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U.S. Landmark Books #41
Teddy Roosevelt And The Rough Riders
Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
182 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1954
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 5, 2024
I usually really enjoy the biographies in this series, but I didn't care for this one. It seemed more a series of tall tales than an accurate history or account of the deeds of the man who became our 26th president. First and foremost, I didn't like the prose at all. Some may find it engaging, but it seems that it excessively attempts to eschew a formal, historical style of writing in favor of something more akin to a dime novel, lionizing the main characters when, in reality, the situation was more complex. I'm all for making history books accessible to a general public, but this one was just banal.
I also would have liked to have seen more of a history of Theodore Roosevelt, but the focus was admittedly on his exploits as one of the "Rough Riders." T.R., as he's known in the book, is a fascinating character, so more on his life and history would have been appreciated. He is as unlikely a president as one could imagine. As the book notes, briefly, T.R. was a sickly child, who was afflicted with fairly severe asthma. As such, he was home-schooled, so he lacked the formal education one would expect of a president, especially at that time. However, he was able to overcome many of the health problems which had plagued him in his youth, and he eventually attended Harvard College.
T.R. pursued many varied interests throughout his life. Despite his rather diminutive height and robust stature, he was a lifelong outdoorsman, naturalist and an avid hunter. His interest in zoology began at age seven, and he shortly thereafter created his own "Roosevelt Museum of Natural History," featuring the taxidermied animals he had hunted. Despite his health challenges, his family took him on many international trips to Europe and even Egypt, which included hiking in the Alps. It was there that Roosevelt realized the benefits of physical activity, which reportedly at least improved his asthma (one wonders, however, if it was the clean mountain air which was at least as responsible as the physical exertion in alleviating his symptoms).
Despite his homeschooling and admittedly large gaps in his knowledge base, T.R. was a well-rounded students. A published ornithologist, he reportedly read constantly and had a near-photographic memory. He also became something of an amateur historian who published a popular book, "The Naval War of 1812." T.R. reportedly excelled in geography, science and even French and German, but struggled with mathematics.
Roosevelt's father's sudden death in 1878 provided him with a $60,000 inheritance, the equivalent of about $1.89 million in 2023, which gave him financial security for the rest of his life. After the death of his mother and his first wife, who died on the same night, he purchased a cattle ranch in the Dakotas, retreating into the wild he had so enjoyed in his youth for solace.
Public service called, however, and Roosevelt soon became active in public life. He eventually served as the governor of New York, and then Vice President under McKinley. T.R. assumed the presidency after the latter's assassination in 1901. Prior to that, he had served as assistant secretary of the Navy under McKinley, and was instrumental in planning the naval war against Spain, but he resigned that position to lead the "Rough Riders," AKA the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry, one of three regiments raised in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War.
"Roosevelt's Rough Riders" were named for Buffalo Bill's traveling Western Show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World." The regiment was comprised of a rather motley crew of men no one would have guessed could work well together, but T.R. pulled it off somehow. His hand-selected regiment was made up of Ivy League athletes, Texas Rangers, ex cowpokes, prospectors, gamblers, and even some Native Americans. Some recruits were also veterans who were itching to see action again, especially after the sinking of the USS Maine, which resulted in a stir or patriotism and enlistment in the armed forces.
Perhaps that's not surprising considering the fact that everyone accepted into Roosevelt's regiment had to be expert horsemen and proficient shooters. The volunteers were plucked almost exclusively from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona, from regions accustomed to the hot, dry climate they would likewise encounter in Cuba, where they would be fighting. According to Roosevelt, almost half hailed from New Mexico.
After months of intense cavalry training, the crew set off for Cuba on May 29, 1898. 1,060 Rough Riders and 1,258 horses and mules made their way to Tampa, Florida, but only eight of the twelve companies were actually dispatched to Cuba. Many of the horses and mules were left behind as well, due to a lack of storage, which severely disadvantaged the cavalry unit. They arrived in Cuba on June 23. The problem was that most men were now without their horses, with whom they had trained in a particular style of fighting. They had not trained as infantry and were not accustomed to the heavy marching in hot, jungle conditions, which resulted in a serious loss of morale and not a few lives, especially from malaria.
Despite the hardships, the Rough Riders won an overwhelming victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill. As it has been noted, Roosevelt's combat experience consisted of a single week's campaign and a single day of actual combat. That said, his actions during the battle resulted in a recommendation for the Medal of Honor, a distinction his political enemies eventually denied him. His actions did, however, provide the catalyst for his successful campaign for the governorship of New York in 1899. The following year, due in no small part to the fame he enjoyed in the wake of his exploits in Cuba, he was chosen as McKinley's vice presidential nominee in his run for a second term.
I won't go into too much more detail, as there are many books which discuss Roosevelt's life and deeds in more detail. The writing of this one just rubbed me the wrong way. It had some decent information, but it just wasn't very memorable, to me, largely because of the florid style of writing. It's OK if you're trying to get through the entire series, as I am, but, otherwise, I can't really recommend it, as there are many more books which are far more accurate, comprehensive, and well-written than this one.
I also would have liked to have seen more of a history of Theodore Roosevelt, but the focus was admittedly on his exploits as one of the "Rough Riders." T.R., as he's known in the book, is a fascinating character, so more on his life and history would have been appreciated. He is as unlikely a president as one could imagine. As the book notes, briefly, T.R. was a sickly child, who was afflicted with fairly severe asthma. As such, he was home-schooled, so he lacked the formal education one would expect of a president, especially at that time. However, he was able to overcome many of the health problems which had plagued him in his youth, and he eventually attended Harvard College.
T.R. pursued many varied interests throughout his life. Despite his rather diminutive height and robust stature, he was a lifelong outdoorsman, naturalist and an avid hunter. His interest in zoology began at age seven, and he shortly thereafter created his own "Roosevelt Museum of Natural History," featuring the taxidermied animals he had hunted. Despite his health challenges, his family took him on many international trips to Europe and even Egypt, which included hiking in the Alps. It was there that Roosevelt realized the benefits of physical activity, which reportedly at least improved his asthma (one wonders, however, if it was the clean mountain air which was at least as responsible as the physical exertion in alleviating his symptoms).
Despite his homeschooling and admittedly large gaps in his knowledge base, T.R. was a well-rounded students. A published ornithologist, he reportedly read constantly and had a near-photographic memory. He also became something of an amateur historian who published a popular book, "The Naval War of 1812." T.R. reportedly excelled in geography, science and even French and German, but struggled with mathematics.
Roosevelt's father's sudden death in 1878 provided him with a $60,000 inheritance, the equivalent of about $1.89 million in 2023, which gave him financial security for the rest of his life. After the death of his mother and his first wife, who died on the same night, he purchased a cattle ranch in the Dakotas, retreating into the wild he had so enjoyed in his youth for solace.
Public service called, however, and Roosevelt soon became active in public life. He eventually served as the governor of New York, and then Vice President under McKinley. T.R. assumed the presidency after the latter's assassination in 1901. Prior to that, he had served as assistant secretary of the Navy under McKinley, and was instrumental in planning the naval war against Spain, but he resigned that position to lead the "Rough Riders," AKA the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry, one of three regiments raised in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War.
"Roosevelt's Rough Riders" were named for Buffalo Bill's traveling Western Show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World." The regiment was comprised of a rather motley crew of men no one would have guessed could work well together, but T.R. pulled it off somehow. His hand-selected regiment was made up of Ivy League athletes, Texas Rangers, ex cowpokes, prospectors, gamblers, and even some Native Americans. Some recruits were also veterans who were itching to see action again, especially after the sinking of the USS Maine, which resulted in a stir or patriotism and enlistment in the armed forces.
Perhaps that's not surprising considering the fact that everyone accepted into Roosevelt's regiment had to be expert horsemen and proficient shooters. The volunteers were plucked almost exclusively from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona, from regions accustomed to the hot, dry climate they would likewise encounter in Cuba, where they would be fighting. According to Roosevelt, almost half hailed from New Mexico.
After months of intense cavalry training, the crew set off for Cuba on May 29, 1898. 1,060 Rough Riders and 1,258 horses and mules made their way to Tampa, Florida, but only eight of the twelve companies were actually dispatched to Cuba. Many of the horses and mules were left behind as well, due to a lack of storage, which severely disadvantaged the cavalry unit. They arrived in Cuba on June 23. The problem was that most men were now without their horses, with whom they had trained in a particular style of fighting. They had not trained as infantry and were not accustomed to the heavy marching in hot, jungle conditions, which resulted in a serious loss of morale and not a few lives, especially from malaria.
Despite the hardships, the Rough Riders won an overwhelming victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill. As it has been noted, Roosevelt's combat experience consisted of a single week's campaign and a single day of actual combat. That said, his actions during the battle resulted in a recommendation for the Medal of Honor, a distinction his political enemies eventually denied him. His actions did, however, provide the catalyst for his successful campaign for the governorship of New York in 1899. The following year, due in no small part to the fame he enjoyed in the wake of his exploits in Cuba, he was chosen as McKinley's vice presidential nominee in his run for a second term.
I won't go into too much more detail, as there are many books which discuss Roosevelt's life and deeds in more detail. The writing of this one just rubbed me the wrong way. It had some decent information, but it just wasn't very memorable, to me, largely because of the florid style of writing. It's OK if you're trying to get through the entire series, as I am, but, otherwise, I can't really recommend it, as there are many more books which are far more accurate, comprehensive, and well-written than this one.
April 1, 2018
A Landmark book published in 1954.
A solid, factual book with obvious references to the time in which it was written.
A solid, factual book with obvious references to the time in which it was written.
September 27, 2023
For some reason my boys were just riveted by this book, every night we read together. Something about boys and war! When men were men.
August 4, 2012
Delightful style. A pleasant read. I leaned some history.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews