(Other organizations are also marking the centennial of the camp.) He arrived with the first troops on the transport ship Miami, which docked in mid-August at Fort Pond Bay, where today stands the - what else? - Rough Riders Landing condominium complex, which will be dedicating a plaque in honor of Roosevelt on Saturday. Already a national hero, Roosevelt became even more popular for his outspokenness. In fact, he openly criticized the War Department for delaying the withdrawal of the soldiers. A Classic slice of Americana written by one of America's best.After his legendary exploits with the Rough Riders' charge up San Juan Hill, outside Santiago de Cuba, and the Spanish surrender soon afterward, Roosevelt was determined to get his suffering soldiers home quickly.
The colorful and fact-based story of brave American men who fought for the freedom of others, now sadly under totalitarian rule. Roosevelt tells the entire story, which helped catapult him to the Presidency, of the feisty former Confederate Cavalry commander Joseph Wheeler, who commanded all of the volunteer cavalry, and who, to the amusement of his men, blurted out at Las Guismas, "We've got the damn Yankees on the run" - momentarily lapsing into Chickamauga, not Cuba!, and of how San Juan Hill was stormed and captured under intense fire from Spanish rifles, gatling guns, and cannon, and giving praise not just to his own men, but to the accompanying Black Cavalrymen of the 9th and 10th cavalry, and of the regular infantry units that were involved in the operation. Several troops, to their everlasting sorrow, and nearly all of the horses had to stay in Tampa, the port of embarkation, because of a lack of troopships. And not all of the nearly 1000 men who volunteered ever made it over to Cuba. The "Rough Riders" is Roosevelt's classic story of these highly motivated volunteers who eagerly volunteered to fight in the Spanish-American war, and whom many, including the regular army officer Capron, the Arizona sheriff O'Neill, Fish and others paid the ultimate price. Men like Allyn Capron, Buckey O'Neill, (future Secretary of the Navy) Frank Knox, Hamilton Fish, the famed Indian fighter Leonard Wood, and of course the bespectacled Assistant Secretary of the Navy, former New York Police Commissioner and sometime cowboy named Theodore Roosevelt. They were Ivy Leaguers, Cowboys, Indians, Sheriffs, Outlaws, Civil War veterans, Indian fighters, businessmen.
They came from all over the United States and the Western Territories. This is truly a landmark in the rich canon of American military memoirs. TR's admiration and love for his troops ultimately gives the book a real warmth and humanity. The writing style is very engaging and has a clear, matter-of-fact quality. Although he frankly discusses the violence, wounds, and deaths of the battlefield, overall I got a sense that TR saw the war as a grand adventure-even fun on a certain level. Roosevelt includes fascinating technical details about the weapons of this era. He also discusses occasional humorous material, such as the nicknames some soldiers earned. Other topics covered include illness among the troops and the impact of weather and terrain on warfare. Although the book first appeared over a century ago, I found many of TR's observations startlingly relevant to contemporary warfare he discusses wartime refugees, guerrilla warfare, wartime atrocities, and battlefield news correspondents. Much of the book concerns what, in TR's opinion, makes for good soldiers and good leaders. TR tells about the recruitment and training of the Rough Riders, their voyage to Cuba, their battles, and their return home. The copyright page notes that the text was originally published in 1899. The book's title comes from the nickname earned by the unit. "The Rough Riders," by Theodore Roosevelt, is the author's memoir of his experiences as part of the First United States Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish-American War.