Works The Rough Riders

The Rough Riders was the nickname for one of the three regiments of the First United States Volunteer Cavalry, which Roosevelt helped to form. It was the only regiment to see combat during the Spanish-American War of 1898, in Cuba. Roosevelt resigned his post as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to raise this army with men of very diverse background, ranging from Ivy Leaguers to Native Americans, from athletes to frontiersmen, etc. Theodore Roosevelt wrote about his Rough Riders that: "they were hardened to life in the open, and to shifting for themselves under adverse circumstances. My men were children of the dragon's blood, and if they had no outland foe to fight and no outlet for their vigorous and daring energy, there was always the chance of their fighting one another: but the great majority, if given the chance to do hard or dangerous work, availed themselves of it with the utmost eagerness." Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919) was not only the 26th president of the United States but also a prolific writer. He lent his pen to many different topics, including history, biographies, autobiographies, and nature. He also wrote countless articles, letters, and even guide books. Some of his most famous works include: "The Rough Riders," "History of the Naval War of 1812," "African Game Trails," and "The Winning of the West."

First work originally published: New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1899. 2nd work originally published: New York: Macmillan, 1913.

Upon the 1898 Declaration of War launching the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt resigned from the Navy Department. With the aid of U.S. Army Colonel Leonard Wood, Roosevelt found volunteers from cowboys from the Western territories to Ivy League friends from New York, forming the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. The newspapers called them the "Rough Riders." This is the first person account by the regiment's commander and future President of the United States, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. An exciting and valuable edition to the collection of any serious reader of historical war books.

THE AWARD-WINNING, NEW DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT AND THE ROUGH RIDERS "Thrilling. ... A CLASSIC." —True West WINNER: Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award; New Mexico-Arizona Book Award; and Colorado Book Award The now-legendary Rough Riders were a volunteer regiment recruited in 1898 to help drive the Spaniards out of Cuba. Drawn from America’s southwestern territories and led by the irrepressible Theodore Roosevelt, these men included not only cowboys and other Westerners, but also several Ivy Leaguers and clubmen, many of them friends of “TR.” Roosevelt and his men quickly came to symbolize American ruggedness, daring, and individualism. He led them to victory in the famed Battle of San Juan Hill, which made TR a national hero and cemented the Rough Riders’ iconic place in history. Now Mark Lee Gardner synthesizes previously unknown primary accounts—private letters, diaries, and period newspaper reports from public and private archives across the country—to breathe fresh life into the Rough Riders and pay tribute to their daring feats and indomitable leader.

Excerpt from The Rough Riders Hark! I hear the tramp of thousands, And of armed men the hum; Lo! a nation's hosts have gathered Round the quick-alarming drum Saying, "Come, Freemen, come! Ere your heritage be wasted," said the quick-alarming drum. "Let me of my heart take counsel; War is not of Life the sum; Who shall stay and reap the harvest When the autumn days shall come?" But the drum Echoed, "Come! Death shall reap the braver harvest," said the solemn-sounding drum. "But when won the coming battle, What of profit springs therefrom? What if conquest, subjugation, Even greater ills become?" But the drum Answered, "Come! You must do the sum to prove it," said the Yankee answering drum. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Rough Rider, member of 1st Volunteer Cavalry, in the Spanish-American War, member of a regiment of U.S. cavalry volunteers recruited by Theodore Roosevelt and composed of cowboys, miners, law-enforcement officials, and college athletes, among others. Their colourful and often unorthodox exploits received extensive publicity in the American press.Col. Leonard Wood resigned as White House physician to command the regiment. Roosevelt, who resigned as assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy, was second in command. It was a flamboyant unit that received more publicity than any other unit in that war, especially for its uphill charge in the Battle of Santiago (July 1, 1898). The Rough Riders joined in the capture of Kettle Hill and then charged across a valley to assist in the seizure of San Juan Ridge, the highest point of which is San Juan Hill.