Editor’s note: page numbers @ BULLY!
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Commemorative Medal designed by Lieut. Frederick Wingte of Company I / page 338.
The World, New York Times:
The military order of “Roosevelt Rough Riders” was formally organized on August 31st, 1898 / pages 200 – 201.
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Frontispiece, BULLY! Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, The Rough Riders, Montauk, New York — 1898 / A Newspaper Chronicle
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“No one who saw Roosevelt take that ride expected he would finish alive. As the only mounted man, he was the most conspicuous object in range of the rifle pits…
“It looked like foolhardiness, but, as a matter of fact, he set the pace with his horse and inspired the men to follow….
“This regiment, when it was first organized was criticized and ridiculed. It was compared to the regiments of Bowery boys … who ran away at Bull Run. But the difference lay in the fact that the personnel of the men in this regiment is somewhat higher than that of the men who rob drunken sailors …”
‘Dashing Bravery of the Rough Riders’ / Richard Harding Davis, New York Herald, July 4, 1898 / pages 520 – 521.
Note: Theodore Roosevelt was 39; Black Jack Pershing, 38.
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Lieut. John J. Pershing’s Account of the Charge at San Juan Hill
“It was against all modern military theory that men should charge straight at a fortified and intrenched position, unshaken by artillery and defended by modern firearms in the hands of trained troops; and yet here we were. Only American valor could have done it…”
— Speech by Lieut. Pershing delivered at Hyde M.E. Church, Chicago, November 27, 1898
— From Under Fire with the Tenth U.S. Cavalry, 1899.
Note that Lieut. Pershing left his position as an Instructor in Military Strategy at West Point to join the war effort.
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President Clinton awards the Medal of Honor to Theodore Roosevelt / pages 524 – 525.
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Cigar Box Image / Theodore Roosevelt Collection @ Harvard University
Leonard Wood, graduate of Harvard Medical School in 1884, served as an army doctor, won the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Geronimo campaign, 1886. Long time friend of Roosevelt, who recommended Wood, given his military experience, for command of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, that became popularly known as the Rough Riders.
— Postcard published by J.J. Heatley, 1971.
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THE WAR IS OVER
SPAIN QUITS THE NEW WORLD
PEACE PROTOCOL SIGNED
August 12, 1898
The Sun, New York Press / pages 49 – 51.
The Treaty of Paris, ending the war, was signed December 10, 1898 / page 516.
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Color Sergeant Albert P. Wright from Yuma, Arizona.
New York Herald / James Gordon Bennett, Illustrator / page 60.
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“How are you Colonel Roosevelt?” shouted a soldier standing on the Iron Pier to Roosevelt, who stood on the bridge of the Transport Miami, with Gen. Joseph Wheeler, as the ship approached the dock.
“I am feeling disgracefully well.” Roosevelt answered back, then after a brief pause, added,
“I am positively ashamed of my appearance when I see how badly off some of my brave fellows are.”
Then, after another pause, added, in tones of intense conviction,
“Oh! but we have had a bully fight!”
— New York Herald / page 62.
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The Rough Riders
Editorial — The Rough Riders are, of all regiments, the public’s favorite. They form the one regiment that belongs to no State. They represent the entire country, and Texas feels as much local pride in them as does New York. They represent no one walk in life and no one grade in society….Wealthy clubmen served in the ranks side by side with plain cowpunchers.
Athletic and venturesome young fellows from the East, accustomed to daring and recklessness in outdoor sports, and equally daring Westerners, practiced to risk their necks in earning their daily bread, make a combination hard to beat.
— Commercial Advertiser / pages 75 – 76.
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“Nobody need make any mistake about that being a good regiment. The Western men were as good as soldiers when they enlisted….The Eastern men were fellows whose nerve and pride carried them along neck-and-neck with the cowboys.
Yes, that’s a splendid regiment.”
Gen. William Shafter
— The Sun / page 327.
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Woodbury Kane was a Harvard classmate of Roosevelt. He was a Knickerbocker and became a noted yachtsman.
New York Press / W.H. Shindler, Illustrator / page 65.
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Roosevelt Lauds His Men
“Of course I am proud of my regiment. There was never such another. In fifty days it was raised, organized, equipped, armed, mounted, put into transports, carried to Cuba and put through two victorious fights. That’s the record that I think will be hard to beat….
The groundwork of the regiment is the cowpuncher, the man who has herded cattle on the great plains for a living, and next to him comes the Rocky Mountain miner, who has also usually been a small ranchman, then the professional hunter, the mining engineer and civil engineer, and the packer, and mixed with them the college athlete and the man who has always been fond of rough out-of-doors sport. They all go in together without a hitch….”
— Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
— The Sun / pages 68 – 72.
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Robert Wrenn, quarterback at Harvard, won four titles at the U.S. Tennis Open .
William Larned, Knickerbocker, won seven titles at the U.S. Tennis Open.
Charles C. Bull, Harvard oarsman.
New York Herald / page 65.
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A CHARMED LIFE
He just rode around in the open with the trees full of Spanish sharpshooters pegging away at him, yet he never got a scratch. We think that he and Col. Wood, who is just like him, are the finest men in America to-day.
— A Rough Rider
Standard Union, August 16, 1898 / pages 72 – 73.
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General Joseph Wheeler, West Point / 1859, served as a General in the Confederacy, then rose to that rank in the U.S. Army. One of only four generals to serve in both wars and the only one to see action in both wars.
He came to personify the re-unification of the country after the Civil War. He served 16+ years in the House of Representatives (Alabama) and was in command of Camp Wikoff from his arrival at Fort Pond Bay until Gen. William Shafter took command in September.
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Shortly after arriving at Fort Pond Bay, Gen. Wheeler made these comments about Col. Roosevelt:
“The people of New York want him for Governor. That is entirely creditable to them. The people of the United States will want him to govern them next, and they will have him for President. I told him so on the ship and he laughed a good deal….
“Certainly, it would be hard for the people of the United States to make a better choice….
“He is a charming fellow. The thing that impressed me most about him is his absolute integrity. Some men have integrity about money, others about their personal conduct. Roosevelt has both…”
— New York Herald / page 79 – 81.
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New York Herald / page 82.
Ten thousand ‘Our Teddy for Governor’ Campaign Buttons
were ordered by a friend of Roosevelt’s.
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Chicago Tribune / page 86.
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The World / page 88.
All returning soldiers had to spend four days at the Detention Hospital campsite. The severely ill stayed in the hospital, while the other soldiers went to their regimental campsites or to the General Hospital, depending on their health.
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Col. Roosevelt stayed at Third House on August 18 & 19th, leaving camp on a four-day furlough for Oyster Bay / Sagamore Hill on August 20th.
New York Herald / page 91.
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— The World / page 100.
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ALL OYSTER BAY MEETS ROOSEVELT
…. The dramatic instinct is one of the key notes of Mr. Roosevelt’s success. It is that which makes him always interesting, always surprising, always leading to climax or tableau. He know intuitively the people’s love of pageantry, their admiration for splendid acts of heroism, their pleasure in pomps and ceremonies, and Col. Roosevelt moves naturally to the center of the stage in any new situation, so that the eyes of the multitude focus upon him.
A man of Roosevelt’s make-up, with his fine chest, straight legs, honest blue eyes, sparkling teeth; a man with his magnificent virility, with his extraordinary record of achievements, achievements due in no sense to others, may be pardoned if he believes a good deal in himself…
— The World, September 11. 1898 / page 101.
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Craig Wadsworth played football at Harvard; later became a steeplechase rider.
— New York Herald / page 103.
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MR. PLATT IS THINKING HARD OF A CANDIDATE TO FILL THIS COAT.
Republican Party Boss, Senator Thomas C. Platt, who backed the re-election of incumbent Republican Governor Frank Black, began to have second thoughts.
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LIEUTENANT WILLIAM TIFFANY
A MAN OF DAUNTLESS COURAGE
“I am greatly shocked and grieved at poor young Tiffany’s death. He was one of the most gallant and efficient officers we had, a man of dauntless courage and absorbed attention to duty. I grew to rely on him more and more, and all of us will mourn him both as a staunch friend and tried comrade-in-arms.
“There is a peculiar element of sadness in the fate of these young fellows, who have reached the shore for which they longed only to die.”
— Colonel Theodore Roosevelt / The Sun, page 130.
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Twenty-nine years old, he was a member of the Knickerbocker Club. He was a grandnephew of Commodore Perry and a nephew of the late August Belmont.
— New York Times, page 129.
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Editor’s Note: On Col. Roosevelt’s arrival at Fort Pond Bay, in speaking of the Rough Riders, he said, “I left Gen. Wood in good health, and Tiffany and Borrowe are getting along nicely. They will be sailing pretty soon.”
Lieut. Tiffany’s health, however, began to decline, in part due to poor quality of the Army rations. He was on board the hospital ship, Olivette, when it arrived in Fort Pond Bay. A request was made for provisions, but after waiting six hours, the Olivette went on to Boston.
Lieut. Tiffany had not contracted any tropical fever,
but the poor quality of the army provisions over an extended period of time resulted in physical exhaustion and finally death by starvation, as reported by Dr. F.M.Johnson shortly after Lieut. Tiffany’s arrival in Boston.
In the fall of 1898, it was concluded that the canned roast beef supplied to the troops was of little nutritional value. This became known as the Army Beef Scandal of 1898. See pages 526 – 529.
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DIED OF STARVATION
Editorial: Lieutenant Tiffany, one of Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders,” who was brought home on the Olivette, died in Boston on Thursday night. The death certificate declares that his “death was due to protracted fevers, to war life in Cuba and starvation…”
Think of an American soldier dying of starvation, after fighting and helping to win a glorious battle for his country! …. No occurrence in the history of this country has brought more shame and humiliation to the American people than has this awful neglect of the soldiers of the Nation…
— Kansas City Star, page 130.
Editor’s note: it was not known at that time that the poor quality of the canned roast beef had resulted in the needless suffering of many soldiers.
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A Mass Meeting of the Republican Party Discussing The Advisability of Nominating “Teddy” Roosevelt For Governor.
— Illustration & Caption | The World, page 131.
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Warmest Feelings of Gratitude
To the Citizens of East Hampton
We the members of “M” Troop, 1st U.S. Vol. Cavalry, commonly known as Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, use these means to thank the people of East Hampton for their kind liberality and generosity in the reception accorded our troop while we passed through East Hampton, and beg to assure them that the bombardment of such luxuries awakened in our breasts the warmest feelings of gratitude.
— M Troop / East Hampton Star / August 26, 1898 / page 132.
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“The Real, Genuine Stuff”
“Those Rough Riders — look at that now, look at those two just riding up there. See how their arms are fixed — just right; and their seat comfortable, deep down in the saddle, and their hats look at the hats!
“Oh, say, they’re the real stuff, they are; the real, genuine stuff.”
— Said a regular cavalry Sergeant at Montauk the other day.
— J.L.S., Commercial Advertiser / page 142.
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The Slouch Hat
The old Sergeant’s climax recalled the Western love of the slouch hat, the soft, round, limited sombrero, with the broad brim, not too broad — just wide enough to take on beautiful curves bending down under the sun or up before the wind, giving always perfect lines, artistic form….The United States Army never did a more fashionable and practical thing than when it adopted the slouch hat for the rank and file ….
— J.L.S., Commercial Advertiser / page 142.
— New York Press / Illustration / page 143.
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ALL PROUD OF ROOSEVELT
…. “I’ve never seen the man yet that isn’t afraid of something,” remarked the gambler.
“I tank I guess you don’t scairt our Colonel yoost very much,” singsonged the Swede.
“That’s right,” put in Mac. “In the city we all knew that Teddy had moral courage to burn, but since I’ve seen him in action I’ve found out the reason for his independence. I tell, boys, the trouble with Teddy is that he hasn’t got it in him to be afraid. I don’t believe even the first bullet scared him.”
“Well, he’s a beaut, then,” observed the Spider….
“When I was out there on the firing line hugging the ground as close as I could,” said the New Yorker, “and the bullets striking were all around me, Teddy came wandering along looking as if he enjoyed the view, just kind of taking an airing, you know, right on top of the trenches….”
“An’ that’s the feller that we Western cowpunchers was sort o’ dubious about,” chuckled the Arizona man. “I’d like to find the man now that would call him a college-bred dude.”
— The Sun / pages 147 – 151.
— Illustration / New York Press / page 149.
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Roosevelt and The Rough Riders
True To Life
….“Both Col. Wood and Col. Roosevelt are splendid organizers as well as exceptionally courageous, energetic men. The ordinary regular army officer could not have successfully commanded such a regiment as this. It took a man of exceptional ability to bring out all that was in it,” said Lieut. Col. Brodie, a West Pointer….
“Nothing that can be said in praise of Col. Roosevelt’s fighting qualities and of his kind treatment of his men can be made too strong.”
“Roosevelt is the regiment and the regiment is Roosevelt,” is how Capt. Woodbury Kane put it.
While the bulk of the regiment is made up of cowboys and hunters and others from New Mexico, Arizona, and the Indian Territory and Texas, it is a curious fact that the great majority of these very men are originally from the Eastern and Northern and many of the old Southern States….
They all want to get back to the West again, now that peace has come but nearly all want to see New York first, and when the mustering out comes the metropolis will be stormed by Rough Riders.
New Yorkers need have nothing to fear from the influx of Rough Riders. They take just as much pride in knowing how to behave like other civilized beings as they do in their record at the front. It is a big mistake to look upon the Rough Riders, be they from New Mexico or the wilds of Arizona or the Indian Territory, as semi-desperadoes. They are well behaved, rather quiet and reserved.
Like all really brave men they are kind-hearted and courteous. The respectful courtesy they display towards womankind might be noted with profit by many New York men. They will fight as quickly to protect a kitten from cruelty or a woman from insult as they did to free Cuba….
These are the men who, knowing Roosevelt, love him and these are the men he knows and loves so well.
— The World / pages 151 – 160.
— Illustration / The World / page 152.
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CHEROKEE BILL
An Indian Rough Rider
In the Second Troop of Rough Riders, a picturesque and notable character is “Cherokee Bill,” who, as his name indicates, hails from the Indian Territory and belongs to the once powerful tribe of redskin warriors.
Like all Indians Bill rides his horse as though he and the animal were one, and his skill with rifle and revolver is a constant source of wonder and delight to his comrades….With his horse at a gallop and hanging on with one knee and a hand, he can hit a small target at a hundred feet two out of three times with his revolver….
— Washington Post / page 161
— Illustration / The World / page 161
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The Rough Riders Mascot
Dabney S. Royster
….This patriotic American boy is Dabney S. Royster, thirteen years old, the mascot-protege of the Rough Riders at Camp Wikoff.
Young Royster’s home is in Memphis, Tenn. Three months ago several troops of Rough Riders passed through Memphis …. He hid in an army wagon and was not discovered until the troopers were miles on their march….Proud and happy, Dabney wrote to his father, pleading for permission to remain with the Rough Riders.
“As you’re with them, you might as well stay with them,” was the answer.
So Dabney went to Cuba with the First Volunteer Cavalry. They would not let him within half a mile of the fighting at El Caney….
Dabney returned from Cuba on the Yucatan….He has never seen New York, but will soon visit the big city.
“I hear it’s a great town,” he said. “But I won’t like it as much as Memphis; though I don’t want to go back there. I want to join the army and be a soldier, not for a little while, but all the time.”
— The World Report & Illustration / August 28, 1898 / page 162.
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ROUGH RIDERS AT PLAY
There was a thunder of hoofs along the level behind Newspaper Row like the sound of a stampede. Everybody ran out and beheld Col. Theodore Roosevelt on his big horse tearing across the plain at top speed with a squad of Rough Riders in hot pursuit some five yards behind….He was leaning forward in his saddle, his eyes shining, his hat jammed far down on his head, his stocky, supple body giving easily to every motion of the powerful animal he rode. He ploughed through a marsh, lifted his mount over a gully in a flying leap, sped over the weedy stretch beyond, plunged down five feet to the sand beach, and pulled up close to the water’s edge with his men still behind him. Three minutes later the head of Col. Roosevelt could be seen bobbing just outside the line of breakers, with a few of the more daring swimmers among the men near by. Presently a large and somewhat premature wave broke out beyond the line, caught the cavalry leader unawares, and he disappeared from the scene of action in a swirl of seething water, to reappear a second later a rod in spluttering and laughing.
“Phew! That makes a man feel alive,” he said as he trotted out of the water…
A few minutes afterward he was again leading his squad in a race across the landscape.
— The Sun / page 163
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James B. Douglas
Troops E, Rough Riders
He is the oldest soldier in the regiment, having served three years in the Sixth Cavalry during the Civil War. He was shot in the side at the battle of Las Guasimas and is ill from rheumatism contracted in the trenches in front of Santiago.
— left, New York Press / Illustrator, W.H. Shindler / page 179
— right, New York Press / page 28
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THE LONG ISLAND RAILROAD
— Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Editor’s Note: The Long Island Railroad built the Iron Pier at Fort Pond Bay — strong enough to support train cars as supplies were moved from transports to the train. The Long Island Railroad also delivered tons of supplies for the construction of the buildings at Montauk Station and the two hospitals.
During the great encampment, the Long Island Railroad transported thousands of visitors to and from Camp Wikoff, as well as 30,000 troops — virtually all soldiers left Camp Wikoff on the Long Island Railroad; not to mention the horses, mules, and army wagons that were needed at the encampment and then transported away when the camp closed.
This was the greatest event in the history of the Long Island Railroad and executed flawlessly.
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Note the Iron Pier w/ train cars, Fort Pond Bay.
— The World / page 57
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To be continued ….
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Visit: BULLY! Col. Roosevelt, The Rough Riders & Camp Wikoff, Montauk — 1898
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Visit: Camp Wikoff, National Military Park Proposal / 2008
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