Presidents at War: Theodore Roosevelt and the Spanish-American War
When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt was working as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the administration of President William McKinley. Navy Secretary John D. Long was in poor health, and he gave his assistant considerably more authority than most assistants. For example, ten days after the battleship Maine exploded in Havana harbor in Cuba, Long left the office and Roosevelt became Acting Secretary for four hours. In that time, Roosevelt cabled the Navy worldwide and instructed them to prepare for war. He ordered ammunition and supplies, brought in experts and went to Congress asking for authority to recruit as many sailors as he believed were required. But Roosevelt was not content to be stuck behind a desk as the conflict began to expand.
Both sides declared war in late April, Spain on the 23rd and the United States on the 25th. It was on April 25th that Roosevelt resigned the Navy and formed the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment together with his friend Army Colonel Leonard Wood. The newspapers called the regiment the "Rough Riders." Like many other volunteer units, it was a temporary organization intended to remain together for the duration of the war.
The regiment trained for several weeks in San Antonio, Texas. Roosevelt was able to obtain modern multiple round Krag smokeless carbines for the men. He arrived in San Antoni on May 16th. The Rough Riders used some standard issue gear and some of their own design. It was a very eclectic and diverse group of men who made up the regiment, which included Ivy Leaguers, professional and amateur athletes, upscale gentlemen as well as cowboys, frontiersmen, Indians, hunters, miners, prospectors, former soldiers, tradesmen and sheriffs.
The Rough Riders were part of the cavalry division commanded by the former Confederate general Joseph Wheeler. It was one of 3 divisions in V Corps under Lt General William Rufus Shafter. Roosevelt and his men departed from Tampa, Florida on June 13th. They landed in Daiquiri, Cuba on June 23, 1898 and marched to Siboney. Wheeler sent some of the 1st and 10th Regular Cavalry on the lower road northwest and sent the 1st Volunteers "Rough Riders" on the parallel road running along a ridge up from the beach. Wheeler left one regiment of his Cavalry Division, the 9th, at Siboney so that he could claim that his move north was only a limited reconnaissance.
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt was promoted to colonel and took command of the regiment when Wood was moved up to command the brigade. Shafter, who was over 300 pounds, was suffering from the heat and to sick to command. The Rough Riders were involved in a short, minor skirmish known as the Battle of Las Guasimas. They then fought their way through Spanish resistance and together with the Regulars forced the Spaniards to abandon their positions.
Under his leadership, the Rough Riders became famous for two charges up Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898. Roosevelt had the only horse, and he rode back and forth between rifle pits at the forefront of the advance up Kettle Hill, an advance that he urged in absence of any orders from superiors. He was forced to walk up the last part of Kettle Hill on foot, because of barbed wire entanglement. The victories came at a cost of 200 killed and 1000 wounded.
Roosevelt later wrote of his role in the battles, "On the day of the big fight I had to ask my men to do a deed that European military writers consider utterly impossible of performance, that is, to attack over open ground an unshaken infantry armed with the best modern repeating rifles behind a formidable system of entrenchments. The only way to get them to do it in the way it had to be done was to lead them myself."
In August, Roosevelt and other officers demanded that the soldiers be returned home. Roosevelt always recalled the Battle of San Juan Hill as 'the great day of my life'. But politics being what they were, he wasn't initially recognized for his bravery because Democrats as well as some within his own party feared that such recognition would advance his political career. He had been nominated for a medal during the war, but Army officials were also annoyed at his grabbing the headlines. It wasn't until January of 2001, when Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions by President Bill Clinton.
After return to civilian life, Roosevelt preferred to be known as "Colonel Roosevelt" or "The Colonel." Roosevelt wrote about his experience as a member of this famous regiment in his book Rough Riders, the Kindle edition of which is available free of charge on Amazon.
Both sides declared war in late April, Spain on the 23rd and the United States on the 25th. It was on April 25th that Roosevelt resigned the Navy and formed the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment together with his friend Army Colonel Leonard Wood. The newspapers called the regiment the "Rough Riders." Like many other volunteer units, it was a temporary organization intended to remain together for the duration of the war.
The regiment trained for several weeks in San Antonio, Texas. Roosevelt was able to obtain modern multiple round Krag smokeless carbines for the men. He arrived in San Antoni on May 16th. The Rough Riders used some standard issue gear and some of their own design. It was a very eclectic and diverse group of men who made up the regiment, which included Ivy Leaguers, professional and amateur athletes, upscale gentlemen as well as cowboys, frontiersmen, Indians, hunters, miners, prospectors, former soldiers, tradesmen and sheriffs.
The Rough Riders were part of the cavalry division commanded by the former Confederate general Joseph Wheeler. It was one of 3 divisions in V Corps under Lt General William Rufus Shafter. Roosevelt and his men departed from Tampa, Florida on June 13th. They landed in Daiquiri, Cuba on June 23, 1898 and marched to Siboney. Wheeler sent some of the 1st and 10th Regular Cavalry on the lower road northwest and sent the 1st Volunteers "Rough Riders" on the parallel road running along a ridge up from the beach. Wheeler left one regiment of his Cavalry Division, the 9th, at Siboney so that he could claim that his move north was only a limited reconnaissance.
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt was promoted to colonel and took command of the regiment when Wood was moved up to command the brigade. Shafter, who was over 300 pounds, was suffering from the heat and to sick to command. The Rough Riders were involved in a short, minor skirmish known as the Battle of Las Guasimas. They then fought their way through Spanish resistance and together with the Regulars forced the Spaniards to abandon their positions.
Under his leadership, the Rough Riders became famous for two charges up Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898. Roosevelt had the only horse, and he rode back and forth between rifle pits at the forefront of the advance up Kettle Hill, an advance that he urged in absence of any orders from superiors. He was forced to walk up the last part of Kettle Hill on foot, because of barbed wire entanglement. The victories came at a cost of 200 killed and 1000 wounded.
Roosevelt later wrote of his role in the battles, "On the day of the big fight I had to ask my men to do a deed that European military writers consider utterly impossible of performance, that is, to attack over open ground an unshaken infantry armed with the best modern repeating rifles behind a formidable system of entrenchments. The only way to get them to do it in the way it had to be done was to lead them myself."
In August, Roosevelt and other officers demanded that the soldiers be returned home. Roosevelt always recalled the Battle of San Juan Hill as 'the great day of my life'. But politics being what they were, he wasn't initially recognized for his bravery because Democrats as well as some within his own party feared that such recognition would advance his political career. He had been nominated for a medal during the war, but Army officials were also annoyed at his grabbing the headlines. It wasn't until January of 2001, when Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions by President Bill Clinton.
After return to civilian life, Roosevelt preferred to be known as "Colonel Roosevelt" or "The Colonel." Roosevelt wrote about his experience as a member of this famous regiment in his book Rough Riders, the Kindle edition of which is available free of charge on Amazon.