0
- Suicide: 0
- Murdered: 0
- TOTAL OFFICER LOSSES: 5
- Enlisted Men:
- Transferred: 0
- Discharged for Disability: 9
- Discharged by General Court Martial: 0
- Discharged by Order: 31
- Killed in Action: 21
- Died of Wounds Received in Action: 3
- Died of Disease: 19
- Died of Accident: 0
- Drowned: 0
- Suicide: 14
- Murdered or Homicide: 0
- Deserted: 12
- TOTAL ENLISTED LOSSES: 95
- Wounded:
- Officers: 7
- Enlisted Men: 97
- (Source: The Adjutant General's Office, Statistical Exhibit of Strength of Volunteer Forces Called Into Service During the War With Spain; with Losses From All Causes. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899) As presented in an Electronic Edition by the US Army Center of Military History)
References
- ^ Roosevelt, Theodore (1917). Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T The Foes of Our Own Household. New York: George H. Doran company, 347. LCCN 17025965.
External links
- The Rough Riders, available at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
- Roosevelt's personal recollections of the campaign
- Rough Riders Memorial Collection:
- The Military Horse Society
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