Rough Riders

"The Rough Riders" was the name bestowed by the American press on the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish-American War.

Origin of the Name

Roosevelt needed men to fight in the war. So he went to San Antonio to a local pub to round up some rough necks for the job. But since it isn't that easy just to round up an army, Roosevelt needed a form of persuasion. Knowing this, he bought the men drinks, but since this was not enough, he also took them to a local hotel and paid hookers to entertain the men. After having intercourse with the men, the hookers referred to them as "rough riders." This nickname was so catchy that it stuck and would come to describe their effort in the war as well.

Formation and early history

Command of the regiment was initially offered by War Secretary Russell Alger to Theodore Roosevelt. 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. Roosevelt was made a Lieutenant Colonel and second in command of the regiment.

Roosevelt had resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to fight in the war, and his forceful personality and notoriety among the largely yellow press 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.

The regiment was Mustered-in between May 1, 1898, and May 21, 1898, at mustering stations in the Indian Territory (today's State of Oklahoma), Texas, and New Mexico. Out of over 23,000 applicants, the following data were derived from the official Muster Rolls of the 1st USVC. 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.

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. A serious lack of transport resulted in almost all of the unit's horses and four of its twelve troops being left behind. The regiment landed near Daiquiri, Cuba on June 22, 1898 as part of the Cavalry Division under the command of Major General Joseph Wheeler, of the Army's V Corps. Although officially a cavalry unit, the regiment fought on foot. They immediately began marching towards Santiago, their objective. Two days later, the unit participated in the Battle of Las Guasimas. Slightly outnumbered, the American contingent was nonetheless able to force a retreat of the Spanish troops to the city of Santiago.

Assault on Santiago

On June 30, partly due to the vacancy created by the contraction of a fever by Brigadier General Samuel Young, and partly due to the regiment's service at Las Guásimas, Colonel Wood was given a field promotion to Brigadier General with V Corps, and Lt. Col. Roosevelt was likewise promoted to full colonel and given formal command of the Rough Riders.

The next day, American forces were fully assembled and began an assault on the city of Santiago, which was already blockaded by the U.S. Navy. The Rough Riders actually charged (walked, really) up Kettle Hill which was slightly to the north of San Juan Hill. Roosevelt was the only one who was mounted. After this was complete, the unit turned its attention to the region of San Juan Heights.

The Rough Riders were brigaded with the 1st U.S. Cavalry and the 10th U.S. Cavalry, both Regular Army units, the latter being a black unit. "Teddy's charge up San Juan Hill," as it was reported in the American press, was actually part of a larger operation. Joined by other units, notably elements of the 9th and 10th Cavalry(African-American "buffalo soldiers"), the Rough Riders assaulted and eventually succeeded in securing the region, contributing to the victory of Santiago, which was the defining battle of the Cuban campaign. Spanish forces withdrew to the inner defenses of Santiago and formally surrendered on July 17.

Aftermath

The Rough Riders had been hit hard by a casualty rate of about 37% lost in battle, wounded, or down with one of the many tropical diseases native to the area. 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 wrote to the War Department on July 31, "The army must be moved at once, or perish."

Consequently, the remains of the regiment went by ship, along with other troops, to Montauk, Long Island, where they arrived to a heroes' welcome on August 14. 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. Long Islanders did their part to remedy this situation.

The unit was mustered out on September 14, 1898, but held annual reunions until 1968. Roosevelt played up his experience with the regiment to its best advantage during subsequent campaigns for the U.S. Presidency.

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. 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.

Langdon, born 1881 in what is now North Dakota, "hoboed" his way to Washington, DC, 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 29 June 1975 at the age of 94, twenty-six months after Brito.

Organizational data

1. Mustered In: 1-21 May 1898 in Texas, Indian Territory, and New Mexico
2. Mustered Out: 15 September 1898 at Montauk Point, New York
3. Service Beyond the United States: Cuba
  1. Leaving the United States: 14 June 1898
  2. Arrival in Foreign Country: 22 June 1898
  3. Leaving Foreign Country: 8 August 1898
  4. Returned to United States: 14 August 1898
Muster Roll:
1. Mustered In:
  1. Officers: 47
  2. Enlisted Men: 994
2. Mustered Out:
  1. Officers: 47
  2. Enlisted Men: 1,090
3. Total Number Accounted for on Muster Out Roll:
  1. Officers: 52
  2. Enlisted Men: 1,185
4. Losses While in Service:
  1. Officers:
    1. Promoted or Transferred: 0
    2. Resigned or Discharged: 2
    3. Dismissed: 0
    4. Killed in Action: 2
    5. Died of Wounds: 0
    6. Died of Disease: 1
    7. Died of Accident: 0
    8. Drowned: 0
    9. Suicide: 0
    10. Murdered: 0
    11. TOTAL OFFICER LOSSES: 5
  2. Enlisted Men:
    1. Transferred: 0
    2. Discharged for Disability: 9
    3. Discharged by General Court Martial: 0
    4. Discharged by Order: 31
    5. Killed in Action: 21
    6. Died of Wounds Received in Action: 3
    7. Died of Disease: 19
    8. Died of Accident: 0
    9. Drowned: 0
    10. Suicide: 0
    11. Murdered or Homicide: 0
    12. Deserted: 12
    13. TOTAL ENLISTED LOSSES: 95
5. Wounded:
  1. Officers: 7
  2. 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)

Sources

Walker, Dale L., "The Next to the Last Man: Rough Rider Frank Brito," Nova publication of the University of Texas-El Paso 6 (February/April 1971).
"Spanish-American War," Prairie Public Television

External links