The Rough Riders

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)

Theodore Roosevelt's personal account of The Rough Riders, the name affectionately bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one to see action. Roosevelt, serving first as Lt. Colonel and 2nd in command, gives a rousing depiction of the men and horses, equipment, talent, their trip to Cuba, battle strategies, losses, injuries and victories. He says: "In all the world there could be no better material for soldiers than that afforded by these grim hunters of the mountains, these wild rough riders of the plains . . accustomed to handling wild and savage horses . . to following the chase with the rifle, both for sport and as a means of livelihood . . 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." (Michele Fry)

Genre(s): War & Military, Memoirs

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 1, 1 - Raising The Regiment William Peck
00:24:45
Play 02 1, 2 - Raising The Regiment William Peck
00:24:57
Play 03 2, 1 - To Cuba William Peck
00:19:01
Play 04 2, 2 - To Cuba William Peck
00:24:13
Play 05 3, 1 - General Young's Fight at Las Guasimas William Peck
00:26:08
Play 06 3, 2 - General Young's Fight at Las Guasimas William Peck
00:24:41
Play 07 4, 1 - The Cavalry At Santiago William Peck
00:30:34
Play 08 4, 2 - The Cavalry At Santiago William Peck
00:33:03
Play 09 5, 1 - In The Trenches William Peck
00:25:13
Play 10 5, 2 - In The Trenches William Peck
00:24:06
Play 11 6, 1 - The Return Home William Peck
00:24:48
Play 12 6, 2 - The Return Home William Peck
00:22:38
Play 13 Appendix A - Muster-Out Roll William Peck
00:02:47
Play 14 Appendix B - Col. Roosevelt's Report to the Secretary of War of September 10th 1898 William Peck
00:17:35
Play 15 Appendix C - The 'Round Robin' Letter William Peck
00:07:43
Play 16 Appendix D - Corrections William Peck
00:25:51
Play 17 Appendix E William Peck
00:20:25
Play 18 Appendix F William Peck
00:05:37
Play 19 Appendix G William Peck
00:07:37